Visionary - V. Shantaram Options

[swarapriya]

Muraliwala (1927) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was directed by Baburao Painter. It dealt with the childhood of Krishna. But more than that it was the first movie to deal with the love triangle between Radha, her husband Anay, and little Krishna. Ethics of love between Radha and Krishna has never been explored before this or after it. It was a daring exposition by Painter Saab.

Most of the silent era movies have been destroyed because of negligence or fires. This film was discovered in a very fragile manner and painstakingly restored. The restored version is 44 minutes long. It is definitely missing some beginning footage. But the result of restoration proved to be splendid and historically valuable. It gives proper perspective of what the moviemakers have to work with limited by then existing technology.

Incidentally, Shantaram had a significant role in the film. He played Radha’s husband, Anay.

The movie for its period had several trick photographic scenes. These were used to show Krishna’s antics with village belles.

I am including various stills from the film as part of the table shown below.

[swarapriya]

Netaji Palkar (1927) - A Silent Movie

Netaji Palkar was a silent Marathi film with two directors; Keshavrao Dhaiber and V. Shantaram. This was the first directorial assignment for Shantaram albeit he shared duties with Dhaiber. It was made for Maharashtra Film Company, owned and operated by Baburao Painter. Both Dhaiber and Shantaram were Painter’s apprentices.

This historical film was based on the life of emperor Shivaji’s senapati, Netaji Palkar. The movie was a success and made a great impact on upcoming Marathi films. Maharashtra Film Company was almost bankrupt before this film was released. Its commercial success helped make the Company once again solvent.

Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

[swarapriya]

Karna (1928) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was also known as “Maharathi Karna”. It was produced by Baburao Painter. The directors were Vishnupant Damle and Sheikh Fatehlal. Their picture is attached below. Damle is on the left side of the picture. He is also the one sitting in the chair on extreme right in the right side of the picture. Fatehlal is the bespectacled gentleman sitting in the middle. It was a first stint as a director for both of them.

Shantaram had a brief role as an actor.

The film became popular for its great picturization of battle scenes. They were inspired by the 1907 English silent film “Ben Hur” that encouraged them to devise spectacular battles. To accomplish this they used all the tongas pulled by horses in Kolhapur and surroundings. They also borrowed horses and elephants from the Maharaja.

Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

[swarapriya]

Nisha Sundary (1928) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was directed by Baburao Painter. Its alternate title was “Midnight Girl”.

The movie was based on the famous fairy-tale of Cinderella. It followed pretty much the original story. The ill treatment of Cinderella by her stepmother and stepsisters and her marriage to the Prince with the help of fairy Godmother formed the story. I am referring to the girl’s name here as “Cinderella” but I am sure the movie had an Indian name for her.

Shantaram appeared in a brief role in this film.

Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

[swarapriya]

Baji Prabhu Deshpande (1929) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was directed by Baburao Painter. Another title of the movie was “Valley of the Immortals”.

Shantaram had a major role in the film.

This is a historical drama about Shivaji’s commander. Painter made several silent films about Shivaji and his commanders. This was one of them.

The movie dealt with Baji Prabhu’s battle with army guarding Panhala Fort where Shivaji was imprisoned. This fierce battle led by Prabhu enabled Shivaji to escape from the fort safely. Prabhuji died of the wounds he suffered in the battle.

Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

[swarapriya]

Gopal Krishna (1929) - A Silent Film

Shantaram along with Damle, Dhaiber, and Fatehlal left the Maharashtra Film Company and its owner Baburao Painter and formed their own company called Prabhat Film Company. They took a fifth partner, Sitaram Kulkarni, who was the financier. See their picture attached below along with Baburao Painter sitting in the chair in the middle with a kid next to him. This silent Marathi film was the first one they made under the Prabhat banner. Shantaram was its solo director. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

There were two major themes in this film. The first one was the confrontation between child Krishna and Indra. Krishna saved the people and animals of Gokul from the wrath of Indra by lifting the Govardhan Mountain on his pinky. The other major theme had to do with child Krishna going against King Kansa. Master Suresh who played the role of Krishna became very people and became a household name.

Shantaram went on record to state (in his 1986 autobiography) that he found several topical allusions of pre-independence movement in India and meshed them with this mythological story. Several critics cited it as an example of “Gandhian anti-colonial nationalism”.

In one of the scenes from the film where little Krishna playing on swing his loin cloth came loose. Neither the director Shantaram nor anyone on the set noticed this and they went ahead to finish the shooting. The shot innocently was included in the film with boy’s frontal nudity completely revealed. When the movie was released critics applauded it as bold realism and praised Shantaram for this unique directorial touch.

There was a bullock cart race in the film. When the movie was released it was much talked about. This was an incentive for Shantaram who strived to put some highlight in his Prabhat movies that gave an edge to his films over the others in the market.

