Shiraz (film)

Shiraz
Directed by Franz Osten
Produced by Himansu Rai
Written by William A. Burton
Starring Himansu Rai
Enakshi Rama Rau
Charu Roy
Seeta Devi
Cinematography Emil Schünemann
Henry Harris
Distributed by British Instructional Films
UFA
Himansu Rai Film
Release date
  • 26 September 1928 (1928-09-26) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 118 minutes
Country India
United Kingdom
Germany

Shiraz (Shiraz: a Romance of India) (Das Grabmal Einer Großen Liebe in German) is a 1928 silent film, directed by Franz Osten and starring Himansu Rai and Enakshi Rama Rau. It was adapted from a stage play of the same name by Niranjan Pal, and based on the story of the commissioning of the Taj Mahal – the great monument of a Moghul prince for his dead queen.

Production

It was an Indian/British/German co-production, and the second of three silent films made on location in India by star and producer Himansu Rai. The others are Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia, 1926) and A Throw of Dice (Prapanch Pash, 1929). All three films draw on Indian classical legend.

Plot

Shiraz (Rai) is a potter's son, who is brought up as brother to Selima (Rau), a girl of unknown but royal lineage who was rescued from an ambush in childhood. Shiraz falls in love with Selima as a young adult and when she is kidnapped by slavers and sold to Prince Khurram, Shiraz follows her to Agra, where he will risk a horrible death to protect her and one day design her great memorial.

Cast

  • Himansu Rai as Shiraz
  • Enakshi Rama Rau as Selima/Empress Mumtaz Mahal
  • Charu Roy as Prince Khurram/Emperor Shah Jahan
  • Seeta Devi as Dalia

Restoration

Shiraz was restored from original film elements by the BFI in 2017, and had its premiere as a gala screening at the 2017 London Film Festival, accompanied by a new score composed and performed by Anoushka Shankar. The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw praised the film as " a startlingly ambitious epic weepie-romance". [1] The restored version subsequently played in a number of venues in India in late 2017. [2]

References

  1. ↑ "Inside the British Film Institute archives — and an Indian gem sparkles again". The Financial Times. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Shiraz: A Romance of India review – 90-year-old epic stands test of time". The Financial Times. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
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