"Raja Harischandra" released - May 3, 1913

"Raja Harischandra," considered by many to be the first full-length Indian feature film, was released on this day in 1913.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello, Welcome to This Day in History Class,
where we flipped through the book of history and bring
you a new page every day. Today is May third, nineteen.

(00:25):
The day was made third nineteen. The film Raja harish Chandra,
directed by Dadasa paul was released theatrically at the Coronation
Cinematograph and Variety Hall in Mumbai, then called Bombay in India.
The silent film, which is based on the legend of

(00:46):
the Indian king parish Chandra, is considered by many to
be the first full length Indian feature film. Whether it
can rightfully claim that title is debated, but it stands
that the film was a box office success that encouraged
a proliferation of Indian productions. When paul Ka was a teenager,
he joined the third j J School of Art, studying photography, architecture,

(01:11):
lithography and other art forms. He went on to work
as a painter, set designer and a photographer. In the
early nineteen hundreds, he and a partner started a printing
press that was successful, but difficulties between partners led paul
K to cut ties with the business. But in April

(01:32):
of nineteen eleven, he went to see the silent film
The Life of Christ by director Alice gui Blache at
a theater in Mumbai. That was the spark that ignited
his interest in creating a film. He began watching more
movies and studying film. In nineteen twelve, Paul k went
to London to learn filmmaking from British filmmaker Cecil Heathworth.

(01:56):
He bought a Williamson camera, ordered film and a perfect
later and went back to India after only a couple
of weeks in London. When he arrived in India, he
founded paul Ka Films Company. The initial capital he got
for the company came from a loan he took out
against his insurance policy. His family and friends staffed the company,

(02:18):
and his wife took on management and technical roles. That
same year, Paul Kay began the work of writing Rajaharish
Chandra and casting the film. He did the direction of production,
design and editing while Trent bought the too long operated
the camera. Filming took nearly seven months and the film

(02:38):
was about four reels long. It was first screen in
April nineteen thirteen to a special audience at the Olympia
Theater in Mumbai. Weeks later, on May third, nineteen thirteen,
Rajaharish Chandra had a theatrical release. The film was shown
as part of a program including Irene del mar In

(02:59):
a duet in the It's Number, a comedy sketch by
the McClements, Alexandro The Wonderful Foot Juggler, and Tip Top Comics.
It had an all male cast, since working in film
was not considered completely acceptable work for women at the time.
Raja Harsh Tanja ran for twenty three days and had

(03:19):
a rerun soon after. As Paulk promoted the film and
news of it spread, it proved a success. Paul K
went on to produce and direct more films like Lanka
Dihan and Shri Krishna Gena. In nineteen eighteen, paul K
Films Company folded and paul Ka established the Hindu Stand

(03:40):
Cinema Films Company with several partners. But as the film
industry got bigger and talkies became more popular, Paulk's work
faded from the limelight. He retired from the film industry
in the nineteen thirties, and he died in nineteen forty four.
Paulk is now considered the father of Indian cinema, but

(04:02):
many people say that the silent film Shri Punda Leak,
directed by Dadasaheb Tornay, deserves recognition as the first Indian film.
The forty five minute film was released on May eighth,
nineteen twelve at the Coordination Cinematograph. Many people do not
consider Shri Punda eligible for the title because of a

(04:24):
few technicalities. First, the film was a recording of a
popular Murati play using a single fixed camera. Second, the
cameraman who filmed the play was British. Third, the film
was processed in London, so the negatives of the film
real stayed in the UK and Tornay could only get

(04:44):
the positives to India. This reasoning for not giving Tornay
recognition is controversial. Tornay sons have even filed a public
interest litigation to claim Tornay is a pioneer of Indian cinema,
to get negatives of the film from the UK and
to recognize Shri Punda Leak as the first Indian film,
but the government of India is still considers Rajah Harsh

(05:07):
Chandra the first. In nineteen sixty nine, the Indian government
created the data sah Polk Award, which is awarded annually
to recognize artists contributions to Indian cinema. I'm Eve Jeffko
and hopefully you know a little more about history today
than you did yesterday. And if you like to follow

(05:28):
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Thanks again for listening and I hope you come back
tomorrow for more delicious morsels of history. For more podcasts

(05:51):
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