Great Eastern Film Corporation

Living an indolent life in a luxurious palace, Prince Gautama (Rai) is insulated by his family from the harshness of the world outside. But he is destined to learn greater truths: shocked to discover the pain and suffering of so many in his kingdom, he abandons his privileged existence, and his wife Gopa (Seeta Devi), to become a wandering teacher, eventually finding enlightenment and founding Buddhism. Featuring superimposed images and deep-focus shots that were highly impressive for the time, Light of Asia astutely combines a deeply felt spirituality with the surefire attraction of Indian exotica, which helped make it a considerable success in Europe.

Punjabi capital's first major bid for the national market used the seminal Urdu historical play of 1922, with the author himself playing the 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar. It recounts the love story between Prince Salim (Singh), Akbar's son, and the slave girl Anarkali (Seeta). Following on from the Osten-Rai Orientalist dramas, and produced by the Indian partners responsible for Prem Sanyas, it also features Seeta Devi as the heroine and is the directorial debut of Prem Sanyas' art director and the lead actor of Sbiraz, Charu Roy. The big-budget picture was beaten to the screen that same year by the rival and more successful Imperial version starring Sulochana and directed by R.S. Choudhury (Anarkali, 1928), who remade it in 1935. Jaswantlal made it again in 1953 but the most famous version remains K. Asifs Mughal-e-Azam (1960)