prabhat films
Founded on 1st June 1929, Prabhat Films studio was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra (and moved to Pune in 1933) by Vishnupant Damle, K Dhaiber, Syed Fatehlal and V Shantaram. The four partners had parted ways from Maharasthra Film Company where they all had assisted Baburao Painter and went onto become senior members of the company. They were joined in by a local goldsmith S V Kulkarni as the financing partner. While many of the films were directed by the prolific director V Shantaram, the other partners also made films. K Dhaiber primarily being a cinematographer also directed films. The duo team of V. Damle and S. Fatehlal were famous for the mythologicals they made over the years.
The company made 6 silent films "Gopal Krishna" (1929) "Khooni Khanjar" (1930), "Rani Saheba" (1930), "Udaykal" (1930), "Chandrasena" (1931) and "Zulum" (1931). All these films were quite a success at the boX office. With the advent of sound, Prabhat Film Company produced the first marathi film, "Ayodhyache Raja" in 1932, directed by V. Shantaram. The film was produced both in marathi and in hindi as "Ayodhya ka Raja". Interestingly Shantaram chose to adapt the story of Raja Harishchandra as the first Prabhat Talkie . This was also the theme of the first feature length film made by D G Phalke, titled Raja Harishchandra (1913). Over the neXt decade, Prabhat films continued to make several films establishing itself as one of the most important film companies during the time. With the logo of the profile of a woman playing the tutari, Prbhat went on to make some landmark films proving itself successful not only on the boX office but even garnering international attention. They produced the first Indian Talkie in multicolour "Sairandhari" in 1933 but the colour was NOT satisfactory. Their film, "Sant Tukaram" (1936) directed by V Damle and S Fatehlal went on to be awarded of the best three films of the year at the 5th Venice International Film Festival. Their film "Amrit Manthan" (1934), directed by V. Shantaram, went on to become the first hindi talkie to celebrate silver jubilee running for 29 weeks at a stretch.
Prabhat films produced other important films and acclaimed films like "Kunku" (1937, "Duniya na mane" in hindi), "Manoos" (1937, "Aadmi" in hindi), "Sant Dnyaneshwar" (1940), "Shejari" (1941, "Padosi" in hindi), etc. After a successful run of over a decade, V. Shantaram left the company in 1942. This was a major blow to Prabhat Film Company and with Damle passing away in 1945, the company was in poor condition. It was eventually shut on 10th October 1953.
Some of these films are available online on indiancine.ma. indiancine.ma is this online archive of films from India. It is an ongoing project of pad.ma and is soon to be launched. Saying that, there is still loads of stuff there and worth a check. My own research project and this page is here is because of a research fellowship I got from pad.ma.
These three films are available here (embeds from indiancine.ma)
Kunku
directed by V. Shantaram
KunkuV. Shantaram
Alternative Title: Duniya Na Mane, The Unexpected
Year: 1937 Language: Marathi, Hindi;
Writer: Narayan Hari Apte, Munshi Aziz [H]; Cinematographer: V. Avadhoot;
Editor: unknown; Composer: Keshavrao Bhole;
Lyricist: Shantaram Athavale [M], Munshi Aziz [H]
Cast: Shanta Apte, Keshavrao Date, Raja Nene, Vimala Vashisht, Shakuntala Paranjpye, Vasanti, Gauri, Master Chhotu, Karmarkar
SummaryNeera [M] / Nirmala [H] (Apte) is trapped into marrying the old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive lawyer with a son and a daughter of Neera's age. She refuses to consummate the union, claiming repeatedly that while suffering can be borne, injustice cannot. After facing many hurdles including an aunt (Vashisht), her mother-in-law, and a lascivious stepson Pandit [M] / Jugal [H] (Nene), her husband has a change of heart and magnanimously commits suicide, enjoining Neera to marry someone more suitable. The change occurs mainly through his widowed daughter Chitra [M] / Sushila [H] (Paranjpye, a noted social worker off screen) who provides a forcefully feminist moment in a speech to the young bride. Apte sings the combative song In the world's broad field of battle... Be not like dumb, driven cattle written by Longfellow. The original novel was a landmark in Maharashtra's social reform movement denouncing arranged and venal marriages that ignore women's rights. Shantaram's version stresses melodramatic overtones while indulging in some bravura visual stylisations, eg. in the editing (he edited his own films) of the brief marriage sequence or the shattered mirror scene returning multiple laughing faces to the distraught old man gazing into the mirror, the leitmotif of the ticking clock, etc., many of these stylised images referring obliquely to the old man's sexual impotence. Apte's performance in her first leading role displays a modern freshness ahead of its time which established her as India's foremost singing star of the 30s. The veterans Fattelal and Damle did the art direction and the sound respectively. The Hindi title translates literally as 'The world will not accept...' while the Marathi title refers to the vermilion mark adorning the forehead of a married woman.
Manoos (Aadmi)
directed by V. Shantaram
KunkuV. Shantaram
Alternative Title: Admi, Life is for the Living
SummaryNeera [M] / Nirmala [H] (Apte) is trapped into marrying the old widower Kakasaheb (Date). He is a progressive lawyer with a son and a daughter of Neera's age. She refuses to consummate the union, claiming repeatedly that while suffering can be borne, injustice cannot. After facing many hurdles including an aunt (Vashisht), her mother-in-law, and a lascivious stepson Pandit [M] / Jugal [H] (Nene), her husband has a change of heart and magnanimously commits suicide, enjoining Neera to marry someone more suitable. The change occurs mainly through his widowed daughter Chitra [M] / Sushila [H] (Paranjpye, a noted social worker off screen) who provides a forcefully feminist moment in a speech to the young bride. Apte sings the combative song In the world's broad field of battle... Be not like dumb, driven cattle written by Longfellow. The original novel was a landmark in Maharashtra's social reform movement denouncing arranged and venal marriages that ignore women's rights. Shantaram's version stresses melodramatic overtones while indulging in some bravura visual stylisations, eg. in the editing (he edited his own films) of the brief marriage sequence or the shattered mirror scene returning multiple laughing faces to the distraught old man gazing into the mirror, the leitmotif of the ticking clock, etc., many of these stylised images referring obliquely to the old man's sexual impotence. Apte's performance in her first leading role displays a modern freshness ahead of its time which established her as India's foremost singing star of the 30s. The veterans Fattelal and Damle did the art direction and the sound respectively. The Hindi title translates literally as 'The world will not accept...' while the Marathi title refers to the vermilion mark adorning the forehead of a married woman.
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