I saw this movie for the first time about 2 years ago, I did not understand the language and at first I did not even know what this movie was about. The version I saw had English subtitles so I could understand what was going on, I had started watching this Marathi movie with little to no expectations and was quite convinced I would watch something else in no more than 10 minutes, however the first 10 minutes and the rest of the 90 minutes of this movie kept me glued to the couch.
Harishchandrachi Factory is a 2009 Marathi feature film and the directorial debut of Paresh Mokashi. The film is a biopic on the life of Mr D.G Phalke during the production of India’s first feature(silent) film: Raja Harishchandra. This is a low budget movie, I did not recognize any of the actors as big stars however - the script, the screenplay, the dialogues, the direction and of course the talent of the actors is par non. Apart from being an excellent movie, it also makes the viewer think of the amount of sacrifice Mr Phalke had to make in order to produce his first movie and further go on to establish one of the biggest movie industries in the world.
The Main Cast:
Nandu Madhav as Dadasaheb Phalke or Dhundiraj Govind Phalke
Vibhawari Deshpande as Saraswati Phalke( DG’s wife)
Atharva Karve as Mahadev Phalke ( Elder son)
Mohit Gokhale as Bhalachandra Phalke( Younger son)
The Plot
Phalke is small time magician assisted by his elder son, he is performing in front of a small audience of children during British rule in India, halfway through his act he spots someone in the crowd known to him, the man known to him actually wants to support Phalke on a printing business, however Phalke makes for a disappearing act and runs away from the show with his son. When the coast is clear, Phalke and his elder son come out of hiding and walk the streets where they see a movie theater playing a film on animals. He and his son get tickets and watch the movie and are astonished to see moving pictures on a screen. Most of the audience is composed of Britishers and some rich businessmen, remember, the year is around 1911 or 1912 and movies were unheard of in India. Phalke has spent all the money he has that day on movie tickets and returns home where he makes up lame stories in front of his wife on how the money was spent.
In the following days, the Phalke family visits the theater many times and while everyone is staring at the screen, Mr Phalke is looking at the projector, later on he befriends the projector operator to learn the workings of the machine. While talking to his wife one day he has a serious epiphany, Phalke has had an idea which will go on to be one of the most powerful ideas India has seen in the past 100 years, he has decided to make a feature film of his own, but there is a problem, with little to no cash and being jobless, supporting two sons and a wife who is expecting a third child his situation really is bad. The good thing is his wife is very understanding and his friends and neighbors who at first think he has gone mad with strange ideas, change their mind and support him. They fund him for a trip to London where he meets the English movie makers, he orders a hand cranked movie camera, reel and other equipment required to develop a film. His trip to England is a success and he returns home where he is seen playing with his new born daughter.
Mr Phakle and his family get committed to making their first movie, Mrs Phalke mortgages her jewellery to finance their first movie, it is decided that Mr Phalke’s first movie will be on Raja Harishchandra. He gathers actors from the drama company to play the lead roles of Harishchandra, Vishwamitra and others however getting a woman to play Taramati is completely different road. In those days no woman wants to do this - the profession is considered evil, there are superstitions and doubts surrounding the movie business. Mr Phalke’s wife completely declines the role, no lady from the drama company agrees for the role, and no lady from any other source can be made to play the role, finally against his wish Mr Phalke has to settle for a young man to play the role of queen Taramati.
The movie is finally made, and it is made quite well. Raja Harishchandra with 40 minutes of running time is recorded as the first feature length movie of India although it was a silent movie. Phalke and his team promote the movie by spreading handouts and offering prizes to lucky tickets. The movie is a hit, the penance and sacrifice of Phalke, his family and his friends is finally rewarded.
Harishchandrachi Factory is unique in many ways, it is a movie about the making of a movie, it is a movie shot similar to how the first movie was shot - there is very little zoom or camera movement, it is interesting at all points, whether you watch it from start to finish or you start watching the movie from the middle, there is enough lighthearted comedy with funny situations to maintain your interest. It is also a fast paced movie, there are no songs or dances in it and it was India’s official entry into the Oscars for best foreign language film which means only one thing - It is a must watch.
Personal thoughts
One incident I wanted to relate to is that I had been to an exhibition a long time ago in Delhi, it was about movies and that is where I saw Dadasaheb Phalke’s editing machine. A small unassuming device which still remains in my memory while I have completely forgotten what else I saw in that exhibition.