Submitted by-

Anjali
BMMMC 1st year
Communication Media and Society

MOVIE REVIEW: HARISHCHANDRACHI

FACTORY

A must watch for everyone, Marathi biographical comedy about honorable

Dadasaheb Phalke.

Marathi filmmaker, producer, actor and director Paresh Mokashi

makes a timeless film with light hearted comedy depicting the
struggles in making of India’s first full length feature film.

Harishchandrachi Factory is a period drama with delicious sense of humor which shows the
making of India’s first full length feature film. The story begins when Dhundiraj Govind
Phalke or Dadasaheb Phalke was struggling in a printing press and magic tricks until he
watched a film The Life of Christ, in Bombay. Phalke along with others, was shocked to see
photographs were moving on a screen. He developed an interesting sense of passion for
those moving pictures which he was encountering for the first time. Phalke wanted to
entertain the idea of film making for the Indian audience that’s when he starts reading and
learning about the films.

People thought that he he has gone crazy as he started selling his

furnitures to arrange some fund to support his dream of film making. Later on, Phalke
shifted to London to learn and grow his understanding about technicalities of film making.

When Phalke returned back from London with all his knowledge, he was ready to make
India’s first feature film, Raja Harishchandra. There were a lot of struggles from convincing
the officers for fund to convincing a “female” to act the role of Taramati at the time when
most of the people didn’t know that the concept of moving pictures exists. At the end,
Phalke had to hire a male, who had to shave his beard and moustaches for the role of
Taramati. After a lot of struggle and support, Raja Harishchandra was ready which received
an amazing response after some advertisement. That’s when Phalke’s journey as a
filmmaker took off.
Phalke’s journey was not an easy one. It required a lot of hardship but Phalke’s passion for
film overshadowed the struggles. In the movie we get to see his struggles in a comic way,
like shooting in jungles of Dadar and convincing people that he was not mad as his friends
tried to admit him in a mental hospital after watching Phalke’s activities.

The movie also portrayed the struggles of of actors at that time as in the movie, it is shown
that there is one man who gets rejected by a lot of girls because he was a actor which was
not considered as a stable carrier opton. That’s when Phalke suggested him to tell everyone
that he works in a factory aka Harishchandrachi factory.

Mokashi has done an incredible job in directing the film. Majorly there are daytime shots
which adds a bright side and positivity in the frame. Whereas, there are some night shots in
the darkness like the one when Phalke slept in theatre and believed that he has gone blind
but even at that his main concern was film. Mokashi also highlighted the coolest couple
back then, Mr and Mrs Phalke. They both loved each other. Mrs Phalke supported Mr
Phalke at every point of time. She was ready to sell her jewellery as well but Mr Phalke
refused to do so.

People were entertained by the idea that how Mr Phalke refused the offer to work in
foreign where he was offered a lot of money but he chooses to work in India and develop a
sense of moving pictures there. Mokashi represented the cultural music play in the silent
films as in the movie Phalke asks his actor to “show, don’t tell”.

Harishchandrachi factory is a timeless humorous period drama which digs up into the past
and shows the foundation of film making. The movie was selected as India’s official entry to
academy awards in best foreign language film category which was appreciated by a large
audience. Actors, Nandu Madhav as Mr. Dadasaheb Phalke and Vibhavari Deshpande as
Mrs. Saraswati Phalke added soul to the film along with many side actors. They played an
important role which made the film succeed. It is a perfect film which anybody can watch to
know the history of Indian cinema and from where it all started.