Bhakta Prahlada () is a 1932 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by H. M. Reddy and produced by Ardeshir Irani of Imperial Film Company. It features Sindhoori Krishna Rao as the titular Prahlada, along with Munipalle Subbiah, Surabhi Kamalabai, Doraswamy Naidu, Chitrapu Narasimha Rao, and L. V. Prasad. No complete synopsis of the film that is known to survive, but it is an adaptation of a play of the same name. Having achieved success in Hindi cinema by releasing India's first sound film Alam Ara in 1931, Irani wanted to expand his scope to South Indian cinema. Bhakta Prahlada was released on 6 February 1932, and was positively received by the audience but variedly by critics, who panned its resemblance to the stage version, poor sound recording, and low-quality images. The film has been considered the first sound film in Telugu cinema. It is now lost; surviving artefacts include a few stills, advertisements, and reviews. Plot The film is about the Hindu legendary figure Prahlada. Cast The cast is adapted from The Hindu: Munipalle Subbiah as Hiranyakashipu Surabhi Kamalabai as Leelavathi Sindhoori Krishna Rao as Prahlada Doraswamy Naidu as Indra Chitrapu Narasimha Rao as Brahma and Chandamarkulu L. V. Prasad as Modhabbai Production Following his success in Hindi cinema with India's first sound film Alam Ara (1931), the producer Ardeshir Irani decided to expand his career to South Indian cinema; his plan was to release one film each in Telugu and Tamil, which would later be titled Bhakta Prahlada and Kalidas (1931) respectively, in the same year. He entrusted their direction to his associate H. M. Reddy, a former English teacher at Jagirdars' College, Hyderabad, who in 1927 moved to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) due to a plague spreading in Hyderabad. Reddy later worked as a reflector man for Sarada Film Company; Irani spotted him there and employed Reddy for his Imperial Film Company. Reddy adapted the story of a popular play of the same name, written either by Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu or Surabhi Nataka Samajam. M. L. Narasimham of The Hindu reported in 2011 that Surabhi Theatres, who produced the play, was initially hesitant of the decision without mentioning the rationale. The same cast, all Telugus, was used for the film adaptation. In the history of Telugu sound films, Sindhoori Krishna Rao, who played the titular role of Prahlada, was the first protagonist; meanwhile, L. V. Prasad, also an assistant