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Harischandrachi Factory

D.G. Phalke is considered the father of Indian cinema.  As a middle class, hard working Maharashtrian fella in south Bombay under British rule he was fascinated by things that were breaking new ground.  In his era it was a short silent film, shot in black and white and shown in a dimly lit canvas tent as the latest attraction from the other continent.

Not wanting to continue a life of mediocrity and somewhat frustrated by the status quo, Phalke with unequivocal support of his family, wife and two boys embarks on a crazy adventure the likes of which might compare to Edison's innovations with lighting systems or Tesla's research with designing alternating current.

Harischandrachi Factory was the first (silent) movie that Phalke created, directed and released to audiences in India in 1913.  The DVD I (finally) watched with the same name (gifted by a cousin a while ago) is a biopic showcasing the tireless efforts Phalke undertook to bring cinema to the Indian masses and create a new industry for India that has today established itself as a billion dollar operation.

Coincidentally I watched this film, a children's film or what might be labeled 'for General Audiences', if it had a rating, the same day that Obama spoke to a bunch of global entrepreneurs about innovation at the Global Entrepreneur Summit held at Stanford University in Silicon Valley.

While the film could be faulted for being childishly simple, may be intentional to keep the aura of the era in which this effort by Phalke was undertaken and to appeal to younger audiences.  Yet it conveys the sense of wonderment and zeal that he inspired among others in order to pursue what seemed insurmountable.  In the face of criticism from neighbors and friends alike, with trauma to his health and his family and literally selling all material belongings his single minded pursuit, it is everything a modern day Silicon Valley start up would embody.

A trip to England with no one to guide him but with a clear vision of finding out how to make film, being bold without prejudice, and at home breaking social stigma and barriers that he did not comprehend (the scene about a guy playing a woman by shaving off his mustache is poignant) Phalke certainly was one of a kind.

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