Raja Harishchandra
- D. D. Dabke Harishchandra
- Anna Salunke: Taramati
- Bhalchandra D. Phalke: Rohtash
- P. G. Sane:
- G. V. Sane: Vishwamitra
- Dattatreya Kshirsagar:
- Dattatreya Telang:
- Ganpat G. Shinde:
- Vishnu Hari Aundhkar:
- Nath T. Telang:
Raja Harishchandra ( in older transcription also Raja Harischandra; Hindi: राजा हरिश्चंद्र Raja Hariścandra ) is an Indian film directed by Govind Phalke Dhundiraj. This was published on May 3, 1913 silent film is considered the beginning of Indian cinema and treated a story from the national epic Mahabharata.
Action
King Harishchandra and his wife Taramati practice with her son Rohtash archery. From his subjects Harishchandra is called hunting. In the forest they hear human sounds and follow them. They meet on the ways Vishwamitra who calls the forces of nature. Harishchandra destroyed the apparitions and provides the angry Vishwamitra to calm his kingdom to. This assumes the kingship and sends Harishchandra with his wife and child into exile. But that's not the way arranges the erroneous accusation Taramatis the murder of Prince of Kashi. But divine providence is at the end as a reward for Harishchandras moral integrity of the old order restored.
Background
As late as 1910 only imported Western films have been performed in India. DG Phalke had the intention to change this and the beginning of 1912 to produce a film with an Indian subject procured a movie camera in London. His first film was a success in the 1880s, on the stage story from the Mahabharata to the mythological king Harishchandra on a drama of Ranchhodbhai Udayram Dave ( 1837-1923 ) from the year 1875. Phalke opened in 1912 the film studio Phalke film in Dadar in Bombay, wrote the scenario and let build the movie set. The production of the film took nearly eight months. Phalke could only win male performer for his film, because - as usual on former Indian theaters - exerted no women play activities. The stage actor DD Dabke took over the lead role of King Harishchandra, the woman Starring Anna Salunke played Harishchandras wife Taramati, Phalces son Bhalachandra Dhundiraj Phalke was used as a child actor for the role of Harishchandras son Rohtash and GV Sane embodied the ways Vishwamitra.
Raja Harishchandra was shown to a selected audience of Bombay personalities and newspaper publishers in the Olympia Theatre on April 21, 1913. The first public performance before a paying audience took place on 3 May 1913 at the Coronation Cinema in Bombay instead. He was the first feature film produced in India, and was so successful that other film copies had to be made for performances outside the city. The May 3, 1913 is now considered the beginning of Indian cinema.
It is assumed that the original film Raja Harishchandra of four rolls of film consisted ft with a total length of 3700, of which only two - the first and the last ( 1475 ft) - have stood the test of time. Both are kept at the National Film Archive of India in Pune. Some film historians believe that it is this not constitute fragments of the film from 1913, but parts of a remake of the same name from 1917.
It is often argued against the status Raja Harishchandras as the first Indian film that already a year before the Ramchandra Gopal Torney attributed Pundalik film was released. In contrast to Raja Harishchandra, however, are at Pundalik a abgefilmtes stage play, which was produced by the India-based, British photographer society Bourne & Shepherd.
Stills from the film
Others
The resultant in 2008 Marathi film Harishchandrachi Factory is concerned with the production of Raja Harishchandra. It was submitted by India as a candidate for an Oscar nomination, but was not taken.