A visionary filmmaker: Baburao Painter

Baburao Painter ( Baburao Krishnarao Mestry) , the founder of the Maharashtra Film Company, was a native of Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He taught himself to paint and derives its name "Painter". (hence the name) and sculpt in academic art school style.Baburao was one of the leading stage painter for theatres in Western India during the period of 1910 and 1916. Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra (1913) had triggered off great enthusiasm among many aspiring filmmakers. Among them was a young man, Baburao Painter.

Baburao decided to make his own film camera with a second-hand projector. His cousin, Anandrao, and his disciple, V G Damle, helped him make the camera in 1918.

 Maharashtra Film Company 

 He went on to start the Maharashtra Film Company (MFC) in 1918 to exhibit international silent films.

[With the blessings of the Maharaja of Kolhapur, Baburao Painter established the Maharashtra Film Co. and released the first notable historical film, Sairandhari (1920), starring Balasheb Pawar, Kamala Devi, and Zunzarrao Pawar.] His maiden film Sairandhri (1920) [based on the mythological epic, Mahabharata. ] marked the entry of women actors in Indian cinema. Baburao was a man of many talents. The critical acclaim and the effect this film had on people, motivated Baburao to make more films. 

His filmography boasts of 18 silent films and nine talkies.He depicted realism and societal issues.

Painter's approaches were innovative in Indian cinema at the time; his sets were multi-dimensional rather than flat 2D backgrounds. His tactics for publicizing a picture were unprecedented; he was the first to design a program booklet that detailed the film's details. He was the first Indian to paint a poster for Vatsala Haran, which he did in 1920.By 1921, he was the first to use artificial lights (created by the illumination of gunpowder explosion) Sinhagad (1921).This was not the first time Baburao broke away from the conventional norms of cinema and made his own rules in the silent era.

The film won a medal at the Wembley Exhibition, London, next year.

An accomplished painter, he created innovative and attractive film publicity material, preferring to sketch the look of his sets, character and costumes. Some of the films produced by MFC include Nisha Sundari (1929), Savkari Pash, Kalyan Khajina (1924) and Sati Padmini. Out of the 18 silent films and nine talkies that Painter made, surprisingly, only five — three talkies — Pratibha (1937), Lokshahir Ram Joshi and Matwala Shahir (1947), and two silent films — Murliwala (1927) and Sati Savitri (1927) are available today at the National Film Archives of India, Pune. Savkari Pash (1925) that exposed the plight of poor farmers reeling under debt.

The advent of sound in 1931 did not excite Painter. However, after a few more silent films, the Maharashtra Film Company pulled down its shutters with the advent of sound. Baburao was not particularly keen on the talkies for he believed that they would destroy the visual culture so painfully evolved over the years.

Painter returned to filmmaking for sporadic ventures like remaking Savkari Pash in sound in 1936, Pratibha(1937), a bi-lingual in Hindi and Marathi, which nicely show Painter’s control over big sets, lighting and crowd scenes and Lokshahir Ramjoshi/Matwala Shayar Ramjoshi (1947), specially on Shantaram’s invitation.

Baburao was a person who never demanded any attention. All through his life, his primary focus was to spread awareness about social issues through his entertaining films.

 Baburao Painter died on January 16, 1954, in Kolhapur. The Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter Award, which honors extraordinary filmmakers for their contributions to the industry, was named after him by the Kolhapur International Film Festival (KIFF).

Baji Prabhu Deshpande  1929

 Bhagwata Bhakta Damaji  1922

 Bhakta Prahlad  1926

 Gaja Gauri  1926

 Kalyan Khajina  1924

 Keechaka Vadha  1928

 Lanka  1930

 Prem Sangam  1932

 Rana Hamir  1925

 Sati Padmini  1924

 Savkari Pash  1925

 Shahala Shah  1925

 Shri Krishna Avatar  1923

 Sinhagad  1923

Sairandhri  1920