Dadasaheb Phalke: The estranged father of Indian cinema
He laid the foundation for today’s multi-billion dollar film industry, but he died a penniless old man, leaving behind a family of seven sons and two daughters.
Who was he? Dhundiraj Govind Baburao Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke – the father of India Cinema.
Apart from a handful of cineastes and film students, not many know about the visionary from Nashik who made the country's first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, which was released on May 17, 1913.
He went on to make 120 more films in a career spanning over two decades. He passed away in 1944 with his pockets empty after pouring in his life's earnings into the medium he loved so passionately.
And what did the man credited with bringing motion pictures to India get in return? The Film City — Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari — and an award — Dadasaheb Phalke Award — named after him, albeit hesitantly.
The cavalier attitude of the government and even many in the film industry towards Phalke has been most obvious by the fact that his family has not once been invited or ever attended the award instituted in his name.
In fact, in 1988, during the celebrations of 75 years of the film industry, many film personalities were honoured for the contribution, but the name of the person who pioneered Indian Cinema was not even mentioned.
Coming back to the naming of the Film City, in 1997 the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) had proposed to the then Shiv Sena-BJP government that it be renamed after the father of the Indian film industry. What did they get in return? An outright rejection.
CINTAA was stunned at the response from a party that had always trumpeted its sons-of-the-soil ideology. But better sense prevailed and later the Film City in Mumbai was renamed.
Phalke had experienced this kind of indifference even during his lifetime, forgotten by the very industry he had helped start.
During a film function, Phalke sat in the audience while the stage was occupied by the glitterati singing praises of his greatness. But no one bothered to call the man they were paying homage to on stage.
Finally, yesteryear actor Prithiviraj Kapoor, spoke up saying, “We are all talking about Dadasaheb Phalke, can we at least invite him up here?”
When a shabbily dressed Phalke went on the stage, his poverty a stark contrast to the opulent ambience of others from the cinema fraternity, he was able to utter only a few words before breaking down.
He spoke of the film industry as his Shakuntala, his daughter who had been raised in austerity, but was now flourishing. He requested the vast gathering in front of his to look after his Shakuntala. Overcome by emotion at this point, he began weeping and had to be led away. Gajanan Jagirdar read out the rest of his speech.
Phalke was a perfectionist, a trait that invariably led to clashes between him and his financiers.
During the making of his last film Gangavataran for Kolhapur Cinetone, he had to shoot a scene set in the Himalayas. Instead of opting for a studio set-up (a standard practice those days), he had an entire mountain range in Igatpuri manually coloured with lime-wash to give the snow effect.
But even lady lucky seemed have to left his side. The next day a heavy downpour washed away all his effort (and the financier's money). When the film was released at Mumbai's Royal Opera House in 1937, there were crowds outside the theatre and on the pavement sat Phalke with empty pockets. Kolhapur Cinetone didn’t pay him a single rupee.
He stopped making films after this. It is said Phalke was suffering from Alzheimer's in the last years of his life, but the love for films ran in his blood. One day he noticed that his son was about to throw away an old cloth. He immediately stopped him, saying, “Don’t throw it away, it will come in handy for wiping the lens.”
The stories of Phalke's last days are heartrending. He once wrote to V Shantaram asking for a loan for Rs5 (a substantial amount those days). He went from studio to studio trying to sell a short story called Japani Pankha, which was eventually bought by V Damle (one of the founders of Prabhat Studios).
To repay the loan of Rs3 for his stay in film producer Nanasaheb Sarpotdar's guesthouse in Pune, he pawned a print of his film for Rs4, paid the bill and used the remaining one rupee to take a bus back to Nashik.
The last blow came on February 14, 1944. A month earlier, Phalke had applied for a licence to the then British administration to make cartoon films. The refusal sent him spiraling into depression. Heartbroken, he passed away two days later
Phalke's funeral was attended only by a handful of family members. No one from the film industry bothered to turn up.
