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Let’s read a story about a man who made India’s first silent film.

A man was calling out to passers-by outside Bombay’s Coronation Theatre. It was the 3rd

of May, 1913. Most people ignored him and continued walking by, thinking that he was
crazy. Some gave him strange looks. However, a few curious folks gathered around the

man.

‘Arre , what are you talking about?’ an onlooker demanded.
1
‘Raja Harishchandra has been released today...it is a film!’ the man replied enthusiastically.

‘A film? What’s that? Is it like a play?’ the onlooker asked.

‘A little, but instead of live people, photographs
will move. You will see Raja Harishchandra’s
story being performed. It has magic in it too.

Do you want to watch it? The ticket is just
three annas ,’ the man said.
2
After a brief discussion among themselves,

the group of onlookers decided to give it
a try.

They were the first audience of India’s first

silent film Raja Harishchandra and its
maker was none other than Dadasaheb
Phalke!

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, more popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke was a
photographer and a magician who had also studied painting and sculpting, dramatics
and architecture at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art and the Maharaja Sayajirao

University of Baroda. He was always involved in some new creative pursuit or the other.

One day, Dadasaheb Phalke went to watch the film The Life of Christ. He was

mesmerised by what he saw. He felt it was magical! He was a photographer. But even then,
this was all new to him.
curious: interested in
He came home and shared his experience with his wife Saraswati. learning about things
creative pursuit: an
attempt to do something
‘Saraswati,’ he said, ‘I take still pictures, but these pictures were creative
moving! There were people in those pictures. They moved like mesmerised: held
someone’s interest

1 (in Hindi) used to express the feeling of being annoyed, surprised or interested, or to attract someone’s
attention
2 a currency unit formerly used in British India, equal to 1⁄16 of a rupee
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