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{{short description|1921 Indian silent film}}{{Use Indian English|date=April 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Infobox film
| native_name = భీష్మ ప్రతిజ్ఞ
| director = [[Raghupathi Surya Prakash]]
| producer = Raghupathi Surya Prakash<br/>[[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]]
| starring = Ragupathi Surya Prakash<br/>Peggy Castello
| studio = Star of the East
| released = {{Film date|1921}}
| country = India
| language = Silent
| budget = ₹12,000
| gross = ₹60,000
}}

'''''Bhishma Pratigna''''' ({{Translation|The oath of [[Bhishma]]}}) is a 1921 Indian [[Hindu mythological film|Hindu mythological]] [[silent film]] directed by [[Raghupathi Surya Prakash]] (R. S. Prakash).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-02-01 |title=Bhishma (1936) |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-columns/bhishma-1936/article5642768.ece |access-date=2023-03-12 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |quote=The first silent version was produced and directed in 1921 by the now forgotten Indian film pioneer R. Prakash (then known as R. Suryaprakash or R.S. Prakash).}}</ref> Produced by Surya Prakash and his father [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]] under the Star of the East production company, the film stars Surya Prakash as [[Bhishma]] and Peggy Castello as [[Ganga (goddess)|Ganga]]. It is widely recognised as the first Telugu [[feature film]]<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=The Cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |pages=346 |language=en}}</ref> and is also considered by some film historians to be the first feature film produced in [[South India]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9c1kAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=Hindi Cinema Year Book |date=2002 |publisher=Screen World Publication |pages=21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0wY6AQAAIAAJ&q=Bhishma+1921 |title=Asian Film Directory and Who's who |date=1952 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g1c8AAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+1921 |title=Hindustan Year-book and Who's who |date=1989 |publisher=M. C. Sarkar. |language=en}}</ref> The film was released across [[India]], [[Myanmar|Burma]], and [[Sri Lanka]], and was a significant success.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chabria |first1=Suresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CORkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=Light of Asia: Indian Silent Cinema, 1912-1934 |last2=Usai |first2=Paolo Cherchi |date=1994 |publisher=Wiley Eastern |isbn=978-81-224-0680-1 |page=15 |language=en}}</ref> Made on a budget of {{INR}}12,000 (worth {{INR}}2.2 [[crore]] in 2021 prices), it earned {{INR}}60,000 in returns.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baskaran |first=Sundararaj Theodore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOEDAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+1921 |title=The Message Bearers: The Nationalist Politics and the Entertainment Media in South India, 1880-1945 |date=1981 |publisher=Cre-A |language=en}}</ref>

== Cast ==

* [[Raghupathi Surya Prakash]] as [[Bhishma]]
* Peggy Castello as [[Ganga (goddess)|Ganga]]
* Bunny Osten
* A. Narayanan

== Production ==
''Bhishma Pratigna'' is notable for being the first film made by a [[Telugu people|Telugu]] producer.<ref name="shodhganga">{{cite web |last=Rao |first=Akkina Mareswara |date=1997 |title=Celluloid and its past: Cultural and ideological mediation of Telugu cinema in colonial Andhra's Past |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/25594/7/07_chapter%202.pdf |access-date=19 August 2016 |website=[[University of Hyderabad]] |page=93}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=The Cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |language=en}}</ref> [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]] sent his son, [[Raghupathi Surya Prakash]] (R. S. Prakash), abroad to study filmmaking. Prakash trained at [[Barker Motion Photography]] in [[Ealing]], [[London]], and furthered his studies in [[Paris]] ([[Pathé]]), [[Germany]] (where he observed [[F. W. Murnau]]'s work), and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Surya+Prakash |title=The Cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan India]] |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |pages=16 |language=en |quote=Raghupathi Surya Prakash (or Prakasa) was sent to study the cinema industries of London, Paris (Pathe), Germany, and Hollywood. He started the 'Star of the East Film Company' and went on to direct films in Telugu and Tamil.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jayasiṃha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkbA_5plHN8C&q=raghupathi+surya+prakash |title=Indian Cinema Through the Century |date=2015 |publisher=[[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]], [[Government of India]] |isbn=978-81-230-1991-8 |pages=104 |language=en |quote=Raghupathi Venkaiah had sent his son Raghupathi Surya Prakash Rao to learn about filmmaking in England. He was attached to Barker Studio in London. He made many silent movies on return from there.}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |author-link=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&dq=Surya+Prakash+was+educated+by+Christian+missionaries+in+Vepery.&pg=RA1-PA1994-IA20 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |author-link2=Paul Willemen |date=1994 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |isbn=978-0-85170-455-5 |pages=1994–1995 |language=en}}</ref> Upon returning to India, Prakash established Star of the East, the first Telugu-owned film production company.<ref name=":12" /> In 1921, the father-son duo produced ''Bhishma Pratigna'', with Prakash directing and starring in the title role, while [[English people|English]] actress Peggy Castello played Ganga.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Garga |first=Bhagwan Das |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXRZAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=So Many Cinemas: The Motion Picture in India |date=1996 |publisher=Eminence Designs |isbn=978-81-900602-1-9 |page=51 |language=en}}</ref>

The pair went on to produce other films such as ''Matsyavatar'' and ''Nandanar'' (1923), and ''Gajendra Moksham'' (1923). Notable filmmakers [[C. Pullayya]] and [[Y. V. Rao]] began their careers as followers of Prakash.<ref name=":12" />

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|tt0254184}}

[[Category:1921 films]]
[[Category:1921 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1920s historical films]]
[[Category:1920s historical drama films]]
[[Category:1921 drama films]]
[[Category:Indian silent films]]
[[Category:Indian fantasy drama films]]
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films directed by R. S. Prakash]]
[[Category:Silent drama films]]
[[Category:1921 Indian films]]

Bhishma Pratigna (1921 film) - Revision history

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