Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as
Dadasaheb Phalke (
Marathi : दादासाहेब फाळके) (
pronunciation (help·info)) (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944) was an
Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as
the father of Indian cinema.
[1][2][3][4][5] Starting with his debut film,
Raja Harishchandra in 1913, now known as India's first full-length feature, he made 95 movies and 26 short films in his career spanning 19 years, till 1937, including his most noted works:
Mohini Bhasmasur (1913),
Satyavan Savitri (1914),
Lanka Dahan (1917),
Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and
Kaliya Mardan (1919).
[6]
Biography [edit]
Early life and education [edit]
He joined
Sir J. J. School of Art,
Mumbai in 1885. After passing from J.J. School in 1890, Phalke went to the Kala Bhavan in
Baroda, where he studied sculpture, engineering, drawing, painting and photography.
[9]
Early career [edit]
He began his career as a small town photographer in
Godhra but had to leave business after the death of his first wife and child in an outbreak of the
bubonic plague. He soon met the German magician
Carl Hertz, one of the 40 magicians employed by the
Lumiere Brothers. Soon after, he had the opportunity to work with the
Archeological Survey of India as a draftsman. However, restless with his job and its constraints, he turned to the business of printing. He specialized in
lithography and
oleograph, and worked for painter
Raja Ravi Varma. Phalke later started his own printing press, made his first trip abroad to
Germany, to learn about the latest technology and machinery.
Following a dispute with his partners about the running of the press, he gave up printing and turned his attention to moving pictures, after watching a silent film,
The Life of Christ and envisioning Indian gods on the screen. Phalke made his first film Raja-Harishchandra effectively marking the beginning of the Indian film industry. Around one year before, Ramchandra Gopal (known as
Dadasaheb Torne) had recorded on film a stage drama called
Shree Pundalik, in 1912; it was first shown publicly on 3 May 1913 at Mumbai's
Coronation Cinema,
[10] and shown recording at the same theater. However, the credit for making the first indigenous Indian feature film is attributed to Dadasaheb Phalke
[11] as it is said that "Pundalik" had British cinematographers.
Once again, Phalke proved successful in his new art and proceeded to make several silent films, shorts, documentary feature, educational, comic, tapping all the potential of this new medium. Film, having proved its financial viability, soon attracted businessmen who favored money over aesthetics.
Hindustan Films [edit]
Phalke formed a film company, Hindustan Films in partnership with five businessmen from
Mumbai, in the hope that by having the financial aspect of his profession handled by experts in the field, he would be free to pursue the creative aspect. He set up a model studio and trained technicians, actors but, very soon, he ran into insurmountable problems with his partners. In 1920, Phalke resigned from Hindustan Films, made his first announcement of retirement from cinema, and he wrote
Rangbhoomi, an acclaimed play. Lacking his extremely imaginative genius, Hindustan Films ran into deep financial loss, and he was finally persuaded to return. However, Phalke felt constrained by the business and, after directing a few films for the company, he withdrew.
Sound film [edit]
The times changed and Phalke fell victim to the emerging technology of sound film. Unable to cope with the talkies, the man who had fathered the Indian film industry became obsolete. His last silent movie
Setubandhan was released in 1932 and later released with dubbing. During 1936-38, he produced his last film
Gangavataran (1937), before retiring to
Nashik, where he died on 16 February 1944, in penury.
[12]
100 crore in the domestic box office, subsequently collecting 
