Biography of Phalke Film Company:-Introduction
The history of Indian cinema would be incomplete without the mention of the Phalke Film Company, the institution that laid the foundation of what would become one of the world’s largest film industries. Established by Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, fondly known as Dadasaheb Phalke, in 1913, the Phalke Film Company marked the dawn of indigenous filmmaking in India. In an era when India was under British colonial rule and cinema was dominated by imported films, Phalke’s visionary step to start a fully Indian film production house was nothing short of revolutionary.
This biography explores the origin, struggles, achievements, legacy, and eventual closure of the Phalke Film Company, tracing its journey through India’s social and cultural renaissance.
Founding of the Phalke Film Company
The birth of the Phalke Film Company was not just the creation of a business enterprise—it was a nationalistic and cultural movement. After watching the silent film The Life of Christ in 1910, Dadasaheb Phalke was deeply inspired. Despite having a background in photography, lithography, and art, he was unfamiliar with the mechanics of filmmaking. Yet, he decided to venture into making an Indian film that reflected Indian themes and values.
With unwavering determination, Phalke traveled to London to learn filmmaking techniques. Upon returning, he founded the Phalke Film Company in Nasik and began working on his first film, Raja Harishchandra. The company was officially registered in 1913, and its operations began in a rented bungalow in Dadar, Mumbai, which doubled as a studio.
Raja Harishchandra: The First Milestone (1913)
On 3rd May 1913, India witnessed the release of its first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, a silent movie based on a mythological tale from the Mahabharata. Though made with limited technology and resources, it was a monumental achievement. With female actors reluctant to appear on screen, Phalke cast a male actor, D.D. Dabke, in the lead role and used Anna Salunke, a man, to play the female role of Taramati.
Despite skepticism and resistance, the film became a commercial and critical success, encouraging Phalke to establish the Phalke Film Company as a permanent production house. This film proved to be the cornerstone of the Indian film industry.
The Production Model
The Phalke Film Company operated with a unique model that was shaped more by necessity than choice. Resources were limited, technology rudimentary, and trained personnel non-existent. Phalke trained his team from scratch—cameramen, set designers, costume makers, and even actors were all groomed in-house.
The company resembled a gurukul, where the entire crew stayed together, worked long hours, and were immersed in the spirit of filmmaking. His wife, Saraswati Phalke, was the unsung pillar of support—she cooked for the unit, managed costumes, and even helped develop film reels.
Expansion of the Company’s Repertoire
Following Raja Harishchandra, the Phalke Film Company produced a string of successful silent films based on Indian mythology and folklore. Some of the most notable productions included:
- Mohini Bhasmasur (1913)
- Satyavan Savitri (1914)
- Lanka Dahan (1917)
- Shri Krishna Janma (1918)
- Kaliya Mardan (1919)
These films were marked by strong moral and cultural themes that resonated with Indian audiences. The use of mythological narratives also helped bypass colonial censorship as they were rooted in religious stories rather than political commentary.
Technical Innovations and Craftsmanship
Despite limited access to equipment, Phalke was an innovator. He built his own camera stands, lighting rigs, and special effects techniques. In Lanka Dahan, he used double exposure, where the same actor, Anna Salunke, played both Rama and Sita in the same frame—a remarkable feat for that time.
Phalke was also among the first to experiment with stop-motion animation, as seen in his short film Agkadyanchi Mouj (Fun with Matchsticks). His work showed that storytelling could be enhanced by technical ingenuity, even without sound or color.
The Nationalistic Undertone
The Phalke Film Company was more than a business; it was a statement of Indian self-reliance and cultural revival. At a time when British and foreign films dominated Indian theaters, Phalke’s work served as a form of cultural resistance. He wanted to prove that Indians could make films that were not just as entertaining but deeply rooted in Indian ethos.
His films served to reignite pride in Indian traditions, language, and morality, especially among the middle-class population. In this way, his company played a key role in the Swadeshi movement, fostering cultural nationalism through cinema.
Struggles and Challenges
Despite its groundbreaking work, the Phalke Film Company faced constant challenges:
- Financial Constraints: Making films was an expensive endeavor, and without steady funding or institutional backing, Phalke often had to invest his own money or seek loans.
- Colonial Indifference: The British authorities showed little interest in promoting indigenous cinema, and imported films were often given more screen space.
- Audience Evolution: By the mid-1920s, the audience’s taste began shifting towards more contemporary and socially relevant stories, while Phalke remained focused on mythological themes.
- Technological Transition: With the arrival of talkies (sound films) in the late 1920s, Phalke’s silent-era technology began to seem outdated.
Transition and Closure
By the 1920s, the silent film era in India was beginning to wane. The introduction of Alam Ara (1931), India’s first sound film, marked the beginning of a new age in cinema. Phalke, by then, found it hard to keep pace with the technological transformation. His films, though culturally rich, started losing their mass appeal.
He attempted to revive his fortune with a few more silent films, but the industry had changed. Investors were now interested in studios with sound facilities. Eventually, due to financial losses and lack of commercial support, the Phalke Film Company ceased operations in the early 1930s.
Legacy of the Phalke Film Company
Though short-lived, the Phalke Film Company left an indelible mark on Indian cinema:
- Birthplace of Indian Cinema
It was the first Indian production house to make and release a full-length Indian film. Without it, the Indian film industry might have arrived years later.
- Inspiration to Filmmakers
Phalke’s model and passion inspired future pioneers like V. Shantaram, Himanshu Rai, and Prabhat Film Company. His commitment to cultural storytelling remains a benchmark.
- Technical Prowess
Phalke introduced India to filmmaking techniques and visual storytelling long before formal film education was available in the country.
- Social Impact
The Phalke Film Company’s productions helped popularize cinema among the Indian masses, who found a mirror to their culture on screen for the first time.
Dadasaheb Phalke’s Later Life
After the fall of his company, Dadasaheb Phalke withdrew from the industry. In his final years, he lived in relative obscurity in Nashik. In 1937, he made a brief comeback with the sound film Gangavataran, but it failed to make an impact.
Dadasaheb Phalke passed away on 16 February 1944, leaving behind a legacy that is celebrated to this day. In 1969, the Government of India instituted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honor in Indian cinema, to recognize lifetime contributions to the industry.
Conclusion
The Phalke Film Company was not just a film studio—it was the seed from which the vast tree of Indian cinema grew. Dadasaheb Phalke’s relentless vision, sacrifice, and pioneering spirit transformed cinema from a foreign curiosity to a national passion. While the company itself may have vanished with the passage of time, its legacy continues to shine in every frame of Indian cinema.
Its story is one of determination, innovation, nationalism, and above all, a love for storytelling that transcends technology and time. Today, as India stands tall as the world’s largest producer of films, we owe a silent bow to the humble beginnings shaped by the Phalke Film Company, the true mother of Indian cinema.
