Harishchandrachi factory (2010)

In the midst of the Sena-MNS Marathi drama, director Paresh Mokashi's Academy nominated film 'Harishchandrachi Factory' was a breather in apt sense.

Based on the making of the first Indian film 'Raja Harishchandra' by the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke referred as the Father of Indian cinema, the film explicitly brings out the passion of the man who pioneered the art of motion pictures in India.

Right from the start, the script gels well with the period of early 20th century India with the portrayal of a maverick man Dadasaheb Phalke jumping from one business to another, finally setting up one of the largest industry of films in the nation with his sole passion of making motion pictures.

The lead actor Nandu Madhav who plays the character of Phalke, aptly brings out the passion of the legend in true sense with his dialogue delivery and performance. He epitomises Dadasaheb Phalke on the screen with his sincere act. The sheer modesty and learning appetite of Dadasaheb was portrayed amazingly with the fine nuances with his commendable act. The immediate Phalke kutumb - his wife Saraswati (Vibhavari Deshpande), his elder son Babarai (Ambarish Deshpannde) and younger son (Mohit Gokhale) has justified the eventful era with equal grace. The rest of the crew consists of numerous Marathi stage actors along with the foreign artists who play their parts with great consistency. The depiction of the age of industrial revolution was displayed in glimpses with the excellent portrayals of the Mumbai trams, tent theatres and various modes of entertainment for young and the adults alike.

All in all, portraying a legend in a mere span of 96 minutes which is actually a tough job is presented like a hilarious and pleasant ride. The climax grasps the audience with sheer pride for the man who enlightened the screen with his photogenic ideology. At the end of the movie, there was just one emotion I felt - to give a standing ovation to the Man who pioneered the Indian film industry and to whom we owe the magic called Cinema decked up with his utter dedication and vision.