Ayodhyecha Raja, literally "The King of Ayodhya", was the first Marathi talkie, released in 1932,[1][2] directed by Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre.

[3] It is based on the puranic story of Raja Harishchandra of Ayodhya and his test by sage Vishwamitra, as recounted in Valmiki's epic, Ramayana.

[4] The film was also made as a double-version, Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932) in Hindi, making it the first double version talkie of Indian cinema, wherein Munshi Ismail Farogh wrote the Hindi dialogue, while screenwriter N.V. Kulkarni also did Marathi dialogue.

Eventually, it turned out to be a social leap as well for the film industry, as the entry of Durga Khote, who belonged to an upper class and elite Brahmin family into Marathi cinema, paved way for other women from upper classes to enter cinema.

[8] V. Shantaram made another version film, Duniya Na Mane (Kunku in Marathi) in 1937.