Underplayed Gems

Said-e-Havas (1936)

Said-e-Havas poster
Directed by
Sohrab Modi
Country
British Raj
Runtime
2h 30m
Rating
10.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

This is a 1936 Hindi film adaptation of a Urdu stage play based on Shakespeare's King John and Richard III. It was recorded directly from the stage performance and follows the story of a king dealing with power and betrayal.

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What happens

Said-e-Havas (Prey To Desire or Greed), also known as King John, is a 1936 Hindi/Urdu film adaptation of the Shakespeare play, King John, directed by Sohrab Modi. It was based on the Urdu play Said-e-Hawas by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, published in 1908. Produced by Modi's Stage Film Company, the film was a "stage recording" of the play, similar to Modi's first stage adaptation to screen of Khoon Ka Khoon. It was written by Agha Hashr, based on an adaptation of King John and of Richard III. The music was composed by Bunyad Husain Khan. The film stars Modi, Gulzar, Sadat Ali, Fakir Mohammed, Shama and E. Tarapore. Trivedi and Bartholomeusz record that the film incorporated scenes and acts from King John, mainly Act 2 Scene 5, and made use of Richard III as general reference. Modi played the role of the "ethnically black" Kazal Beg (Hubert). Agha Hashr had written the play in 1907 and according to Bishop and Chaudhuri, there is very little similarity between the play King John and Agha Hashr's adaptation, except for those mentioned earlier. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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