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In the history of Indian cinema, the film Raja Harishchandra released in the year 1913 is said to be the first film of the country, which was produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the father of Indian cinema, although a film made a year earlier in 1912 made history. That film was made by Dadasaheb Torne. This film was certainly the first, but it was neither considered the first film in history nor Dadasaheb Torne, who made it, considered the father of films. The only reason was that he took the help of foreigners in his film. An initiative to give him credit was started 100 years after the release of the first film, but the results did not go in his favor. Along with making the first film, Dadasaheb Torne is also India’s first editor, director, exhibitor and owner of a movie camera company. It was with his help that the film-makers in India got a boost.
Today in Ansu’s Dastan, read the story of Dadasaheb Torne creating history but disappearing from history –
Lost father’s shadow at a young age, relatives did not support
Dadasaheb Torne was born exactly 134 years ago on 13 April 1890 in Malwan village near Mumbai. His father died suddenly when he was only 3 years old. Relatives kicked him, his mother and grandfather out of the house after his father’s death. There was no place to live, as well as no source of income. In such a situation, his family had to face constant problems.
Facing starvation, his entire family came to Bombay (now Mumbai) in search of work. 10-year-old Dadasaheb Torne got a job at Greaves Cotton Green Electric Company in Mumbai, where he started repairing machines.
The idea of making films in India came after watching foreign films
While working on the machines, Dadasaheb Torne got interested in machines and started learning their working closely. After being free from work, Dadasaheb often used to go to see the plays of Shripad Theater Company. In such a position he became well acquainted with the people of the theatre. In those days, films imported from abroad were sometimes shown in Shripad Theater Company.
It was around 1910. One day Dadasaheb Torne came to watch a foreign film. He watched the film and thought deeply about how it could have happened. 21-22 year old Dadasaheb Torne who already had deep knowledge of machines decided to make his own film.
When he needed money, his friend helped him and sent a camera-reel from abroad
Dadasaheb Torne worked menial jobs in an electric company, the meager salary of which was not enough to fulfill his dream of making films. When financial help was needed, Dadasaheb Torne sought help from his friend Shri Nana Saheb Chitre, who was also the financier of the theater company. Nana Sahib used to bring films from abroad and show them in India. He liked Dadasaheb Torne’s idea and agreed to give money.
The first camera and reel arrived in India at a cost of Rs 1000
As soon as the money was arranged, Dadasaheb Torne bought all the necessary equipment including cameras and reels for film making from a London company, which cost around Rs. 1000 was. The company also sent an operator with the camera, who taught Dadasaheb Torne to operate the video camera. Dadasaheb Torne was the first person in India who knew the technique of handling a camera.
After this he wrote the mythological play ‘Sri Pundalik’ along with Nana Saheb Chitre and friend Ramrao Kritikar. The play was based on the mythological character Pundalik.
Borrowed money for artists’ fees
After the script was ready, Dadasaheb Torne persuaded the actors of the theater group to shoot the film by paying a fee. He had spent all the money on buying machinery for the film, so he borrowed money from some close friends to pay the actors’ fees and arrange their accommodation and food.
The first film was shot at a theater in Grant Road, Mumbai
For shooting, he chose a theater located on Grant Road in Mumbai. To avoid any disturbance during the shooting, he called a cameraman named Johnson from abroad, who helped Dadasaheb Torne in the recording. The entire 22-minute play was recorded with cameras set up at one location. This was the era, when there was no option for close-up shots, pan and tilt shots due to lack of technology.
When Dadasaheb Torne saw the recording, he did not like the film shot from a single camera angle. After discussing with cameraman Johnson, he decided to shoot the film from different angles. He used to shoot film from one angle in one reel and then change the angle and use a new reel in another place. When the shooting was over, he finished the film by putting all the reels in sequence.
After the shooting, the film reel was sent to London for processing
After the shooting of ‘Shri Pundalik’, Dadasaheb Torne sent a 1500 feet long reel to London for processing, as there was no company in India to process reels at that time.
Dadasaheb Torne is India’s first promoter, the film’s promotional advertisement was published in a newspaper
The film ‘Shri Pundalik’ was a 22-minute feature film, the first film made in India. When the movie was screened at the Coronation Cinema in Mumbai, crowds started gathering to watch it. In 1912, Dadasaheb Torne, with the help of Coronation Cinema, published a promotional advertisement for the film ‘Shri Pundlik’ in the Times of India newspaper to spread the word about the film.
It was written in the advertisement – Pundalik-Pundalik, a popular Hindu drama, half of the Hindu population of Mumbai city has seen this film and we want the remaining half of the Hindu population to also watch this film.
Promotional advertisement of the film published in Times of India.
