Before there was Bollywood2010-02-21
First feature film on the making of India's first feature film
“Harishchandrachi Factory”, a charming account of the making of the first motion picture in British India, is produced in Marathi, a regional language unknown in much of India. “Harishchandrachi Factory” is the debut film of Paresh Mokashi, and India’s official entry for the 2010 Foreign Language Oscar.
In 1911, during British rule, only Europeans and a few elite local Indians attended “picture shows” in Bombay. Phalke (Nandu Madhav) an irrepressible dreamer, happens upon a tent theatre where silent moves are projected. He sets out to learn everything possible about the art form, and quickly realizes that he must go to London to learn from the British. With great difficulty, he arrives in London, where he visits film sets, makes long lasting friendships, charms British technicians who share their knowledge, and eventually returns to India with equipment and the knowledge to make his own film. His innocence, his determination, and the support of his family propel him forward as he struggles with casting, finding locations, recruitment of extras, and the deft handling of the authorities who are suspicious of him. Finally in 1913, India’s first film, Raja Harishchandra, is screened, to great success. Phalke went on to make many films, but died a forgotten man in 1944.
Paresh Mokashi makes Phalke into a Chaplinesque figure who succeeds against great odds. The similarities between Chaplin Phalke are many: both mortgaged their homes and belongings to fulfill their dreams, both faced enormous challenges and derision from friends and family, and both ultimately succeeded.
