India

Abstract

The Lumière brothers, French inventors and cinema pioneers, introduced their film technology to a British-held India in July 1896 and ignited an interest in an art and industry that continues to thrive. The first full-length film produced in India was, according to most sources, Pundalik (1912, directed by R. G. Torne and P. R. Tipnis); the narrative was based on a play by Ramrao Kirtikar. There is not much information on the film except that its content explored Indian myths and the life of a Hindu saint. Historical research on Dadshaheb Phalke’s 1913 film, Raja Harishchandra, gives us a clearer picture of filmmaking in India, and the initial challenges facing women entering the industry. Phalke wanted to go against the tradition of males playing female roles; he wanted to find a young woman who could take on the role of the female lead. However, no woman, even among the prostitutes, courtesans and dancing girls he approached, was willing to do it, for facing the camera was akin to laying oneself bare in a public square. Finally, one night in a restaurant, Phalke found his heroine, an impressive womanly beauty, working in the kitchen in a lowly position. Phalke made a monetary offer that was promptly accepted by the worker. Phalke’s film provided India with its first film heroine, Anna Salunke — in reality, however, ‘Anna’ was a young, slight male actor who portrayed the female convincingly onscreen (in multiple films) until he matured and his physique became more masculine. It was nearly a decade before a female made her mark on the Indian film industry.