“W ill the sons of India ever see Indian Scenes on the screen”

D adasaheb Phalke himself wrote,” I Happened to watch the “Life of Christ” in the picture place called America India in Mumbai in 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!

W hile 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?

“ W ill 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