The making of SHANTARAM

Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre, born in 1901, was the product of his time and milieu. Cinema was still in its infancy, regarded no more than a novelty, a passing craze. Any possibility of it developing into a serious art form seemed remote. Shantaram grew up with the medium to see it become the 20th century,s most potent art form.

Much of Shantaram,s education was in the university of life, moving from job to job. He worked in a railway workshop, then became a sign painter, a photographer,s assistant and finally an usher in a cinema hall in Kolhapur.

Movies had developed with lightning speed and whatever was shown, Shantaram watched avidly. Most of all he enjoyed watching D.G. Phalke,s films. In 1920 when Baburao Painter set up his Maharasthra Film Company, Shantaram took the first opportunity to join him as an apprentice. And caught the attention of Baburao and was cast in the role of Krishna in Surekha Haran (1921), till Baburao asked him to direct Netaji Palkar (1927).

In 1929 Shantaram formed Prabhat Film Company in Kolhapur and it,s first success was Gopal Krishna (1929). In quick succession five more silent films followd, Khooni Khanjar (1930), Rani Chandrasena (1931) and Zulum (1931). His films were marked by an inventiveness of visuals and camera movements. He was just as concerned about their social imports, even though the subjects he chose were either mythological or quasi-historical.

With the advent of sound, Shantaram did not rush into production to cash in on the new novelty. He reflected, "My first reaction to talkies was rather one of diffidence. I felt that they were just stage-plays". In 1932 he made his first sound film, Ayodhya Ka Raja. For colour processing he traveled to Berlin at the peak of Hitler,s popularity and got fully cognizant of the power of film as propaganda. What particularly impressed him was the technical virtuosity of the German cinema, evident in Lang, Lubitsch and Ophuls.

On his return made Amrit Manthan (1934), reminiscent of Luis Buñuel in Un Chien Andalou. Dharmatma (1935), social reform versus orthodoxy, clearly taken from Gandhi,s crusade. Shantaram seemed particularly concerned about the condition of women in Indian society, Amar Jyoti (1936), Duniya Na Mane (1937), Admi, the story about a prostitute, (1939) and his last film at Prabhat Films was Padosi (1941), about communal tension between Hindus and Muslims.

After his departure from Prabhat Films became producer at Film Advisory Board helping the government of India in its war propaganda, but stayed less than a year and joined Wadia Movietone where he directed Shakuntala (1943). The striking success of this film, which ran for 104 weeks in Bombay, permitted the impressive anti-Japanese "war effort" film, Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946).

The times had by now changed and so had audience tastes. There were also market compulsions and he had to make certain compromises. However he remained till the end a socially committed and self-sacrificing artist. One cannot resist the temptation of comparing him with Frank Capra whom he had admired. Both were about the same age and had struggled for survival to see their name above the title. Both believed in the final triumph of the human spirit.


B. D. GARGA