Dhundiraj Govind Phalke: Affectionately called Dadasaheb Phalke, he is considered as the `father of Indian Cinema`. Born in Nasik (Maharashtra), he studied at the Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay and the Kala Bhawan at Baroda. He was interested in magic, theatre and painting and these same interests converged in his films and translated into unforgettable sequences. Photography and architecture were added to his skills and he later acknowledged that his Baroda education helped him to develop all the qualities needed for a successful film producer.

A viewing of `Life of Christ` and seeing first-hand the impact the film had on the audience, decided his vocation. He made up his mind about cinema production, and that mythological films were close to the viewer`s heart. Added to the fact was the fact that Indian subject matter would give birth to an indigenous Indian film industry.

Phalke, with his imported camera, exposed single frames of a seed sprouting to a growing plant, shot once a day, over a month-thus inadvertently introducing the concept of `time-lapse photography`. This resulted in the first indigenous `instructional film`- The Birth of a Pea Plant (1912) - a capsule history of the growth of a pea into a pea-laden plant. This film came very handy in getting financial backing for his first film venture. In 1912, he left for England with the intention of learning film and purchasing equipment. Cecil Hepworth, the well-established producer, proved an invaluable source and Phalke returned with a Williamson camera, developing and printing equipment, a perforating machine, and raw film stock.

His films centered on well-known mythological stories and episodes, and audience response was positive. However, an interesting part of the cast in his films was that the roles requiring women performers were played by men as no women were willing to act. Similarly, he settled for Solanke, an effeminate cook he chanced upon in a cafe. What really obsessed him was the desire to see Indian images on the screen in a purely Swadeshi venture. He fixed up a studio in Dadar Main Road, wrote the scenario, erected the set and started shooting for his first venture Raja Harishchandra in 1912. The first full-length story film of Phalke was completed in 1912 and released at the Coronation cinema on April 21, 1913, for special invitees and members of the Press. Phalke`s first film, was 3,700 feet long and played for close to a month. The film was widely acclaimed by one and all and proved to be a great success. Other films at the time ran for less than a week! Initial shows included live dances to lure in an audience as yet unaccustomed to film shows. Trick photography, a passion with Phalke, and the acting skills of the cast, received rave reviews.

Most of the camera set-ups were static, with plenty of movements within the frame. The bathtub sequence where Harishchandra comes to call his wife Taramati, who is in the tub, with her fully drenched attendants is indeed the first bath-tub scene in Indian cinema. All the females in their wet sarees and blouses clinging to their bodies are in fact all males in female grab. Bombay Chronicle, the newspaper also eulogized over Raja Harishchandra.

For the first time, the film Mohini Bhasmasur in 1913 had women playing the female roles! Dadasaheb Phalke, as he was fondly known, was making 20 prints of the films at this stage. In 1917 for his film Lanka Dahan the Phalke Films made into a partnership concern and renamed Hindustan Film Company. And in 1918 for the film Shri Krishna Janam the special effects here were truly spectacular: The evil king Kamsa dreamt of many Krishna figures attacking him, and cutting off his head. The severed would float awhile and then rejoin the body, only to be cut off again! That year, this was the only film showing in Bombay.

1919 - Kaliya Mardan: By now, his studio in Nasik was flourishing, and it housed a library, reading rooms, bodybuilding-riding-fencing facilities, a zoo, and accomodation for technicians and artistes. Due to differences with partners, Phalke took a respite from film-making and wrote the satire Rangabhoomi. Other studios - Madan Theatres (Calcutta), Kohinoor (Bombay), and Maharashtra Film Company (Kolhapur) had entered the world of film production and were making a mark. He also made Sant Tukaram (1921) & Setu Bandhan in 1932.