Thursday 3 February 2011

Harishchandrachi Factory

2009 by Paresh Mokashi

Story about how Dada Saheb Phalke made India's first cinema, Raja Harishchandra in 1913. The Adventure filled story about how a man (with a wife and 2 kids) , who has just lost his printing business come across motion picture, falls in love with it and sets out to make the first motion picture in India. Enroute, he is even taken to a mental hospital by his friends, on the day of outdoor shoot police arrest the whole crew and what not. But all this is told in simple and funny way, projecting the innocence of the man through out. His two boys and wife especially, is more than a support. I just wish the movie was rather named Phalke family or something like that. Actually I felt proud about this simple movie. Such a pity regional Indian movies are all terribly sidelined by Bollywood.

It is the cinematography which took me by surprise. Often in Indian movies we dont get to see such beautiful, but subtle work. The lighting is so soft and helps the mood of the film in big way. An off beat movie like this can produce such excellent camera work, is very surprising for me. Even most of the commercial movies who play with huge money haven't tried this kind of lighting.