Baburao Krishnarao Mestry, popularly known as Baburao Painter (3 June 1890 – 16 January 1954) was an Indian
filmmaker
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
and artist.
He was a man of many talents with proficiency in
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
,
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, film production,
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...
, and
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
.
Early life
Baburao was born in a simple family on 3 June 1890 in
Kolhapur
Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'.
Kolhapur is kn ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. He had only studied till class four or five in a
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people
*Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece
See also
*
* ...
medium school. His father Krishnarao Mestry was a
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
and
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...
by profession, but he also excelled in painting, stone and marble sculpting along with ivory carving. Baburao inherited art from his father and learned the basics of the same from him. He also taught himself to paint and sculpt in
academic art
Academic art, or academicism or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie d ...
school style. In the company of his cousin brother Anandrao, he also became fascinated with oil painting, photography and film making.
Stage backdrop artist
Noted theatre artist Keshavrao Bhosale, the owner of ''Lalit Kaladarsh Natak Mandali'' (theater troupe), hailed from Kolhapur. In 1909, he invited the brothers to
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
to paint the stage backdrops for the plays.
Between 1910 and 1916, they painted numerous backdrops for
Sangeet Natak
''Sangeet Natak'' in Marathi language literally means Musical Drama. As the name suggests, this form of drama combines prose as well as poetry in form of songs to convey the story. In a manner, they are very much similar to Musicals. ''Sangeet ...
troupes like ''Kirloskar Natak Mandali'', plays of
Bal Gandharva
Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on ...
and Gujarati
Parsi theatre
Parsi theatre is a generic term for an influential theatre tradition, staged by Parsis, and theatre companies largely-owned by the Parsi business community, which flourished between 1850 and 1930s. Plays were primarily in the Hindustani language ( ...
s. The realistic stage setting and perspective-style curtains that they painted brought them immense popularity and they emerged as leading painters of stage backdrops in
Western India
Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union te ...
. For their incredible work, they were addressed with the moniker ''painter'' and subsequently came to be known as Baburao Painter and Anandrao Painter.
Indigenous camera
While in Mumbai, the brothers became avid film goers after watching ''
Raja Harishchandra
''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhalc ...
'' (1913), directed by
Dadasaheb Phalke
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of In ...
. On their way back to Kolhapur, they decided to make a silent film. Anandrao started working on his own indigenous camera for film making. They had bought a movie projector from a Mumbai
flea market
A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
and set up Shivaji Theatre, their own movie hall in Kolhapur, thinking that if they started running a cinema, they would raise money for film production. But that did not happen and the camera remained incomplete due to Anandrao's untimely demise in 1916.
Nonetheless, Baburao was determined to complete the camera. To remind him of his resolve, he kept his beard from the age of twenty three till the end of his life. Along with his disciple
V. G. Damle, Baburao required two years to build the camera by doing many experiments on a
lathe
A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...
machine. He captured local scenes with the camera, like children jumping to swim in
Rankala Lake
Rankala Lake is a freshwater lake located in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India.
History
Before the eighth century, Rankala was a stone quarry. In the 9th century, an earthquake caused immense structural damage to the quarry, causing water to accumulat ...
and women washing clothes on the banks of the
Panchganga River
The Panchganga River is one of the important rivers of India located in Maharashtra. In English, the name translates as "Five Rivers". It is a major tributary of Krishna River, with which it joins at Narsobawadi.
Origin
The Panchganga River o ...
. As there was no laboratory in Kolhapur to wash the films strips, he also created the chemistry and printing machine. When he went to the theater and saw the clips, he was overjoyed to see Anandrao's dream of making an indigenous camera come true.
Film career
Maharashtra Film Company
Baburao founded the
Maharashtra Film Company
Maharashtra Film Company was an Indian film production company, established by Baburao Painter in Kolhapur. Established in 1918, it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu M ...
in 1918, which was set up on the site of today's Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagriha (previously the Palace Theatre). V. G. Damle, S. Fatehlal, writer Nanasaheb Sarpotdar and
Baburao Pendharkar
Baburao Pendharkar (22 June 18968 November 1967), was an Indian actor, director, film producer and writer.
Personal life
Baburao Pendharkar was born on 22 June 1896 in Kolhapur in a Brahmin family. Born to Radhabai and her patron Dr Gopal Pendha ...
were with him at the time of establishment.