The film benefited from advertisements printed in newspapers and people started coming to watch the film continuously. The crowd was so great that the film was screened for 2 weeks at the Coronation Cinema Hall.
Dadasaheb became India’s first distributor
After making his first film ‘Shri Pundalik’, Dadasaheb Torne was transferred to Karachi by his company (Greaves Cotton Electric). In Karachi he met a man named Baburao Pai, who was interested in films. Together, they started a small office in Karachi, where they arranged and screened films from abroad. Over time, films began to be distributed in many cities including Karachi, Kolhapur. Thus Dadasaheb Torne became India’s first film distributor.
Dadasaheb Torne started a movie camera company in Bombay
Dada Saheb used to work in an electric company, but quit when his earnings started increasing from film distribution. Dadasaheb Torne became good friends with the Americans during World War I. Started a movie camera company in India with the help of his contacts.
Film production increased in India due to Dadasaheb Torne’s company
After Dadasaheb Phalke, many different people were making films in India, but cameras and other equipment for making films were always imported from abroad. Opening of movie camera companies in India helped many people to make films and started promoting film production in India. In those days, everyone used to buy cameras from Dadasaheb Torne to make films. When the trend of making films came, his company also became profitable.
Film distribution company started in 1929, earning in crores
Along with the movie camera company, Dadasaheb Torne also started a famous film distribution company in Bombay with his friend Baburao Pai from Karachi. It was the only official distribution company of that era, which distributed Indian films. The company used to deliver films made across the country to theaters, the company earned crores of rupees from ticket sales.
Dadasaheb Torne understood the value of films, found films about the stories of changing times, apart from being a cinema lover, Dadasaheb Torne also knew the importance of cinema very well. He believed that the industry will only move forward when it is updated with new technology. When talking films started being made in Hollywood, they started showing Hollywood talking films instead of Hindi films.
When foreign sound films began to attract more people than Indian silent films, Dadasaheb Torne went to London and trained in sound recording and returned to India with the machines. Dadasaheb Torne had given up making films, so he persuaded his friend Ardeshar Irani to make India’s first talking film and provided him with sound recording machines.
The country’s first sound film ‘Alam Ara’ was made in 2 months
Dadasaheb Torne feared that as soon as sound technology was invented, everyone would start making sound films. In this situation, he secretly made the film ‘Alam Ara’ in 2 months.
India’s first talking film ‘Alam Ara’ created history. A large number of people came to watch the talking film and Ardeshar Irani’s name went down in the history of Hindi cinema. However, even at this time, Dadasaheb Torne did not take credit. To further promote sound films, he procured sound recorders from abroad and supplied them to Prabhat, Ranjith, Wadia, every major studio of that time.
Started his own production house and made 17 films
Dadasaheb Torne started his production house Saraswati Cineton in Pune to make films on social issues rather than entertainment. The first film of the production ‘Sham Sundar’ was a huge success. In addition, he made around 17 films in Hindi and Marathi languages including Ot Ghatachecha.
Copies of the film were burned, studios sold out
With changing times, films from other productions started becoming hits and Dadasaheb Torne reduced the production of films. There was only one copy of his films, which were shown in each city, but most of his film reels were destroyed in a fire.
The studio had to be sold due to financial constraints
Dadasaheb Torne sold his studio to a person named Ahmad in 1944 due to lack of money. The man sold the studio to Chakan Oil Mill and himself went to Pakistan at the time of partition. Today there is Kumar Pacific Mall at the same place.
Betrayal ensued amid divisions and riots
During the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, many Muslims left for Pakistan. Meanwhile, a close Muslim friend of Dada stole all his expensive equipment and fled to Pakistan. He was so fond of cameras and film making equipment that he could not bear the shock. He suffered a heart-attack and after that he stopped doing films forever. After retirement, he distanced himself from people associated with the film industry and started living alone in his house in Shivaji Nagar. Dadasaheb Torne died in his sleep on 19 January 1960.
100 years later the credit war started
In 2013, Dadasaheb Torne’s son Anil Torne, daughter-in-law Mangala Torne and Vikas Patil, an associate of the Motion Picture Producers Association, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking credit for him. His plea was rejected that the 1912 film Shree Pundalik was a recording of a play and therefore could not be given the status of a first feature film. It was also said that the film was sent abroad for processing and the cameraman was also a foreigner. While Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, released a year later, was made entirely in India.
Dadasaheb Torne He is called the father of Hindi cinema in world records
Even though in the history of Hindi cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke is called the father of Hindi cinema, although this record in the Guinness Book of World Records is in the name of Dadasaheb Torne. He has also been considered as the father in Indian cinema and Marathi cinema books.