Sohrab Modi
Director · 1897 – 1984
Sohrab Modi (1897–1984) was one of the towering figures of early Indian cinema—a director, producer, and actor whose work brought historical grandeur and social reform to the silver screen. Known for his booming voice and Shakespearean gravitas, he began his career in theatre and was deeply influenced by Parsi stage traditions. He founded Minerva Movietone in the 1930s, a studio that became synonymous with epic historical dramas and socially relevant films. Modi’s hallmark was his dedication to moral seriousness and elaborate period detail. His most celebrated works include Pukar (1939), Sikandar (1941), and Prithvi Vallabh (1943), films that combined visual splendor with stirring oratory and nationalist undercurrents. He was also a pioneer of courtroom and social dramas—Jhansi Ki Rani (1953), one of India’s first Technicolor films, and Ek Din Ka Sultan (1945) reflected his enduring interest in justice, reform, and strong historical women. Though later overshadowed by more contemporary styles of filmmaking, Sohrab Modi’s legacy remains vital. He helped define the moral and aesthetic vocabulary of early Indian cinema, and his work continues to be remembered for its theatrical eloquence, patriotism, and cultural pride.
Movies18
Movie9.0An early social drama produced and directed by Sohrab Modi
Khan Bahadur
1937 · 1 votes
Movie6.6HistoryA love affair and two feuding families who play out a Romeo and Juliet type drama in 17th century India, under the Emperor Jehangir.
Pukar
1939 · 5 votes
MovieWarDramaThe film begins after Alexander the Great (Sikander in Hindi/Urdu) conquers Persia and the Kabul valley and approaches the Indian border at Jhelum. Sohrab Modi plays the Indian king Puru (Porus to the Greeks). The story goes that when Sikander defeated Porus and imprisoned him, he asked Porus how would he like to be treated. Porus replied the same way a defeated king is treated by the winner (meaning killed).
Sikandar
1941
Movie10.0DramaModi's first psychodramatic role as a liberal man becoming a tyrannical jailer. He loses his wife to a lover who then goes blind. The jailer locks up his wife, Kanwal, in their own home, forbidding any contact with their child, Bali. Later the jailer himself falls in love with a blind woman.
Jailor
1938 · 1 votes
Movie9.0Atma Tarang follows a man torn between worldly desires and spiritual awakening. As he struggles to overcome material temptations, he embarks on a journey of self-realization and inner transformation.
Atma Tarang
1937 · 1 votes
Movie5.2ComedyDramaRaisaheb Surajbhan Chaudhary has two sons - Rajkumar who has not produced an heir to his family and other is Mohan, a devout worshiper of Lord Bajrangbali and refuses to get married. Things change dramatically when a young woman named Neena, along with her son, enters the Chaudhary household claiming that Mohan had married and abandoned her.
Ek Nari Ek Brahmachari
1971 · 4 votes
Movie6.6HistoryDramaSet in the 19th century against the backdrop of the Mutiny of 1857, the film is about the bravery of queen Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, who took up arms and led her army against the British.
Movie9.0Sohrab Modi's Meetha Zahar (Sweet Poison) is a social drama film that explores the devastating effects of alcoholism and advocates for prohibition. The narrative highlights the societal ills and personal ruin caused by alcohol, urging audiences to recognize the "evils of drinking."
Meetha Zaher
1938 · 1 votes
Movie8.0A fair-minded emperor improves and introduces new laws, but ends up facing challenges when his son violates them.
Nausherwan-E-Adil
1957 · 2 votes
Movie6.2RomanceDramaIn ancient Rome, a mourning Jewish man raises the kidnapped daughter of Roman royalty as his own - and she grows up without learning her true identity. Years later, she falls in love with a Roman prince.
Yahudi
1958 · 4 votes
Movie7.0DramaClassic Bollywood film about a young man whose poverty leads him to commit crimes which, in turn, lead him to harsher and harsher punishments.
Kundan
1955 · 2 votes
Movie9.0DramaKhoon Ka Khoon follows Prince Hamlet as he seeks revenge for his father’s murder by his uncle, leading to betrayal, madness, and tragedy. The film blends Shakespearean drama with Indian theatrical style.
Khoon Ka Khoon
1935 · 1 votes
Movie7.0DramaThe story revolves around two kings, Prithvi Vallabh (Munj) of Avantipur who is kind and just, and Tailap, a neighboring king who is cruel. With the help of his sister Mrinalvati (Durga Khote) and another neighbouring king Bhillam (K. N. Singh), Tailap manages to capture Prithvi Vallabh. The rest of the film follows incidents following his captivity.
Prithvi Vallabh
1943 · 1 votes
Movie9.0Bollywood version of The Champ. Dara Singh stars as a washed up wrestling champ with a drinking and gambling problem trying to raise his son Sunny. Complications arise when Sunny discovers that his mother is still alive, after having been led to believe that she had died many years ago.
Rustom
1982 · 1 votes
Movie7.5A stubborn emperor plans to wage war against another who had humiliated him and his daughter.
Raj Hath
1956 · 2 votes
Movie8.0A jailor is abandoned by his wife which leads to great changes in his life
Jailor
1958 · 2 votes
Movie10.0A screen adaptation of Agha Hashar Kashmiri’s Urdu play, itself based on Shakespeare’s King John. In the film (a stage-play recording), Modi plays the analogue of Shakespeare’s Hubert (named Kazal Beg), and the story follows the central events of King John.
Said-e-Havas
1936 · 1 votes
Movie7.0MysteryHorrorAn artist suspects that the wax figures in a local museum may actually be hiding the bodies of murder victims. His investigation is hampered by a beautiful ghost.