“Will the sons of India ever see Indian Scenes on the screen”
Dadasaheb Phalke himself wrote,” I Happened to watch the “Life of
Christ” in the picture place called America India in Mumbai in 1910. I must
have seen movies a number of times earlier, must have often gone their for
recreation with friends or family. It marks a watershed in my life!
While watching the ”Life of Christ”, I had a strange feeling inside me
What it was, is difficult to describe, but it is certain that while the life of
Christ was moving fast before my eyes, I was seeing in those places Bhagwan
ShriKrishna in his Gokul, Bhagwan Shri Ram in his Ayodhya
I began to see these things on the screen itself.
Will this illusion become a reality?
“Will the sons of India ever see Indian Scenes on the screen”
The next two month.” it was axiomatic that no matter how powerful my
enthusiasm, how strong my conviction about success, no financier would take
a risk to go ahead unless he was actually shown something concrete.
So I needed a small sum for making a trip to Europe and buying the
necessary equipments ……
With imported equipment i trained myself in all
branches of film making……
Dadasaheb went to Europe and bought from an English
company a toy cinema….
………and some reels of Films
I started showing movies at night by forcing candle light
on a lens and projecting the picture on a wall.
Determination to make Swadeshi pictures, Phalke imports equipments
from England and, acting like a one-man unit, produces his first Indian
Picture.
“Raja HarishChandra”
And then, the eternal problem of Feminine Modesty!
The film Camera was the public eye.
No women would act before the Film camera
But I was determined to go ahead and make my first Film
So i cast male actors in the female role.
His film unfolded a world of gods, Demons and legendary beings,
miraculous and fantastic, but very real to the popular Hindu religious
imagination.
And finally the pioneer of Indian Cinema set forward the reels in motion…
The father of Indian Cinema
“Dadasaheb Phalke”
A tribute to Dadasaheb Phalke
By
Deepa Chordia
IDC, IIT Bombay
Guided By
Mr. Kamal Swaroop
Prof. Shilpa Ranade