Sequels and franchises are the lifeblood of the movie business today. Most films are either a part of a franchise or could possibly get included in a ‘cinematic universe’ if they are successful. Even those films, that could be independent stories, leave enough room for a sequel, and while you might think that this is a new phenomenon for Indian films or something that we stole from our Western counterparts, the origin for franchises in India goes back to the 1940s. And much like today, this became a sure-shot way for a film’s success as soon as it was introduced. The first film to have a sequel was the 1935 film Hunterwali, starring the original stunt queen Fearless Nadia and the sequel, which came almost a decade later, revived her career.
In the 1930s, filmmaker Homi Wadia made a series of films which were heavily reliant on stunts and unlike now, the actors playing the lead roles were responsible for doing the action scenes themselves. Nadia, who earned the moniker ‘Fearless’ and had performed stunts with lions in a closed cage, was the star of most of these films. In an interview with Girish Karnad in 1980, Homi had shared that the best era for stunt films was from 1935-1940. Mythological and historical films drew a lot of crowds in this era and when the audience was presented with action films where all the stunts were performed by an actress of Australian descent, they were hooked. Nadia, who was born as Mary, had moved to India with her parents during the First World War. And during the 1930s, she got established as the actress who could pull off any imaginable stunt. Her anglisiced Hindi attracted the viewers and her abandon towards performing the role of a warrior, while also managing to seduce her audience with her acting, gave her a unique position in the movies. The other Indian female actors were known for their demure and delicate ways but Nadia got love from the audience for being the exact opposite.
Fearless Nadia with HomI Wadia. The two got married in 1961. (Photo: Wadia Movietone/Roy Wadia)
But, by the 1940s, when action films were starting to lose their charm and Nadia had started looking for an alternate career, Homi came up with the idea of making a sequel for Hunterwali. Hunterwali Ki Beti, starring the original cast members, released in 1942 and revived Nadia and Homi’s career. Prior to this, Homi’s business had taken a hit and his partnership with his brother JBH Wadia, had also dissolved. The two brothers had set up the Wadia Movietone Studio and as they sold parts of their equipment and set to V Shantaram for Rs 2 lakh, they knew that the movie business had kicked them out.
Homi and Nadia were looking to get back on their feet and Nadia had even started attending a hair-dressing course because she had to find a new job for herself. This is when Homi came up with the idea for a sequel to their first big hit, Hunterwali. As Homi had expected, Hunterwali Ki Beti was a massive hit and revived their careers. Nadia appeared in 10 more successful films in the next decade but by then, the world had changed enough that the new studios had taken charge. The Wadias knew that the style of filmmaking that made them unique and drew crowds was now seen as passe and thus, they moved on. But apart from giving many other firsts to Indian cinema, they were the ones who gave us our first sequel.
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