SCENE 32 / IN / CAR EN ROUTE TO PRESS / LONAVALA / DAY / 1900
A young Parsi painter, Fatima, is driving 60-year old Ravi Verma to the printing press.
He looks old and tired. He turns to the window and sees verdant rice fields in a sea of
water.
Everywhere, men are carrying enormous tablets of stone to the press, bent over by the
weight of their load.
They greet Ravi Verma as he drives by.
FATIMA
Can I ask you something? How many new paintings have you finished here?
RAVI
You can see how the responsibilities of the press eat into my time. I’m always on the
road, traveling to my clients.
A hunting of three Germans is returning home on horseback with guns slung over their
backs.
They make way for the car and noticing Ravi Verma, raise their caps to him.
He waves, and they drive away.
FATIMA
Are you a painter or a printer?
RAVI
Why, my paintings, which were once confined to the palaces of kings, are now spreading
throughout the land like a thought.
FATIMA (sarcastically)
But without a perspective...
SCENE 33 / IN / EX / RAVI VERMA PRESS / LONAVALA / DAY / 1900
The printing press is filled with activity.
Phalke and Sleischer, the German technician, are attending to a technical problem in the
courtyard.
A group of villagers are collecting a lithograph stone of a rooster that represents the deity
of their community, whom they call Murgi Mata, with fanfare, and devotional songs.
The clashing of cymbals increase in volume as the stone is lifted with much ceremony
onto the head of one man.
Singing and dancing, the group turns and begins to make its way out of the press.
Phalke and the workers look on with amusement.
At this moment, Fatima drives into the compound and stops the car.
Ravi Verma gets out, looking at the group with some confusion.
As Fatima shuts her door, the German technicians on horseback return and dismount.
The workers of the press run to the men and collect the day’s hunt – a deer, and wild
fowl.
Singing and dancing, the group of villager carries the lithograph stone out of the press
and wanders off into the distance
Ravi Verma turns to Phalke.
RAVI VERMA
Why are they taking away our lithograph stone of the Pathe company logo and where are
they going?
PHALKE (amused)
Apparently they think it’s a representation of their deity, so whenever they see a Pathe
litho stone or any other image of their logo, they take it back to their village...
Ravi Verma and Phalke go in to the tri-color printing machine, followed by Fatima,
Sleischer and the other Germans.
A press powered by steam is churning out print after print of Gangavataran, the descent
of the river into Shiva’s locks.
FATIMA (pointing to Ganga)
Who’s this girl?
Nobody responds. Ravi Verma turns to Phalke, who is coloring the litho stone.
RAVI VERMA
So, Mr. Phalke, Mr. Sleischer – how’s it going? The prints are looking good.
PHALKE
You showed us how to do it, sir. You are the painter, but to etch these delicate emotions
on stone, that too as a negative, you become like lord Rama, who freed Ahalya from her
cursed prison of stone and brought her back to life with the touch of his toe.
RAVI (laughs)
Nice simile.
SCENE 34 / IN / RAVI VARMA’S COTTAGE / PRINTING PRESS / LONAVALA /
DAY
A party is in progress.
In the center of the room, a beautiful young nautch girl is enthralling the audience with
her semi-classical song and dance.
Ravi Verma turns to Sleischer, who is sitting by his side.
RAVI
I’ve decided to sell the press.
He looks at Fatima who is watching the dancing girl. At Ravi Verma’s words, she turns
to him in pleased surprise.
SLASHER
Has there been a mistake on my part?
RAVI VERMA
No, in fact, the press is doing very well.
FATIMA
So then, why?
RAVI VERMA
I can’t cope with all the travel and hurry any more. I’m sorry to sell it, but we have to one
day be able to give our daughters away.
SLEISCHER
Who says that business is like one’s daughter, to be given away? It could be like a son
who becomes an inheritor, instead
RAVI VERMA
It happens. You want to buy it?
SLEISCHER
How will I be able to afford it?
RAVI VERMA
I’m asking as your friend
SLEISCHER
As a foreigner, nobody will loan me the money, and all my savings total only 25,000
rupees
RAVI VERMA
I accept the offer
SLEISCHER
And what will I print?
RAVI VERMA
I give you the right to print my pictures. After all, where will I find such an appreciative
client as yourself?
Smiling in amusement, Fatima turns back to the dancing girl.
Phalke, Ravi Verma and Sleischer all exchange looks of relief.
Phalke turns back to a sketch book in which he has been drawing the dancing girl, and
picks up his last sketch where he left off.
The music comes to an end. The nautch girl bows gracefully to the guests.
Phalke puts the final touch to his drawing and flips the pages of the book to examine his
work. The images fuse into a single movement, and the girl’s dance comes to life once
more.
SCENE 35 / IN / RAVI VARMA PRINTING STUDIO / LONAVALA / DAY
Ravi Verma is watching Phalke take out prints of Raja Harishchandra.
RAVI VARMA
The best part of this story is that all the king’s trials were an illusion woven around him
to test him.
Then he sees Seth Mavji coming, and welcomes him
RAVI VARMA
This boy will be very famous one day, this Phalke. He is helping us with his formal
knowledge of industrial design. I’ve known him since he was studying at the JJ College
in Bombay and at Kala Bhavan in Baroda. It’s our loss that we had no such facilities in
my time except, perhaps, my uncle, Raja Raja Varma.
But tell me, what brings you here?
SETH MAVJI
Is it true that you’ve sold the printing press?
RAVI VARMA
Yes, it’s true
MAVJI
You could have consulted me first.
RAVI VARMA
In the heat of the moment, I promised it to someone
MAVJI
Have you signed the agreement?
RAVI VARMA
We will, soon
MAVJI
Please don’t go through with this offer, I’ll buy it from you
RAVI VARMA
He’s already paid me. Besides, when you dissolved our partnership, you asked me to
repay you at my convenience.
MAVJI
And the paintings?
RAVI VARMA
Now they belong to him.
He turns back to his work and puts the finishing touches of crayon onto a litho stone of
Shakuntala in the hermitage, her face averted, plucking a thorn from her foot.
SCENE 36 / IN/EX / PHALKE’S PRINTING PRESS/HOME / LONAVALA / DAY
A baby plays in his mother’s lap, chuckling with glee.
16-year old Saraswati, Phalke’s second wife, looks up from 6-month old Babarai to her
husband.
Phalke is standing at a pedestal with a large lump of clay that he is shaping into his own
likeness, glancing into a mirror by his side for reference.
In the back, he can see Seth Mavji, and his family.
The Seth addresses Phalke.
SETH MAVJI
Now that Ravi Varma has sold the press, do you still hope to get as much work from
Sleischer?
PHALKE
I don’t know, but I have no option but to stay here if I wish to gain more experience,
since they’re the only ones with the technology and know-how that I’m looking for.
SETH MAVJI
What if I sent you to Germany to learn? When you return, we can start a press in
Bombay.
The Seth tries to gauge Phalke’s mind.
SETH MAVJI
We would be partners, I would provide the finance, and you will provide the know-how. I
know you’re a talented man.
Phalke looks contemplatively at his wife and child in the mirror, wondering if they can
spare him for so long.
