Despite being referred to as the father of the Indian talkie,
film pioneer Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani remains a little known figure
Farrokh Jijina
"It is as if the Indian film industry put him on a pedestal and labeled him ‘father of the Indian talkie’…the clapping ends a minute later…followed by months, years and decades of silence,” noted researcher Dr Narendra Panjwani. He was speaking on "Rediscovering Ardeshir Irani — Indian Cinema’s Elusive Pioneer” at The K. R. Cama Oriental Institute (KRCOI) on April 6, 2018. Calling Irani (1886-1969), the maker of India’s first talking film Alam Ara (ornament of the world) in 1931 a "curious mystery,” the speaker said that not enough is known about this visionary. Irani continued to make movies till 1957.......