Crowded into Bombay’s America-India Picture Palace on 1910 Christmas night, audiences watched ‘The Life of Christ’ in awe. Forty-year-old Dhundiraj Phalke, however, glimpsed revolution. Christ’s lifelike portrayal ignited his query: ‘Can our deities not dance on screen too?’
This moment propelled Phalke, born 1870 in Nashik’s Tryambakeshwar Brahmin home, into history. Facing mockery for pursuing ‘magic lantern movies,’ he innovated: filming a pot-bound pea’s monthly bloom frame-by-frame. The accelerated reel—India’s first time-lapse—awed onlookers, validating his vision.
Equipment from London necessitated sacrifice. Saraswatibai’s pawned treasures funded Phalke’s 1912 voyage; he returned with camera in tow, seeding a nascent industry.
India’s inaugural full-length film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ faced casting crises. No woman essayed the queen amid taboos. Tea stall chef Anna Salunke, elegantly attired, broke ground as the maiden heroine—a man.
Dadar domicile doubled as studio; family united in toil. Saraswatibai’s feats—crew meals, chemical processing, outdoor endurance—pioneered female technical roles.
Coronation Cinema’s May 3, 1913, showing evoked piety; viewers honored the screen. ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’ and ‘Lanka Dahan’ propelled stardom, with Ram’s vista prompting chants.
1931’s ‘Alam Ara’ ushered talkies, dooming Phalke’s mime artistry. ‘Gangavataran’ tanked.
Nashik retreat brought obscurity, illness, want. Death claimed him February 16, 1944, aged 73. His 1969 centenary birthed the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, saluting cinema’s founder.