Later,
V. Shantaram
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...
also joined the company as an apprentice.
Initially, Painter was short on funds to produce a movie.
Shahu of Kolhapur
Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Kolhapur's Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of t ...
had helped him by providing land for the studio, an electric generator and other related facilities. Whereas, Tanibai Kagalkar, a well known singer at the time, also helped him by offering Rs.1000 for film production.
Feature films
He chose the story of ''Seeta Swayamwar'' (
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
's wedding) for his first film as
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
was a popular theme that guaranteed viewership. But he could not find female artists to act in his film as women actors were looked down upon in conservative societies like that of Kolhapur. Without any compromise, he gave up the theme and moved on to the next film.
For his next venture, Baburao managed to convince Gulab Bai (a.k.a. Kamaladevi) and Anusuya Bai (a.k.a. Sushiladevi) to act in
''Sairandhri'', making it the first Indian film to feature women artists.
It was based on the mythological tale of ''Kichak Vadh'' (Slaying of
Kichaka
In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Kichaka or Keechaka is the commander-in-chief of Matsya kingdom, the country ruled by King Virata. He was the 1st Younger Brother of Sudeshna, the queen of Virata. Kichaka was a very powerful man and had imme ...
) and got censored for its graphic depiction of
Bhima
In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The ''Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. Af ...
slaying Kichaka. The movie was released on 7 February 1920 at the Aryan theatre in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
. When
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence a ...
saw the film, he was so impressed by Baburao's work that he honored him with the title ''Cinema Kesari'' and a gold medal.
The commercial success and positive reviews that he received from critics for this film, motivated him to take on more ambitious projects.
The second silent film, ''Surekha Haran'' (1921) also benefited him financially. This was when Baburao bought the best camera of the time, manufactured by
Bell & Howell
Bell and Howell LLC is a U.S.-based services organization and former manufacturer of cameras, lenses, and motion picture machinery, founded in 1907 by two projectionists, and originally headquartered in Wheeling, Illinois. The company is now he ...
. However, while filming his third silent film ''Markandeya'', a fire broke out in the waste film stock of the company. All his film footage and the indigenous camera were gutted by fire. Only the Bell & Howell camera had survived. Sardar Nesarikar saved the studio from this crisis by providing a capital of Rs. 12,000 and thereby became a partner of the company.
![Savkari Pash (1925)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Savkari_Pash_%281925%29.jpg)
In addition to mythology, Baburao also made films like ''Sinhagad'' (1923), ''Kalyan Khajina'' (1924) and ''Sati Padmini'' (1924), which were based on historical stories.
In 1925, he released a social film ''
Savkari Pash'' (Indian Shylock) which was based on a short story by
Narayan Hari Apte
Narayan Hari Apte, popularly known as Nanasaheb Apte (11 July 1889 – 14 November 1971) was a Marathi popular novelist, writer of advice books and editor from Maharashtra, India.
Early life and education
Apte was born on 11 July 1889 in the ...
.
It showed the life of a peasant who is duped of his land by a moneylender and forced to relocate to the city in search of a job. The film drew attention to social problems and broke the norms of conventional studio film making at the time.
Despite being a great silent film, it did not do well. So Baburao returned to his mainstay, the historical and mythological stories.
Landmark firsts
Baburao had several landmarks in Indian film history, from building the first indigenous camera to casting first women in films.
He was also the first Indian filmmaker to adopt the method that
Eisenstein had described as stenographic – he sketched the costumes, characters and their movements. He changed the concept of set designing from painted curtains to solid
three-dimensional
Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informal ...
lived in spaces and introduced artificial lighting.
As early as 1921–22, he understood the importance of publicity and was the first to issue booklets with details & stills of the film.
He also painted tasteful, eye-catching
posters
A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. ...
for his films.
''Sairandhari'' (1920) was the first Indian film to face
censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
by the British Government
whereas ''Savkari Pash'' (1925) was India's first social genre film with a focus on realism.
Last films
The advent of sound in films did not excite Painter as he felt that they attacked the visual culture that had evolved over the years.
After a few more silent films, the Maharashtra Film Company pulled down its shutters in 1931. His associates V. Shantaram, V. G. Damle and S. Fatehlal had prospered under his guidance. They went on to form the
Prabhat Film Company
Prabhat Film Company (popularly known as Prabhat Films) was an Indian film production company and film studios founded in 1929 by the noted film director V.Shantaram and his friends.
