Shree Pundalik

Shree Pundalik, which was released onMay 1912 at the Coronation Cinematograph, Girgaum, Mumbai, is recognised as the first featurelength Indian film. Shree Pundalik was produced and directed by Dadasaheb Torne alias Rama Chandra Gopal.

Shree Pundalik was sent overseas for processing by Dadasaheb Torne. Tornes Pundalik was about 1,500 feet or aboutminutes 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.Some have argued that Pundalik does not deserve the honour of being called the first Indian film because it was a photographic recording of a popular Marathi play, and because the cameramana man named Johnsonwas a British national and the film was processed in London. Detractors argue that Dadasaheb Phalkes Raja Harishchandra, which was released nearly a year later, is more deserving of the title of the first Indian film. However, other writers, film critics and historians like Firoze Rangoonwalla, Arnab Jan Deka, Patrick Robertson, Sanjit Narwekar have argued that Dadasaheb Torne was indeed the father of Indian cinema, as his first directed and produced feature film Pundalik was officially released onMay 1912, almost one year before Phalkes Raja Harischandra, released onMay 1913. Arnab Jan Deka published a research paper with the title Bharatiya Chalachitrar Janak Bhatawdekar aru Torne Fathers of Indian Cinema Bhatawdekar and Torne in the daily newspaper Dainik Asam onOctober 1996. Books on cinema like Guinness Book of Movie Facts amp Feats, A Pictorial History of Indian Cinema and Marathi Cinema In Perspective support the evidence produced by Arnab Jan Deka in his research paper. ........

Source: Wikipedia