Ist Indian Cinema on 3rd May 1913

Publicity Poster Of Film in 1913

Ist Indian Cinema on 3rd May 1913

Indian Cinema 

Raja Harishchandra

First Indian Film Raja Harishchandra was released on 3rd May 1913 it was first time shown in public in Bombay's Coronation Cinema at Girgaon, The film was Produced and Directed by Dada Saheb Phalke. The Film was inspired by Raja Ravi Varma's painting. Although this film was premiered on 21 April 1913 at the Olympia Theatre in Grant Road for a selective audience.

Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, a Marathi stage actor played the lead role of Raja Harischandra. The female role of Taramati, Harischandra's wife was  played by a male actor Anna Salunke and Phalke's son Bhalachandra D. Phalke was played the role of Rohtash, son of Harischandra. G.V. Sane played the role of Sage Vishwamitra.


The story was an adaptation from the Hindu mythology and was scripted by Ranchhodbai Udayram and Dada Saheb Phalke.

Scene from the Film

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke's first film had full film length of 3700 ft (in four reels) about 50 minutes of running time, and it took seven months 21 days to complete the film.
The film "Shree Pundalik" which was released on 18th May 1912, but it cant be considered as the Indian film. The clarification is as:

Dadasaheb Phalke's film Raja Harischandra is the Ist Indian film. First  film by Dadasaheb Torne "Shree Pundalik" was released on 18 May 1912 in Mumbai, one year before Phalke's film. However, Shree Pundalik is a cinematographic recording of play, using a single, fixed camera by a British cameraman and the film stock was processed in London.

Scene from the Film