It was formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towar ...
which later made several famous Marathi films.
He directed talkies like ''Usha'' (1935), ''Savkari Pash'' (1936), ''Pratibha'' (1937) and ''Rukmini Swayamwar'' (1946), but they did not gain much success. Later, he was invited by V. Shantaram to direct the film ''
Lokshahir Ram Joshi
''Lokshahir Ram Joshi'' (People's Poet Ram Joshi) also called ''Matawala Shair Ram Joshi'' in Hindi, is a 1947 Marathi language, Marathi biopic film of the poet Ram Jagannath Joshi, Ram Joshi, written by G. D. Madgulkar, directed by Baburao Paint ...
'' (1947) for Rajkamal Kalamandir, which Shantaram had to complete himself due to difficulties with Painter's working schedule. When Baburao directed the film ''Vishwamitra'' (1952) in Mumbai, it also did not fare well. Subsequently, he retired and returned to Kolhapur. He got back to painting and sculpture, his original vocation.
Select filmography
*
''Sairandhri'' (1920): An episode from the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
that dealt with the slaying of Kichaka by Bhima. It was based on the play
''Kichak Vadh'' by
K. P. Khadilkar and became the first Indian film to undergo censorship.
* ''Surekha Haran'' (1921): This was the debut film of
V. Shantaram
Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre (18 November 1901 – 30 October 1990), referred to as V. Shantaram or Shantaram Bapu, was an Indian filmmaker, film producer, and actor known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He is most known for films such ...
.
* ''Sinhagad'' (1923): The film was based on
Hari Narayan Apte
Hari Narayan Apte (Devanagari: हरि नारायण आपटे) (8 March 1864 – 3 March 1919) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.
Through his writings, he provided an eminent example to future Marathi fiction writers ...
's novel ''Gad Aala Pan Sinha Gela'' (The fort has been captured but we lost the lion). The protagonist
Tanaji Malusare
Tanaji Malusare was a warrior and commander of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A local poet Tulsidas, wrote a powada describing Tanaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian ...
was a follower of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...
and died while capturing
Sinhagad Fort
Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of Pune, India.
Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670.
The Sinhagad ...
. Artificial lighting used for the first time to create the effect of fog and of moonlight.
It also had magnificent depiction of huge crowd during the war scenes.
* ''Kalyan Khajina'' (1924): This film won a medal at the
British Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925.
Background
In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibit ...
in
Wembley, London
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
.
* ''
Savkari Pash'' (1925): Considered to be Painter's artistic masterpiece.
Although, it did not bring him much commercial success.
* ''Muraliwala'' (1927)
* ''Sati Savitri'' (1927)
* ''Usha'' (1935): The film (a talkie) was directed by Painter for the film company Shalini Cinetone, Kolhapur. He was also the art director of the film.
* Remake of ''Savkari Pash'' as a talkie (1936).
J. B. H. Wadia
Jamshed Boman Homi Wadia (13 September 1901 – 4 January 1986), commonly referred to as J. B. H. Wadia, was a prominent Bollywood movie director, screenwriter, producer and founder of Wadia Movietone Studio. He was born in prominent Parsi famil ...
on the two versions of ''Savkari Pash'' said,"I faintly remember the silent ''Savkari Pash''... But it was only when I saw the talkie version that I realized what a great creative artist he (Baburao) was. I go into a trance when I recollect the long shot of a dreary hut photographed in low key, highlighted only by the howl of a dog."
* ''Pratibha'' (1937)
* ''Rukmini Swayamvar'' (1946)
* ''
Lokshahir Ram Joshi
''Lokshahir Ram Joshi'' (People's Poet Ram Joshi) also called ''Matawala Shair Ram Joshi'' in Hindi, is a 1947 Marathi language, Marathi biopic film of the poet Ram Jagannath Joshi, Ram Joshi, written by G. D. Madgulkar, directed by Baburao Paint ...
'' (1947)
* ''Vishwamitra'' (1952): Last film by Baburao Painter.
