श्याम सुंदर

A mythological devotional spectacle from Saraswati Cinetone, Shyam Sunder depicted the child-Krishna stories drawn from the Vishnu Purana, with Shahu Modak playing the divine child and Shanta Apte lending her celebrated voice to the devotional score. Directed by Bhal G. Pendharkar — one of the most significant filmmakers of early Marathi and Hindi cinema — the film was produced in three language versions: Hindi, Marathi and Bengali, reportedly the first Indian film so produced. It became a major commercial success and is said to have run to a silver jubilee — an extraordinary achievement for a mythological film of the early-talkie period.

Music by Baburao Ketkar; Shanta Apte's singing was central. The Vishnu Purana / child-Krishna subject would have included bhajans, abhang compositions and classical devotional songs from the Maharashtrian tradition.

Reportedly the first Indian film produced simultaneously in three languages (Hindi, Marathi, Bengali). Bhalji Pendharkar is a foundational figure in Marathi cinema. Shanta Apte's singing voice was a major commercial draw. The silver jubilee run, if verified, would make this one of the biggest hits of 1932.