These days the success of a movie is measured by the box-office collection i.e. if a film earns Rs 100 crore then it is declared a hit. However, in the olden days, a movie was judged by the number of days a film run in a single theater, preferably in regular shows, not just matinees show ( 9 am to 11.30 a.m.). Thus if a movie ran for 25 weeks, non-stop, at least in one theatre in the country then it was declared Silver Jubilees and then the movie was graded as a Hit film.
In the early days when Talkie cinema started a movie would run for a minimum of four to five weeks. Alam Ara was one of the few movies to run for 8 weeks but V. Shantaram‘s Amrit Manthan in 1934 set a new definition of a hit film. The film was a box-officer ‘Dhamaka’ as it broke all records and run for consecutive 25 weeks at a Cinema House in Mumbai!
The film was directed by legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram, who had studied the art of filmmaking from Germany. Hence he was a master craftsman. He used the modern technique of film making like it was shot in a sound-proof studio. Shantaram used brilliant use of light and shade. In addition, the special effects scenes were most spectacular that made the cine buff watch the film again and again!!
Shantaram was the first Indian filmmaker to use a ‘Telephoto Lens’ to shoot the first close-up for Amrit Manthan. The lens was imported from Germany and its highlight was the Closeup scene of a single eye on the huge screen!! The scene depicted the Dharmaguru’s wicked eye on entire screen!! It was an amazing scene and a wonder for the audience in the 1930s. Film buffs saw the film repeatedly. The scene became the talk of the town just as Sholay film was seen again and again in Minerva cinema hall to hear the thundering sound produced by the coin that Dharmendra throws in the climax. The stereophonic sound system of the theatre was such one could hear the clinking Sound of the coin!
The other attraction of Amrit Manthan was the churning of the oceans. It was a spellbinding scene like the parting of the sea in Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood film Ten Commandments. With innovative technology, Shantaram changed the grammar of Hindi film making and the film was a massive hit as Indian audience had never seen a film as slick and innovative as Amrit Manthan!
