Story First posted on TimesofIndia.com
Pundalik was a silent film without dialogue. Torne and his colleagues Nanasaheb Chitre and Ramrao Kirtikar wrote the shooting script.
Shree Pundalik was sent overseas for processing by Dadasaheb Torne. Torne's Pundalik was about 1,500 feet or about 22 minutes long. The film had a shooting script, was shot with a camera, and its negatives were sent to London for processing. Positives were produced and finally released at Coronation Cinematograph, Girgaum. The film ran for two weeks.
Shripad Natak Mandali's play Pundlik was very popular in those days, so my father approached the actors. He bought a Williamson camera from Kolkata-based Bourne and Shepherd Company for Rs 1,000.
The play was shot in Mumbai at Lamington, Tribhuvan and Vitthalbhai Patel roads. The story was conveyed through gestures and subtitles. By this time, my father had exhausted all his money. He again approached Bourne and Shepherd company which agreed to process the film in exchange for the Williamson camera. The film was shipped to London where a negative and positive were developed and the positive was sent back to my father for screening.
Born on April 13, 1890 at Sukalwad in Malvan taluka of Sindudurg district, Torne lost his father when he was three years old. His mother Radhabai brought him up. Due to financial difficulties he could not get higher education. Torne got interested in films after he began distributing English films in India.
In 1912, Torne thought of making a mythological film, taking inspiration from similar genre of films made in Hollywood. He contacted his friend in Hollywood Charles Glouner to find how a film was made.Since there were no dialogues in the film, Torne and his colleagues Nanasaheb Chitre and one Kirtikar wrote the "shooting script".
Torne was proficient in editing and sound recording. He also was the producer, director, story writer, editor and sound recordist for many of his films.
He gave artistes like Rose, Shahu Modak, Dada Salvi, Jayashri Shantaram, Dinkar Kamanna Dhere and Ratnamala (Kamal Desai) their first break in movies.
Financial troubles forced Torne to sell his film company to W Z Ahmed in 1944, who shut it down and went to Pakistan after Partition. Torne died on January 19, 1960 in Pune.
About a year before Dadasaheb Phalke's 'Raja Harishchandra' was screened at Mumbai's Olympia Theatre, another man equally passionate about movies, made a film and released it.
Puneite Ramchandra Gopal alias Dadasaheb Torne made 'Pundlik' which was screened on May 18, 1912 at Coronation Cinematograph, in Mumbai.
Yet Raja Harishchandra is recognised as the first full length, fully indigenous, Indian feature film. Torne's film was not accorded the status over a technicality, and its maker has remained an unsung hero in the history of Indian cinema.
Story posted on TimesofIndia.com
