Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. L. Khemka, it went on to be a pioneer in producing films across the several regional film industries, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and Tamil,[1] in the decade after its founding; till then, production companies were restricted regionally.
[2][3][1] The company was formed in 1932 by R. L. Khemka, a local Marwari businessman in Bengal,[1] after acquiring the RCA Photophone studio, its location recording equipment, and its Mitchell Cameras.
East India Film Company was soon producing a dozen movie releases per year, including several hits like Savithri (Telugu) and Ramayan (Tamil).
[5] Shot in Calcutta on a lavish budget of Rs.75,000, East India Film Company's Sati Savithri in Telugu was a huge hit.
Based on a popular stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Samajam, the film was directed by debutant C. Pullaiah and starred stage stalwarts Vemuri Gaggaiah and Dasari Ramathilakam as Yama and Savithri, respectively.