Dadasaheb Phalke Birth Anniversary Special: 5 Facts About The Father Of Indian Cinema That Every Movie Buff Should Know About

We watch movies, we talk about it, we dissect it, we analyse it and at times, trash it bitterly. But who gave us such an opportunity to do all that? Who kickstarted the movement of putting India on the global map by seeding an industry which is now the largest movie-making enterprise? It's none other than the father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke. Yet not many are aware of how this one man who alone made history by creating India's first feature film way back in 1913. The film industry in India is over a century old and Phalke gave birth to it. Amitabh Bachchan Receives The Dadasaheb Phalke Award From President Ramnath Kovind For Contribution To Indian Film Industry (Watch Video)

Phalke's and India's first feature Raja Harishchander was a silent film released on May 3, 1913. Although it is a debatable feat as Shree Pundalik had released in 1912, the Indian government apparently considers Raja Harishchandra as the first film of India. But the road to that wasn't an easy one and nor was it after the film released. Let us tell you five unknown facts about the man who gave us the incredible Indian Cinema.

#Jack of all trades and also the master

Phalke was almost a one-man army where he was the scriptwriter, director, production designer, make-up artist, editor and was also in charge of film processing. All that for Raja Harishchandra.

#Looking for female leads

Everyone in the cast of Raja Harishchander was male as no female responded to the casting call that Phalke had put out in the newspaper. But for Mohini Bhasmasur, he requested the proprietor of a touring Drama company to let his female actors Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Gokhale to work in the film. They became the first heroines of Indian Cinema.

#It's all in the family

Dadasaheb employed the services of all his family members in the various departments and that's how India got its first female editor in his wife Saraswati Phalke. Lights, Camera, Action! The Life and Times of Dadasaheb Phalke written by Rupali Bhave call her so. Mrs. Phalke also cooked food for the crew. Their son played Harishchander's son in the film.

#Global offers

A British company wanted to Phalke to make Indian films in England but he rejected the offer. But when Warner Bros to show his films in Europe and America, he was super happy with the deal. They placed an order of 200 copies but by then World War I broke out and import of raw film was stopped. India-England trade was disrupted and Phalke couldn't send 200 film copies to Warner Bros. The excerpt can be found in Isak Mujawar's Maharashtra: The Birthplace Of Indian Film Industry.

#Alam Ara and the demon of sound

Phalke's Setubandhan had to go through a lot of difficulties as it was a silent film and Alam Ara had already changed the game after being the first talkie of Indian cinema. On the advice of the latter's director Ardeshir Irani, he did dub Setubandhan in Hindi but it couldn't pass the test. Setubandhan was his last silent film.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).