Jalaja

Jalaja or Natya Mahimai (transl. Jalaja or The Glory of Dance) is a 1938 Indian Tamil-language dance film written by Manjeri S. Isvaran, Dr. V. Raghavan and G. K. Seshagiri. The film was directed by R. R. Gautam and Seshagiri and produced by the Sagar Renaissance Theatre, a joint production by Seshagiri's Renaissance Theatre and Sagar Movietone. It stars Bhanumathi, Lakshmi, G. K. Seshagiri and K. S. Gopalakrishan in lead roles. The film is marked as India's first dance film. It is also dedicated to Bhanumathi's cousin, Bharatanatya Art Expert Srimathi Varalakshmi, who died early on in the film's production. No print of the film is known to survive, making it a lost film.