1891-

As always, a train in motion.

Phalke alights at Ratlam station, asking for the address of the Sessions judge, T.Baburao Walwalkar.

He finds the house, and produces a letter of introduction from Prof. Gujjar.

Phalke's credentials impress the judge. He takes him to Panchmahal who is about to publish a book on his musical notations, and has set up a private press.

Phalke is asked to design the book cover.

Panchmahal is a district ruled by several tribal kingdoms.

Phalke comes across the local music of the tribals who, in fact, are conspiring against the British.

He photographs them and shows the photographs to the king. The king forbids Phalke to dabble in politics.

He learns the mysteries of half-tone photo-litho 3-colour printing and ceramic photography from T. Baburao Walwalkar.

A dream

Phalke has not forgotten Bombay. A news item from 1891 is alchemised in his dream.

It is the inaugration of the Rajabai Tower.

Phalke chases two girls up the stairs of the clock tower.

At the chime of the clock, the two girls leap off the top.

They are dead before they hit the ground.

He runs down to inspect the bodies. In the dream, they are not dead.

"One plus one makes null(Nala)", they whisper. "Now go home. It was just a dream".

When he wakes from the nightmare at the tea table, the judge reads from the newspaper at the Rajabai Tower where two girls jumped and killed themselves.

At home in his room, Dadasaheb finds a letter waiting for him.

It says that his wife Kamala has delivered a baby girl, and that he must return to Nasik, to Trymbakeshwar...

Now Phalke is on the banks of the Godavari, but he cannot get across because the boatmen are on strike.

He finds that some of the wrestlers are willing to take people across, for a price.

He crosses the waters on the shoulder of a wrestler who happens to know his father well.

As he nears his house, he hears the cries of his child.

At home, he is made welcome.

He tries to take a photograph of his wife and child, but she is reluctant.

In the photograph, we see a baby growing up.

It is time for Phalke to go back to Kala Bhuvan and get his new job. The letters from Prof. Gujjar are piling up.

This time, they do not have to cross the Godavari on the shoulders of wrestlers, for a bridge has been built.

The family comes to the bridge to see them off. They take off their shoes and cross the bridge.

Once again, they are in the train from Nasik to Bombay.

Phalke sees once again the same landscape where he had seen the huge camera capturing the length of the train.

They get off at V.T., but the figures of the gargoyles no longer seem alive.

They hail a Victoria and Phalek arrives at his uncle's home, a babe in his arms. They are happy to see him.

Phalke wants to show his baby the first balloon flight in Bombay. They go to the parade ground where the preperations for the flight are being made.

Amidst the chanting of the priest, the sacrifice of the buffalo and the cacophony of the brass band, the balloon lifts off with Ramachandra Chatterjee inside.

The balloonist plays monkey tricks in mid-air, unable to control his excitement.

Phalke shows off to his young wife, shooting the balloon in the sky.