Bollywood

India’s First Mute Film ‘Kaliya Mardan’ By Dada Saheb Phalke Will Be Shown At IFFI, Goa, Deets Inside

By Gunjan Chaudhary

November 20, 2024

The 55th International Film Festival of India is going to be spectacular this time for all the fans of Indian Cinema. Let us tell you that the film festival is held every year in Goa. And this time, the film festival is going to be more fun because Dadasaheb Phalke’s silent film ‘Kaliya Mardan’ will be shown with a live orchestra at ‘IFFI’ this year. Since the announcement of the presentation of this film, Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, grandson of Dadasaheb Phalke, has expressed his happiness over this.

Kaliya Mardan

Expressing his happiness for this honor, Chandrashekhar Pusalkar, grandson of Dadasaheb Phalke, said, “I am happy that this film is being shown internationally. I am thankful to the government for this recognition of the film and my grandfather’s efforts. This is one of Dadasaheb’s most memorable films and it ran for the longest time, which lasted for five years. The highlight of the film was the beautiful acting of his five-year-old daughter Mandakini and some great trick photography done by Phalke.”

Kaliya Mardan

Let us tell you that the 1919 film Kaliya Mardan has been restored in 4K using 35mm duplicate negatives preserved by the National Film Archive of India. The original nitrate elements no longer exist in Indian industry. The restoration process involved meticulous efforts to digitally clean and stabilize the surviving footage while maintaining the historical authenticity of the film. This restoration makes Kaliya Mardan one of the first silent Indian films to undergo 4K restoration under the National Film Heritage Mission, setting an important benchmark for preserving early Indian cinema.

Kaliya Mardan

Directed by Dadasaheb Phalke, Kaliya Mardan is a significant contribution to the history of Indian cinema. Dadasaheb Phalke, known as the father of Indian cinema, created this silent film inspired by Indian mythology, showcasing his storytelling talent and technical prowess. The film depicts the story of Lord Krishna’s childhood adventures where he tames the serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna river, a tale beloved across India.