A news report in 2005 again showed the complete disregard to the great man’s legacy. It said, Phalke’s only surviving daughter Vrinda was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer, living a hand-to-mouth existence, penniless, with her father’s rich heritage left behind several years ago.
Who was he? Dhundiraj Govind Baburao Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke – the father of India Cinema.
Apart from a handful of cineastes and film students, not many know about the visionary from Nashik who made the country's first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, which was released on May 17, 1913.
He went on to make 120 more films in a career spanning over two decades. He passed away in 1944 with his pockets empty after pouring in his life's earnings into the medium he loved so passionately.
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| Pic courtesy: www.exoticindiaart.co.in |
The cavalier attitude of the government and even many in the film industry towards Phalke has been most obvious by the fact that his family has not once been invited or ever attended the award instituted in his name.
In fact, in 1988, during the celebrations of 75 years of the film industry, many film personalities were honoured for the contribution, but the name of the person who pioneered Indian Cinema was not even mentioned.
Coming back to the naming of the Film City, in 1997 the Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) had proposed to the then Shiv Sena-BJP government that it be renamed after the father of the Indian film industry. What did they get in return? An outright rejection.
CINTAA was stunned at the response from a party that had always trumpeted its sons-of-the-soil ideology. But better sense prevailed and later the Film City in Mumbai was renamed.
Phalke had experienced this kind of indifference even during his lifetime, forgotten by the very industry he had helped start.
During a film function, Phalke sat in the audience while the stage was occupied by the glitterati singing praises of his greatness. But no one bothered to call the man they were paying homage to on stage.
Finally, yesteryear actor Prithiviraj Kapoor, spoke up saying, “We are all talking about Dadasaheb Phalke, can we at least invite him up here?”
When a shabbily dressed Phalke went on the stage, his poverty a stark contrast to the opulent ambience of others from the cinema fraternity, he was able to utter only a few words before breaking down.
He spoke of the film industry as his Shakuntala, his daughter who had been raised in austerity, but was now flourishing. He requested the vast gathering in front of his to look after his Shakuntala. Overcome by emotion at this point, he began weeping and had to be led away. Gajanan Jagirdar read out the rest of his speech.
Phalke was a perfectionist, a trait that invariably led to clashes between him and his financiers.
During the making of his last film Gangavataran for Kolhapur Cinetone, he had to shoot a scene set in the Himalayas. Instead of opting for a studio set-up (a standard practice those days), he had an entire mountain range in Igatpuri manually coloured with lime-wash to give the snow effect.
But even lady lucky seemed have to left his side. The next day a heavy downpour washed away all his effort (and the financier's money). When the film was released at Mumbai's Royal Opera House in 1937, there were crowds outside the theatre and on the pavement sat Phalke with empty pockets. Kolhapur Cinetone didn’t pay him a single rupee.
He stopped making films after this. It is said Phalke was suffering from Alzheimer's in the last years of his life, but the love for films ran in his blood. One day he noticed that his son was about to throw away an old cloth. He immediately stopped him, saying, “Don’t throw it away, it will come in handy for wiping the lens.”
The stories of Phalke's last days are heartrending. He once wrote to V Shantaram asking for a loan for Rs5 (a substantial amount those days). He went from studio to studio trying to sell a short story called Japani Pankha, which was eventually bought by V Damle (one of the founders of Prabhat Studios).
To repay the loan of Rs3 for his stay in film producer Nanasaheb Sarpotdar's guesthouse in Pune, he pawned a print of his film for Rs4, paid the bill and used the remaining one rupee to take a bus back to Nashik.
The last blow came on February 14, 1944. A month earlier, Phalke had applied for a licence to the then British administration to make cartoon films. The refusal sent him spiraling into depression. Heartbroken, he passed away two days later
Phalke's funeral was attended only by a handful of family members. No one from the film industry bothered to turn up.
A news report in 2005 again showed the complete disregard to the great man’s legacy. It said, Phalke’s only surviving daughter Vrinda was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer, living a hand-to-mouth existence, penniless, with her father’s rich heritage left behind several years ago.
