Compiling fragments of Phalke life
As we are all aware that Indian cinema recently completed a century. With the many celebrations to mark this event, another one adds to the list which is in the shape of literature. National Film Development Corporation has earmarked the 100 years of cinema by co-sponsoring the publication of the iconic book, A Journey: Tracing Phalke, The Man And His Times (1870 to 1944), compiled by filmmaker Kamal Swaroop, which is an eponymous compilation tracing Dadasaheb Phalke’s life span with rare details on his schooling, places he visited, people he met — all giving an insight into the artistic mind of the imaginative genius that Phalke was.
This limited edition book has been put together as a text based visual treat that brings forth various untouched facets of Dadasaheb, also called The Father of Indian Cinema, as well as the milieu around those years. The compilation by Kamal started back in the pre-internet age. Kamal says, “While researching Phalke, we hear of a missing autobiography which he wrote and had dictated it to his wife, Saraswati and daughter Mandakini, where he spoke about his dreams, fantasies and innovations of those times. I wanted to reconstruct that missing book. A pair of scissors and a bottle of glue always with me, I went looking for images to put on my typed pages. I collected fragments by making photocopies from libraries or by mining art catalogues.” This book is a piece of art, whimsical in a beautiful way, tracing the footsteps of a legend and trying to bring his experiences to life again. This one’s definitely for the collectors.
*To book a copy of this limited edition book, email at [email protected]