Harishchandrachi Factory

Hi everyone,

as i have mentioned i love watching movies more than i love programming...so i have decided to write a kind of review of movies which i see....after 3-4 days finally today i got time to watch "Harishchandrachi Factory"... when i started it i was hoping to see a very serious kind of movie which will depict life "Dadasaheb Phalke-- Father of Indian Cinema"..but it turned out to be a very pleasant, gentle movie....

well the movie starts with a maverick man who has left his good printing business and is working as magician doing street shows....he happens to see a "motion picture"..well normally you wont give a damn about this word...but this movie will surely tell u what it really represents......after watching this cinema..he decides to do his own motion picture or "a drama on screen" as people first used to call motion pictures....

movie then goes through his efforts to make his dream real...the best thing about movie is not actually the story but the way it is presented on the screen.... there are few scenes which are truly remarkable ..specially where Phalke sells his cupboard to buy books and people started making a big deal out of it..as if someone has died... part where phalke is looking for women actors to portray Taramati and mustache saga....

Nandu Madhav has played character extremely well but one thing i couldn't stop noticing about his acting was..it kind of looked like Chalie Chaplin...i dnt know if its true...but u have to c it yourself.... another beautiful aspect of movie was how relation between phalke and his wife is handled...its shear pleasure watching the couple together....Vibhavari Deshpande who enacted Saraswati Phalke has done well job too....

Director Paresh Mokashi has done beautiful job in writing as well as directing... portraying a life a man in 97 min is really a tough job.... so in all a nice movie... and a nice tribute to the originator of Indian Cinema which currenlty is biggest film industry in the world....

I love movies about the movies, and this one is a standout.

Often I've thought about the dawn of cinema - that first heady round, the rush of making a picture that moved. Here's an appropriately joyful - and funny! - glimpse of that moment in India, home of the world's biggest movie business, the story of the making of India's first full-length film.

It starts when the man known as Dadasaheb Phalke sees a film for the first time -- British, short, Jesus dying and rising from dead, in a no-frills sort of way -- and gets the idea of making a movie like this for Indians, about Indian culture. It ends with the completion and recognition of the full-length Rajah Harishchandra, an historical film of a virtuous long-ago king. (The present film's title means "Harishchandra's Factory": in India in about 1913, if you've got a job on a film, what do you tell your neighbors who've never seen one? Phalke's advice -- say you work at a "factory" -- the foreign word will impress them and keep them out of your hair.)

The character of Phalke, as played with warmth and charm by Nandu Madhav, would be optimistic "to a fault," except that his persistence is so right, even when he goes to London alone and unannounced to get the advice and equipment he needs. He is in some ways the preoccupied technician/professor type, and in a pitch-perfect decision, director/writer Paresh Mokashi gives us a larger world that meets his somewhat blinkered but brilliant obsession with more or less unfailing appreciation and support. Local appreciation may be slower in coming, but of course we know that it did.

The story, all very solidly researched, is carried more by our itch to see his film get made and shown than by any manufactured tension about too many bad things happening. And by our anticipation of the next comic moment - expect special delight once casting problems arise where no woman will go near the camera, and mustache-retention problems arise when compromise casting for ladies' roles is accomplished.

The husband-wife partnership shines, Vishawai Deshpande's lovely and grounded Mrs P learns to develop film, and whatever is in her heart lets her survive furniture sales and big risks without resorting to nagging. Especially elegant, the matter-of-fact cooperation between Phalke and British film guys, who "get" him more or less right away, the way artists worldwide have pretty much always loved each other and their work in fellowship, irrespective of national tensions and problems.

Finally - production values are high, this looks as beautiful as it should and - for any worried western viewer - this is not a musical!! it's a "regular movie."

This movie was the official entry for the Oscars 2010 in the best foreign language film category from India. Though the movie is in Marathi,it actually transcends that minor barrier. It is a winner all the way , well written and directed by Paresh Mokashi.Even though Indian film industry is dominated by Bollywood (Personally I hate that word) such movies like Harishchandrachi Factory are entertaining as well as intelligent. Thanks to the multiplexes such movies no longer have a restricted regional release.Throughout the movie there is a feel good element and one does not feel like being taken for a fool.

It depicts the journey of the pioneer Dada Saheb Phalke as he faces hardships while making his magnum opus and how he overcomes them. Without giving away much, I will say watch out for the way the director has recreated that era.The performances by the actors are refreshing and believable.

Never give up on your dreams, work wholeheartedly and you will win.This message is underlined throughout with out playing up to the galleries.

I gave it 9/10.

Arishchandrachi Factory depicts the making of India's first full-length feature film by Dadasaheb Phalke. First of all, this film was a magnificent watch for me. The film showed so many things but in a very entertaining way and this is the major plus point of this film. The editing of this reminded me of old silent films like Chalie Chaplin. BGM is so beautiful.

Paresh Mokashi in his directorial debut did a wonderful job. Nandu Madhav as Phalke was just great & Vibhavari Deshpande as his supporting wife was perfect. If you're a true movie lover I'm sure there'll both tear & clap in the end. This was sent to the Oscars and in my opinion it should've won. This is a Must Watch for those love cinema or want to become filmmaker in future.

Available on Netflix.

© MandalBros.

The film is about the first motion picture for the Indian movie industry. Being the biggest movie industry now with an annual release of over 1000 films, India has the profitable movie industry across the nation. The credit goes to Dr. Phalke who started it over 100 years before. The history of making the first movie is portrayed in this film.

A good background on the country's struggle to freedom is also dealt (with reference to Tilakji). The best thing I loved about this film is the reflection on the long-lost culture of India (something like women not looking at other men and having their heads covered with their Saree when someone enters the house). Contrary, these days young women are half-naked even in churches. I found no negatives in this movie except there ain't any sad/tragic moments in any part of the movie. No wonder the movie was awarded. A good and must watch with the family on a weekend.