It is the era of British rule in 1911, when Lokmanya Tilak is in Mandalay Prison, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke’s family is struggling to survive as he is unemployed after a tiff with his business partner in a printing press. Phalke along with his older son Bhalchandra, performs magic tricks to earn a living. On returning one day, after one such show, the duo accidentally comes across a tent theatre that is screening a silent movie from Hollywood, which only the English and the elite Indians go for. The duo watches the film. Mesmerised by it all, Phalke goes the next day too and curiosity gets the better of him and he takes a peek at the projection room. But he is shooed away. The idea of movie-making comes to his mind and seeing his keen interest in the moving images, wife Saraswati and his two kids encourage him to learn the subject and soon with the help of friends, he manages to gather some money and leave for London to learn the art of filmmaking.

On returning, along with his family, he decides to make a film. Despite meagre resources, he manages to get an enthusiastic cast and crew and Raja Harishchandra gets released in 1913. After initial hiccups, the film picks up and soon he goes on to make two more films, Bhasmasur Mohini and Satyavan Savitri. Impressed by his success, he is invited by the film federation in London to make more films there. Phalke categorically refuses saying, “I want to establish films in India and make it a thriving industry.”

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
India’s official entry to the Oscars, Harishchandrachi Factory is a film about Phalke, now known as the pioneer of Indian cinema. It tells the story of the man whose passion for movie-making turns his life, and the lives of all those around him, into an amazing adventure.
Nandu Madhav is cast in the role of Dhundiraj Phalke. And it would not be a exaggeration to say that no one else would have done greater justice to his role. A loving husband and doting father, he is clumsy, funny, carefree and yet very serious when he wants to be. Vibhawari Deshpande, as Saraswati, is just perfect as a wife who has her husband’s best interest at heart. She supports him completely even when there is no penny in the house. As the husband-wife team they complement each other. Every other actor in his own sphere has performed well.
Harishchandrachi Factory has the age-old feel to the overall look with costumes, art direction, music, the simplicity of the performances, the trams, etc, the camera work and the technicalities that give the film a fresh look. Everything about the film is worth a mention. Costumes by Mrudul Patwardhan, Mahesh Sherla and Geeta Godbole are perfect for that period, when the men, including young boys, wore dhoti-kurta with a shawl around their shoulders and a cap on their head and plain slippers. The women folk wore cotton nav-vaari (nine-yards) bordered sarees with their hair plaited and tied in a bun. After returning from London and establishing himself as a filmmaker, Phalke begins wearing trousers that do not reach his ankles. Nitin Chandrakant Desai’s sets erected at his studio in Karjat fit the era perfectly. He even has trams plying on the streets. Anand Modak’s music is so pleasant to the ears. The dialogue keeps the momentum. It is the camera work by Amalendu Chaudhary that makes all the difference to a film from an old era that looks both fresh and apt.
Verdict
The film definitely deserves four stars; for Paresh Mokashi’s choice of subject and direction, performances by the main lead, Nandu Madhav and Vibhawari Deshpande as well as the film on the whole.