Director: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke; Writer: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke; Producer: Dhundiraj Govind Phalke; Cinematographer: Trymbak B. Telang; Cast: Anna Salunke, Ganpat Shinde, D.D. Dabke
Duration: 00:05:15; Aspect Ratio: 1.265:1; Hue: 268.930; Saturation: 0.008; Lightness: 0.249; Volume: 0.040; Cuts per Minute: 19.188
Summary: Phalke Films' last production is a mythological retelling of the familiar Ramayana story of Rama's (Salunke) wife Seeta being abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, and Rama's triumph with the aid of men and monkeys. The available footage of the film, 501 ft, offers sophisticated parallel cutting between three spaces: the tulasi platform where Seeta is held captive in Lanka, the villain, Ravana, coming to molest her and the brave Hanuman (Shinde) atop a tree witnessing the tragic scene below. Instead of editing according to a temporal narrative logic, Phalke uses a spatial logic: Seeta's space is physically and emotionally isolated, conveyed in foreground/background contrasts. Ravana moves towards her in two daring long shots, from right background to left foreground, first across his palace garden and along his pool (locating his characters in the way stage backdrops in Marathi theatre functioned), then through two elaborate circular movements as he jettisons his royalty and moves into the no-man's-land around Seeta, with Hanuman performing an athletic dance in rage and grief at the villain's progress. The film proved a success after opening at the West End, Bombay and Aryan cinema, Pune.
Suresh Chabria writes: ‘A lively re-telling of an episode from the great epic Ramayana, Lanka Dahan is about the gentle Sita’s abduction and incarceration by the arrogant demon- king Ravana, and the ultimate triumph of her husband Rama (the God Vishnu in one of his avatars) with the help of an army of men and monkeys.
In the extant fragment Hanuman, the monkey god, arrives in Lanka to witness Sita being tormented by Ravana and his demonic female attendants. Finding her to be a virtuous and loyal wife he delivers Rama’s ring to her—a token of his vow to rescue her. At this point, for a fleeting instant she envisions Rama in front of her. In an extraordinary piece of casting, Rama is also played by Anna Salunke which makes this the first instance of a double role in Indian cinema.
In contrast to the more static tableau-dominated Raja Harishchandra, Phalke varies his camera set-ups, adroitly cuts between the diðerent spaces in Ravana’s garden and elicits theatrically inspired but more convincing performances from the actors.
The film was a huge success and is often referred to as India’s first big box- oðce hit. Phalke could now command additional finance and facilities to make more ambitious films under his new production company and studio, Hindustan Cinema Film Co.’. From Suresh Chabria ed. Light of Asia: Indian Silent Cinema 1912-1934, New Delhi: Niyogi Books/Pune: National Film Archive of India, 2013, pg 57-58.
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