V. Shantaram – The Legend
On the 107th birth anniversary of the renowned film maker V. Shantaram, Punekar.in pays tribute to the legend by taking a short journey through his life’s events and achievements.
V. Shantaram was born in Kolhapur as Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram. As a teenager he worked in the railways and started his career in the theatre as a curtain puller with the Gandharva Natak Mandali. He later joined Baburao Painter`s Maharashtra Film Company and learnt the intricacies of film-making from Painter, growing up to debut as an actor in the silent film, Surekha Haran in 1921 and eventually directing his first film, Netaji Palkar, in 1927. Thus began the journey of one of the greatest directors Indian cinema has ever seen. He has to his credit films like Do Aankhen Baara Haath, Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje, Geet Gaya Patharon Ne, Pinjra and Navrang, to name but a few.
The fact that people from my generation have not only heard of V Shantaram but have also seen at least one of his films goes to show that he is a legend in the true sense of the word. He is one of the few reasons that the youth of today turn to black and white cinema to see examples of fine film making.
He was one of the earliest filmmakers to realise the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change. He used it successfully to advocate humanism on the one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other, in films like Aadmi, Padosi and Sakhu. It is also worth a mention that these films were released in both Hindi and Marathi.
Shantaram also has many firsts to his credit. These include the first children’s film in India, Ranisaheba, in 1930; the first use of a camera trolley in 1931 for the silent film Chandrasena; the first Marathi talkie Ayodhyecha Raja in 1933; the first colour film Sairendhri in 1933; the first production of gramophone records from the original sound track in 1934; the first use of a telephoto lens for Amrit Manthan in 1935; the first animation film Jambukaka in 1936; and the first utilisation of back-projection for Amar Jyoti in 1937.
He was the founder Rajkamal Studios in Bombay and one of the founders of the Prabhat Talkies, which was founded in Kolhapur and later moved to Pune. He is also the proud winner of two of the most respected awards in India: the Dadasaheb Phalke Puraskar and the Padma Vibhushan. An award in his honour, called the ‘V. Shantaram Award’, was constituted by the Central Government and the Maharashtra State Government and the V. Shantaram Motion Picture Scientific Research and Cultural Foundation, which was established in 1993, shortly after his death. The ‘V. Shantaram Award’, offers various awards to film makers. The award is presented on 18th November each year being Shantaram’s birth anniversary. Last year’s winner was Shah Rukh Khan, for his role in Chak De India.
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Good article…Though you have only provided a fleeting reference to ‘Prabhat Studio’ and his/Prabhat’s pioneering role in Indian cinema.