SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Mumbai: Imagine watching a film where the story keeps moving from one song to another, with 72 songs packed into a single movie. Sounds almost impossible today, right?
But nearly a century ago, an Indian film did exactly that. Long before Bollywood became known for its elaborate song-and-dance sequences, Indrasabha, released in 1932, made history with an astonishing number of songs.
The film is widely regarded as the Indian movie with the highest number of songs ever made. However, there is some variation in the reported count, with different sources putting the number at 69, 71 or 72, depending on how different versions of songs are counted.
What is Indrasabha about?
Indrasabha was based on Inder Sabha, a famous Urdu play written by Agha Hasan Amanat and first performed in 1853. The play was known for its extensive use of music, poetry and dance, a tradition that was carried into the film adaptation.
The 1932 movie was directed by Jamshedji Jehangir Madan and featured actors including Nissar, Jehanara Kajjan, Abdul Rehman Kabuli and Mukhtar Begum.
The film reportedly ran for around 211 minutes, with its numerous musical sequences contributing significantly to its lengthy runtime.
Interestingly, the play itself had an extraordinary musical structure, featuring ghazals, thumris, holis, songs, chaubolas and chhands, giving the filmmakers plenty of material to translate onto the screen.
A song for almost every major character
The sheer number of songs was not simply a gimmick. Music was an important part of the storytelling tradition of Inder Sabha, with songs and dances being used to introduce characters and move the narrative forward.
According to records cited by sources including the Limca Book of Records, Indrasabha had a song associated with almost every major character.
The film also became an important milestone in the early history of Indian talkies. It arrived just a year after Alam Ara, India’s first sound film, at a time when filmmakers were still discovering how sound could transform cinema.
Did Indrasabha really have 72 songs?
This is where things get interesting. The number is generally cited as 72 songs, and the Guinness Book of World Records reportedly recognised Indrasabha in 1980 for having the most songs in a film.
However, historical accounts differ slightly. Some records mention 69 songs, while others count 71 or 72, partly because different versions of certain musical pieces may have been counted separately.
Whatever the exact number, there is little doubt that Indrasabha remains one of the most extraordinary musical experiments in the history of Indian cinema.
Which Bollywood films come close?
Modern Bollywood has produced several films packed with songs, but they still fall far behind Indrasabha.
Ranbir Kapoor’s Jagga Jasoos is often cited as one of the closest examples, with 21 songs. Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! featured 14 songs, while Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar also had 14.
Subhash Ghai’s Taal had 12 songs, while Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein featured nine tracks, including instrumentals. And then there is Indrasabha with its astonishing 72-song record.
Have you ever watched Indrasabha?
For today’s audience, watching a 1932 film that runs for more than three hours and is packed with dozens of musical sequences may sound like quite an experience.
Yet Indrasabha offers a fascinating glimpse into a time when Indian cinema was still finding its identity and music was quickly becoming one of its most defining elements.
So, the next time someone says Indian films have too many songs, you can tell them about Indrasabha, the nearly century-old film that took the concept to an entirely different level.
SOURCE : SIASAT
