Sohrab Modi

Drawing the history of the Indian talkie, starting with Alam Ara in 1931, this documentary short provides a cross-section of viewpoints from luminaries of the film industry, which give some insight into the contemporary commercial cinema and the parallel stream.

An early social drama produced and directed by Sohrab Modi

A love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.

Classic Bollywood film about a young man whose poverty leads him to commit crimes which, in turn, lead him to harsher and harsher punishments.

Atma Tarang follows a man torn between worldly desires and spiritual awakening. As he struggles to overcome material temptations, he embarks on a journey of self-realization and inner transformation.

A class division melodrama centred on Mehtab’s histrionics. Kiran (Mehtab) is the daughter of a courtesan. Her lowly origins first destroy her marriage and then threaten to jeopardise her son Prakash’s (Singh) ambitions. She is blackmailed for keeping her son’s parentage a secret from him, forcing her to return to her ancestral profession. The film was a commercial success.

An early social drama produced and directed by Sohrab Modi

An early social drama produced and directed by Sohrab Modi

A love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.

Classic Bollywood film about a young man whose poverty leads him to commit crimes which, in turn, lead him to harsher and harsher punishments.

Classic Bollywood film about a young man whose poverty leads him to commit crimes which, in turn, lead him to harsher and harsher punishments.

Atma Tarang follows a man torn between worldly desires and spiritual awakening. As he struggles to overcome material temptations, he embarks on a journey of self-realization and inner transformation.

A class division melodrama centred on Mehtab’s histrionics. Kiran (Mehtab) is the daughter of a courtesan. Her lowly origins first destroy her marriage and then threaten to jeopardise her son Prakash’s (Singh) ambitions. She is blackmailed for keeping her son’s parentage a secret from him, forcing her to return to her ancestral profession. The film was a commercial success.

A class division melodrama centred on Mehtab’s histrionics. Kiran (Mehtab) is the daughter of a courtesan. Her lowly origins first destroy her marriage and then threaten to jeopardise her son Prakash’s (Singh) ambitions. She is blackmailed for keeping her son’s parentage a secret from him, forcing her to return to her ancestral profession. The film was a commercial success.

In a world of challenges, some promises remain. A social drama about finding one's way back.

Roopa, unhappy in her marriage to Niranjan, champions changes in divorce laws to allow women to initiate separation. She successfully divorces Niranjan and marries Amarnath, only for Amarnath to then use the same laws to divorce her.

A fictionalized account of the life of poet and nobleman Mirza Ghalib during the reign of the last Mughal Emperor, told through the lens of his ill-fated love for a beautiful courtesan he called Chaudhvin.

A fictionalized account of the life of poet and nobleman Mirza Ghalib during the reign of the last Mughal Emperor, told through the lens of his ill-fated love for a beautiful courtesan he called Chaudhvin.

Gyan leaves his wife Shobha in the care of his friend Rasik while he travels abroad. In his absence, Shobha and Rasik fall in love and have a child, Indira. Years later, unaware of the truth, Gyan returns and unknowingly arranges Indira’s marriage to Rasik’s son—her half-brother—setting the stage for a dramatic and morally complex revelation.

Gyan leaves his wife Shobha in the care of his friend Rasik while he travels abroad. In his absence, Shobha and Rasik fall in love and have a child, Indira. Years later, unaware of the truth, Gyan returns and unknowingly arranges Indira’s marriage to Rasik’s son—her half-brother—setting the stage for a dramatic and morally complex revelation.

Film starring Mehtab and Wasti.

The film begins after Alexander the Great (Sikander in Hindi/Urdu) conquers Persia and the Kabul valley and approaches the Indian border at Jhelum. Sohrab Modi plays the Indian king Puru (Porus to the Greeks). The story goes that when Sikander defeated Porus and imprisoned him, he asked Porus how would he like to be treated. Porus replied the same way a defeated king is treated by the winner (meaning killed).

The film begins after Alexander the Great (Sikander in Hindi/Urdu) conquers Persia and the Kabul valley and approaches the Indian border at Jhelum. Sohrab Modi plays the Indian king Puru (Porus to the Greeks). The story goes that when Sikander defeated Porus and imprisoned him, he asked Porus how would he like to be treated. Porus replied the same way a defeated king is treated by the winner (meaning killed).

Modi's first psychodramatic role as a liberal man becoming a tyrannical jailer. He loses his wife to a lover who then goes blind. The jailer locks up his wife, Kanwal, in their own home, forbidding any contact with their child, Bali. Later the jailer himself falls in love with a blind woman.

Sohrab Modi's Meetha Zahar (Sweet Poison) is a social drama film that explores the devastating effects of alcoholism and advocates for prohibition. The narrative highlights the societal ills and personal ruin caused by alcohol, urging audiences to recognize the "evils of drinking."

A screen adaptation of Agha Hashar Kashmiri’s Urdu play, itself based on Shakespeare’s King John. In the film (a stage-play recording), Modi plays the analogue of Shakespeare’s Hubert (named Kazal Beg), and the story follows the central events of King John.

A fair-minded emperor improves and introduces new laws, but ends up facing challenges when his son violates them.

Set in the 19th century against the backdrop of the Mutiny of 1857, the film is about the bravery of queen Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, who took up arms and led her army against the British.

Set in the 19th century against the backdrop of the Mutiny of 1857, the film is about the bravery of queen Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, who took up arms and led her army against the British.

An inheritance melodrama about Kunwar (Mahmood), the son of zamindar Himmat Singh (Sethi). Kunmar marries Shobha (Suraiya) and is disinherited, forcing him to join the army during WW2. When he is reported missing and presumed dead, a repentant Rana invites Shobha to stay with him. However, it is Kanta (Nadira), a young woman betrayed by Rana's villainous secretary Kailash (Yakub), who arrives at the house and his mistaken for Shobha. Masquerading as Shobha, who lives nearby in absolute poverty, Kanta moves in, causing a moral dilemma and generating suspense since she could be caught at any moment.

A feudal aristocrat's life changes when his mansion is sold to Durgaprasad, a labourer who has become rich. To add to his worries, his daughter is forced to work in the mansion that was once her home.

A commoner and a noblewoman fall in love after he saves her from a fire, but her father is against their marriage.

A commoner and a noblewoman fall in love after he saves her from a fire, but her father is against their marriage.

A stubborn emperor plans to wage war against another who had humiliated him and his daughter.

A stubborn emperor plans to wage war against another who had humiliated him and his daughter.

Khoon Ka Khoon follows Prince Hamlet as he seeks revenge for his father’s murder by his uncle, leading to betrayal, madness, and tragedy. The film blends Shakespearean drama with Indian theatrical style.

A jailor is abandoned by his wife which leads to great changes in his life

The story revolves around two kings, Prithvi Vallabh (Munj) of Avantipur who is kind and just, and Tailap, a neighboring king who is cruel. With the help of his sister Mrinalvati (Durga Khote) and another neighbouring king Bhillam (K. N. Singh), Tailap manages to capture Prithvi Vallabh. The rest of the film follows incidents following his captivity.