To Phalke !

We all love movies, we all have a thing for the stars and although we may pretend to read only 'The Hindu' but never do we forget to pick the latest 'Filmfare' from the stands.Bollywood today is the largest film industry the whole world employing over 3 million people and producing over 900 movies every year in several languages.Have you ever thought of it's inception ? Dundiraj Govind Phalke(aka Dadasaheb Phalke) was a born entrepreneur and experimented with lots of things before getting his hands on the camera.He was involved with the printing press which he left following some disputes with his partners and assured them that he would not compete with them in the printing business.And even though his financial status trembled like Fukushima, he did not compete with his old partners.People started calling him 'Harishchandra' for keeping his words.

And them in the year 1911, he accidentally ran into a fair where the Britishers where showing some motion pictures in a tent.Phalke was mesmerised after watching the film and at that moment itself decided to establish this industry in India.After numerous requests the operator of the tent agreed to teach him how all that stuff worked.Given that he had no money, he started selling the furniture of his house so that he can have the money needed to study this virgin phenomenon.For weeks he drowned himself in the reels of pictures trying to figure out the beautiful puzzle of movie-making.Unfortunately he lost his sight temporarily due to overdoing it and ultimately straining his eyes.His friends and kins tried their level best to stop him from risking everything for something totally new to India and it's people.They even tried to admit him into a mental hospital.But he didn't stop and was heavily supported by his wife with her immense faith.

He then arranged finance by mortgaging his securities so that he could go to London to learn the art and get the required equipments.After coming back, the first thing he needed was to arrange for the finance.People were afraid to invest in something which was totally new to India and sadly there were no Venture Capital firms at that time.Then something came to his mind.

"Chamatkara sivay namaskar nahi !(Everybody salutes a miracle!) "

Then he created a short film depicting a seed growing into a plant.Something which was never done before.People were totally mesmerised with magical creation of Phalke and some of them agreed to provide finance for his first production.He then hired actors and decided to tell the famous tale of Raja Harishchandra.At that time women hadn't come out of the purdas and he couldn't manage to get a woman to play Rani Taramati.So adamant was he about a woman playing Taramati and not a man dressed as woman that he even went to the red light areas of Bombay in search of his Taramati.A place he thought one could find the bold and the beautiful.But it didn't work out and ultimately he had to settle with a man.

For shooting some of the sequences they decided to go to a near by village.There whole troop dressed as saints and royal men with swords and trishuls apparently looked like a gang of bandits.All of them where arrested by the local police for suspicion.Somehow they managed to convince the police that they were just going to shoot for the film.While shooting Plalke's son got injured as he fell upon the rocks and everyone suggested that they should go back at once.But Phalke noticing the minor injury asked everyone to complete the stint first as the sun was approaching the horizon and it was not possible for them to come back for shooting the remaining scenes.Some dedication!

The film was completed and released in 1913 at the coronation theatre.The experiment was a super success and laid the founding stone of Bollywood.Then came other films like 'Bhusmasure Mohini' & 'Satyavan Savitri'.Phalke went on to make more than 100 films.He is an example of dedication,passion and of believing in what you dream.I remember few of his words during his long struggle for making the first motion picture of India.

"Bedhun taakin saari gagne! ( I will tear apart the sky!)"

Lets remember him in our hearts and Let raise the toast to Phalke & the magic that followed!