Three Classic Silent Era Indian Films DVDRip x264 AAC Phantom

On the 100th Year of Indian Cinema, the National Film Archives of India released three of the greatest films ever made in the silent era.

Raja Harishchandra (1913) - Dadasaheb Phalke

Raja Harishchandra is the first feature film to be ever made in India (Although technically, Pundalik, a filming of a stage play by Dadasaheb Torne, had been released one year earlier. Phalke himself had made 5 short films before he made Raja Harishchandra.). It was inspired by a western film called A life of Jesus, and also by the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma, with whom Dadasaheb Phalke had once worked. You can see the influence of Raja Ravi Verma in thesets, which look like his paintings. Interestingly, the female parts are all played by men as Dadasaheb found it impossible to get women actors. The young Rohitaswa is played by Phalke's son. I am not sure if this is the complete film as I had read somewhere that out of the four reels, only the first and the last was available with NFAI. However, going through the film, there does not appear to be a break in the narrative.
The film opens with a Ravi Varma like tableau showing King Harishchandra, his wife Taramati and his young son. The king is teaching his son archery. They go on a hunt. The king enters an area controlled by the Sage Vishwamitra. Three furies appear before the king caught in flames. The king tries to rescue them. These fairies try to seduce the king into renouncing his kingdom for his love of truth. The king endures much hardship including being banished from his kingdom before a god appears to reassure everyone that the whole narrative was merely a test of the king's integrity
 
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Raja Harishchandra: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0003311/


Kaliya Mardan (1919) - Dadasaheb Phalke

Kaliya Mardan also by Dadasaheb Phalke is the second film in this collection. In its time it was a very long film, all of 40 minutes. Although made just 6 years after Raja Harishchandra, you can already see how much Dadasaheb Phalke was becoming the master of his art. Sadly, this was one of the last of Phalke's films before his first retirement in 1920. He returned a few years later to make a few more films, but by 1937, with the advent of talkies, Dadasaheb had already become an icon of the past. Kaliya Mardan saw his young daughter play the part of Krishna. Phalke spends a considerable time just capturing her emotions on screen. It was a doting father filming his favourite child. Fotunately, this film is completely preserved.
In this film, the playmates of Krishna are insulted by a female villager who splashes water on them. They take revenge by stealing butter from her house. When they are beaten up by the woman, they again take revenge with the aid of Krishna. He receives a gift of fruit for his help but gives it away. Krishna then enters the room of a wealthy merchant and his wife at night and ties the man's beard to his wife's hair. These exploits lead to a large crowd complaining of Krishna's antics to his foster parents.
 
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Kaliya Mardan: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253174/


Jamai Babu (1931) - Kalipada Dass

Jamai Babu is a different kind of film altogether. Made in 1931, it is the only surviving Bengali Silent film. It was also one of the last ones as the talkies took over. You can see the difference in the story itself. This is not a mythological. Instead it is a satire and a comedy. Even the filming is different. The outdoor shots are in natural setings and the use of monuments like the Victoria Memorial is also very different from Phalke's work.
This comedy has a country bumpkin hero Gobardhan visiting his parents-in-law in Calcutta. Mistaking a 'No Nuisance' sign for an address, he gets lost trying to find his friend Amal's room. His subsequent adventures take him to famous locations including Howrah Bridge, the Victoria Memorial and the Maidan. Gobardhan eventually finds his in-laws, feigns illness to prolong his stay, is beaten up when he tries to sneak into his wife's room and gets mistaken for a thief.
 
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Jamai Babu: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258690/


All credits to [email protected] for the rip-n-share

Extreme seeding....