The 100-year love affair

Last week Delhirsquos cinephiles had much to celebrate with a tribute that showcased the early days of Indian cinema with the recreation of the tent cinema tradition Film scholar curator and historian Amrit Gangar was the brain behind Gulsan Mahal Ceenima that organised this time capsule as part of the Delhi Film Festival Light of Asia Produced by Great Eastern Film Corporation Delhi and Emelka Film Co Munich Directed by Franz Osten Himansu Rai plays the role of Gautama the Buddha and Seeta Devi in the picture as GopaThe Light of Asia was the first of the three IndoGerman coproductions set up by the lead actor Himansu Rai who later founded the Bombay Talkies in 1934 He talks us through ldquoThe Films Divisionrsquos Picture Palace Tambu Cinema was called Gulsan Mahal Ceenima curated by me along with VS Kundu Director General Films Division It had a seating capacity of about 30 in a specially erected tent within the ambience of the larger exhibition Road movie IE After Phalke made u00a0Raja Harishchandra he decided to show it in tent theatres and the concept caught on across India Touring cinemas would travel through rural India and screen movies in makeshift tents Touring talkies is a dying vocation their numbers have fallen to 33 from 2000 in 1985 Now these are found during Jatras village fairs in the interiors of the state Pic Pradeep Dhivar We placed a small ticket ghar window announcing tickets 8 annas to sit on durries and Rs 1 for functional benches Each program was introduced by the Sutradhar as in the old daysrdquou00a0Gangar reels out few films shown at the Tambu Cinema that are worth a watch today Raja Harishchandra Silent 1913 Commonly acknowledged as Indiarsquos first genuine indigenous feature film it was released on May 3 1913 at Bombayrsquos Coronation Cinematograph Adapting a story from the Markandeya Purana it was shot in an improvised studio in Bombayrsquos Dhundiraj Govind Phalkersquos better known as Dadasaheb Phalkersquos Films in Dadar The production company mainly consisted of Phalkersquos family and friends Amrit Gangar with his curated Gulsan Mahal Ceenima in Delhi Lanka Dahan Silent 1917 Often touted as Indiarsquos first big boxoffice hit this mythological film was also made by Phalke As compared with tableaulike Raja Harishchandra Lanka Dahan makes the image more dynamic and fluid Now Phalke could command additional finance and facilities to make his more ambitious films Shree Krishna Janma Silent 1918 This film had Indiarsquos first child actor Mandakini Phalkersquos sixyearold daughter who plays the role of young Krishna A magical scene is demon Kansarsquos hallucination mdash a first for any Indian film The Krishna and Sheshnag story is the filmrsquos plot Sheshnagrsquos vision of his severed head floating in a geyser of blood is considered exemplary Itrsquos part of Indian film lore that the blood in this trick shot was handtinted in red A still from Raja Harishchandra Kaliya Mardan Silent 1919 Kaliya Mardan has the first underwater scene in Indian cinema mdash the scene shows child Krishna Mandakini vanquishing Kaliya With its characteristic blending of the real and the imaginary with distinct Indian ethos Kaliya Mardan is the first definitive masterpiece of Indian cinema The Light of Asia aka Prem Sanyas Silent 1925 This was the first of the three IndoGerman coproductions set up by the lead actor Himansu Rai who founded the Bombay Talkies in 1934 Directed by Franz Osten it opens with documentary shots of foreign tourists in Bombay Delhi and Benaras When they reach the Bodhi Temple complex in Gaya a holy man tells them the story of Prince Gautama Rai who renounced his patrimony to become Lord Buddha Hunterwali ki Beti Talkie 1943 Produced by Wadia Movietone earlier in 1935 Fearless Nadiarsquos breakthrough film Hunterwali was released The lady with a whip became synonymous with the stunt film genre Mary Evans Wadia or Fearless Nadia emerged as one of the earliest female lead in Indian filmsu00a0 Silent cinema in India Get your copy of the National Award winner as the Best Book on Cinema 2013 by BD Garga which includes a foreword by Oscarwinning film historian Kevin Brownlow Published by HarperCollins India it traverses the origin and landmark innovations that Indian cinema underwent over 1300 films from 1913 to 1931 A treasuretrove for film buffs the book also contains movie paraphernalia like rare publicity brochures stills posters and rare memorabilia u00a0