The movie’s success helped produce five additional silent films for Prabhat in 1930 & 1931. These include “Khooni Khanajar”, “Rani Saheba” and “Udaykal” – all in 1930. The 1931 silent movies were “Chandrasena” and “Zulum”.

Shantaram remade “Gopal Krishna” as a talkie in 1938.

[swarapriya]

Khooni Khanjar (1930) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was co-directed by Shantaram and Keshavrao Dhaiber. A still of these two directors working together is attached below.

The film was a costume action drama. It was also known as “Fighting Blade”.

I do not have any further information about this film. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

Fattehlal was one the partners in Prabhat with Shantaram and others. He was an expert art director and set maker. He fell in love with Kamlabai, one of the workers in the company, and married her. She appears in Parbhat’s logo, that girl blowing the “tutari” horn. Rest of the partners were very disturbed by this unexpected development. They feared that their company was still in infancy and will probably be subject to public ire. In the wake of this incident they made a rule for themselves that no one will be ever involved with either any of the company female employees or with the movie actresses who appear in their films. This rule became very testy among the partners that eventually was one of the many reasons Prabhat Films closed its operations after a dozen or so years in operation. More about this when it is appropriate.

[swarapriya]

Rani Saheba (1930) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was directed by Shantaram. The movie had alternate names; “My Queen” and “Bazarbattu”. This film has the distinction of being the first children’s movie made in India. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

The story involved around an imaginary king and his queen. The king was a simpleton. His minister plans to overthrow him and take the kingdom himself. When the wise queen is made aware of this she takes control of the kingdom and straightens everything with the help of a group of children.

Following the success of the film Master Anant Apte who was just five years old was nicknamed “Bazarbattu”.

[swarapriya]

Udaykal (1930) - A Silent Film

This silent Marathi film was directed by Shantaram. Shantaram also played the title role of Shivaji in the film. Couple of stills from this film are attached below. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

Alternative title of the movie was “Thunder of the Hills”. Even though most of his films thus far were marked by the way camera movements capturing inventive visuals, Shantaram was also trying at the same time to highlight their social importance. This in spite of the subjects he chose to film, mythological or historical.

This was the first film to explicitly politicize the figure of emperor Shivaji and his military expeditions.

Shantaram faced censor trouble with “Udaykal”. Originally it was titled “Swarajche Toran.” Independence movement in India was at fever pitch during this time. People led by Gandhiji’s call were rising against the British Rule at every opportunity. With “Swaraj” as part of the title, censors objected to the name of the movie on the grounds it was seditious. Also theme of the movie dealt with emperor Shivaji’s fight against the Mughals that was perceived as a challenge to the British Rule. Against his own wishes, Shantaram was forced to change the title of the movie and cut several scenes or reshoot some of them to tone down the patriotic fervor found objectionable by the censors.

[swarapriya]

Chandrasena (1931) - A Silent Film

This was a silent film co-directed by Shantaram & Keshavrao Dhaiber. With this film, the Prabhat Film Company which produced it, was recognized as one of the frontliners in the movie industry. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

The story of the film was taken from the epic Ramayana. Chandrasena, wife of Mahiravan, helps Hanuman to rescue Rama and Lakshmana imprisoned in Paataala by Mahiravan. She also helps Hanuman in the defeat of Mahiravan’s mighty army.

Mahiravan was a brother of Ravan. He was supposed to be more powerful than Ravan. To avoid any conflict with his own brother, Mahiravan made his kingdom in Paataal.

The film utilized a trolley for the first time in any Indian cinema to shoot certain scenes.

Shantaram remade this film in 1935 as a talkie.

[swarapriya]

Zulum (1931) - A Silent Film

This was the last silent film released by the Prabhat Films Company of which Shantaram was one of the partners. It was directed by Keshavrao Dhaiber. Unfortunately there are no prints available of this movie.

This movie had a serious theme. It dealt with exploitation of the poor by the evil minded rich. I do not have any other particulars about this film.

The talkies have arrived in India. Things about movies are never going to be same anymore. From next week onwards we will start with looking into the contributions made by Shantaram to the film industry in talking movies, one at a time every week.

[swarapriya]

Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932-Hindi) & Ayodhyecha Raja (1932-Marathi) - Prabhat's First Talkie

Silent movies are part of history now. World has seen talking movies take over. It has swept movie going public around the world in awe and amazement. Watching movies was never going to be the same again. Not to be left behind India saw the talkies phenomenon take over. For the first time people were able to see in the movie actors talking, singing, dancing, laughing, and crying. They could hear singing of the birds, roaring of the river rapids, splashing of ocean waves, whispering of the winds, and every listening experience you can imagine. Here we are. Shantaram, his partners, and their company Prabhat films was not far behind. The following story unfolds how it all started for them…

This was the first talkie to come from Prabhat Film Company. The emblem of Prabhat was originally thought by Shantaram when he sat down near a temple and saw the sun rising. He explained this first to one of his partners, Fatehlal. He told him that a woman steps forward ushering the rising sun in the eastern sky. Fatehlal immediately drew the sketch from that description. See this sketch attached below. All partners agreed this to be the emblem for their company unanimously.

This talkie was the first talkie directed by Shantaram. It was also the first Marathi talkie. It was considered to be a technical leap in movies because of the song and dialogue quality. The movie also boasted splendid sets like the ones never seen before, trick photography, and gripping realism with uncompromising principles of the king.

The Marathi version of this film, “Ayodhyecha Raja,” in video format is available. However the Hindi version, “Ayodhya Ka Raja,” is not.

Durga Khote who played Taramati in these films, was from an upper class elite Brahmin family and well educated (she had a B.A. degree). Her taking the role of Taramati is now recognized as the one that gave a social leap. Until that time it was considered a taboo for women of upper class to be part of the films.

“Alam Ara” which was released in 1931 was the first talkie produced in India. But in 2003 fire at the National Archives of India the film was destroyed. By default “Ayodhyecha Raja” is now considered to be the first talkie (because it is available).

Shantaram made this movie in Marathi as “Ayodhyecha Raja” and in Hindi as “Ayodhya Ka Raja” simultaneously. Its title in English “The King of Ayodhya”. For some curious reason Prabhat gave their movies an English title. It was the first Marathi talkie and the first bilingual talkie made in India. The decision to make the film in two languages proved to be crucial for Prabhat as well as the rest of the industry. It set a pattern for much of the filmmaking in the 1930s.

Besides directing the film, Shantaram also edited the film. This was a mythological story taken from the epic Mahabharata, of king Harishchandra. It is interesting to note that the first silent feature length movie made by Dadasaheb Phalke (see his picture attached below) in 1913 was “Raja Harishchandra”. This first talkie Shantaram directed took the same story. Many people believe that this was a gesture by Shantaram paying a tribute to Phalke. In later years Shantaram became a close friend of Phalke. When Phalke’s fortunes turned bad and became very poor both physically and financially, Shantaram helped him by sending money every month.

The movie was shot on elaborate plaster sets. They were designed by Fatehlal. There were some daring shots in the film. For example, in a burning forest, a tree falls on the ground missing the king. Granted the movie depended upon stage-driven frontal compositions, but underneath all this there was a genuine attempt to be realistic as well. This was evident in the scenes where the king’s family is impoverished and trying hard to earn a living.

In Phalke’s movie Taramati was played by a man. He was not able to get any female to perform that role. Women feared appearing in the films because people looked down on them. That taboo was completely broken with the appearance of Durga Khote in this Shantaram’s film.

Here is a word about Mrs. Khote. See her attached picture below. She came from an elite Brahmin family. As soon as she graduated from the college she got married. Her husband passed away when she was just 25 years old and she had two little kids to raise. She was an independent woman and did not want to take any help from her parents. She was ready to take any job. She was neither an actress nor a singer. Yet, through her sister’s acquaintance she got a small role in Mohan Bhavnani’s 1931 Hindi film “Farebi Jaal”. The English title of the movie was “Trapped”. The movie flopped and she felt embarrassed at the whole experience.

Not many people saw “Trapped” but one of those who saw it was Shantaram. He decided to offer her the role of “Taramati” in his first talkie, “Ayodhyecha Raja”. She accepted the offer. The movie became a success in both Hindi and Marathi versions.

Shantaram also cast her for his next film “Maya Machhindra” which again hit the bull’s eye with the audience. From there onwards there was no looking back for Mrs. Khote.

Remember this was the first talkie by Prabhat Films. There were only few talking movies thus far that came out. Technicians who were experts and very proficient in silent movies have yet to get a handle with the sound. The system itself was still in primitive stages. That is why the audio quality of the soundtrack of the film is noisy and of inferior quality.

The Marathi version of the film was a huge success. After all it was the first Marathi talkie. Hindi version did not fare well as the Marathi version except in Mumbai. Yet it was billed as a success. The movie’s success gave a firm footing for Prabhat. In the coming years they will have a huge impact on how the films are made and what people want to see in them.

Details of songs from both versions follow starting in the next post…

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Mar 3 2019, 07:59 PM

[swarapriya]

Ayodhya Ka Raja (1932) - Hindi

Neither the movie version nor the songs from this film were available for me to share. The songs of the Hindi film are listed in the table below. I am requesting fellow Forum members to share them with rest of us if they have any. Thank you.

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Mar 3 2019, 07:56 PM

[swarapriya]

Ayodhyecha Raja (1932) - Marathi

I am uploading all songs ripped from a DVD below. I do not speak Marathi but the song quality was so bad that I could not tell in some of the songs what the words were. One of my Marathi friends helped identify some of these. Many thanks to my friend.

I am uploading these songs at a lower bit rate in two back-to-back posts. Here are the songs in the first post…

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Ayodhyecha Raja (1932)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this movie...