Art career
Poster design
In addition to film making and directing, Baburao's artistic contributions came about in the form of artistic printed posters and banners that he created for film advertisements. The credit of introducing movie posters in the film industry goes to him, where the art of painting curtains came in handy. He made a cloth banner for the publicity of the film ''Sairandhri'' which was displayed at Aryan theatre in Pune. For the advertisement of the film ''Sinhagad'', Baburao made huge posters that were 10 feet wide and 20 feet high. Huge crowds of spectators flocked to see these massive artistic posters. He had also advertised the movie ''Maya Mazaar'' with a giant poster of the
Ghatotkacha
Ghatotkacha ( sa, घटोत्कच, , literally: "Bald Pot") is a prominent character in the story of ''Mahabharata''. His name comes from the fact that his head was hairless (''utkacha'') and shaped like a ghatam, or a pot. Ghatotkacha ...
, which was 50 feet high.
His poster for ''Kalyan Khajina'' (1924) is considered to be the earliest surviving image-poster of an Indian film.
W. E. Gladstone Solomon, then principal of the
Sir J.J. School of Art, had felicitated him for a watercolor poster of a silent film. Seeing his work, experts of the field had said that, "These magnificent artistic posters and banners are worthy of being housed in a museum where they will provide lasting value." He had also made eye-catching covers for
N. S. Phadke's books like ''Jadugar'', ''Daulat'', ''Atkepar'', ''Gujgoshti'' etc. These attractive covers added to the popularity of the novels and also became masterpieces in his oeuvre.
Paintings
![Dattatreya - Baburao Painter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Dattatreya_-_Baburao_Painter.jpg)
Baburao's paintings and sculptures were an integral part of his personality because at the core, he was an artist. Being a self-taught painter, he learned art by observing European paintings housed in the museums of
Aundh,
Vadodara
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
and Mumbai. His paintings include portraits, group compositions, mythological subjects, and a few landscapes. His artworks exhibit sound technical skills, elegance and freshness. Just like
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
, his paintings have a beautiful blend of Indian subjects with western techniques. He was inclined towards the
romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
outlook of
Pre-Raphaelite
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...
painters in 19th-century England.
Baburao's specialty was to create an imaginative image of the person in front of him with clean colors while maintaining the hues. His paintings were characterized by mild hues, dynamic lines, tonal value of the whole picture, and the delicate touch of the brush along with the combination of shapes with each other.
The poetic mystery created by realism is felt in his compositions. It is found that while painting the deities in human form, the unwanted parts were removed from the background so as to clearly to identify them. Some of his famous paintings were ''Dattatreya'', ''Lakshmi'', ''Saraswati'', ''Radhakrishna'', and ''Jalvahini'' to name a few.
Sculptures
Baburao made sculptures using clay and bronze. He built his own casting furnace to make bronze statues. Grandeur, proportionality, elegance of the figure and craftsmanship were the hallmarks of his sculpture. He could easily make statues that were eight to ten feet tall. At times, renowned sculptor
R. K. Phadke used to take his help for pouring work and also got some sculptures made from him. His noted sculptures include that of
Shivaji Maharaj
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilsh ...
,
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
and the bust of
Jyotirao Phule
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890) was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including erad ...
. Baburao continued to produce work in various art mediums till the end of his life.
Personal life
Baburao married Lakshmibai in 1927 and had eight children - six daughters and two sons.
Death and legacy
Baburao died of heart attack in Kolhapur on 16 January 1954. After his death, N. C. Phadke dedicated an entire issue of his ''Anjali'' magazine to Baburao, highlighting his all-round accomplishments in the art and film industry. In this issue, he praised Painter as ''Kalamaharshi'' (Great art sage), a title that is posthumously used with his name.
![Kolhapur Memorial to Baburao Painter 2012 IMG 1601](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Kolhapur_Memorial_to_Baburao_Painter_2012_IMG_1601.jpg)
A memorial to mark the establishment of Maharashtra Film Company along with the replica of the indigenous camera is erected at Khari corner in Kolhapur.
In November 2002, ''Kalamaharshi'' Baburao Painter Film Society (KBPFS) was established in Kolhapur, named after the stalwart. It organizes film screenings, retrospective and film related programmes to engage film enthusiasts and inculcate a taste for good cinema. The film society also organizes the Kolhapur International Film Festival and has completed eight editions in 2020. As a part of the festival, the society has felicitated accomplished film makers with the ''Kalamaharshi'' Baburao Painter Award. Noted recipients of this award include
Girish Kasaravalli
Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...
(2015),
Shaji N. Karun
Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film '' Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Keral ...
(2016),
Sumitra Bhave
Sumitra ( sa, सुमित्रा, IAST: Sumitrā) is a princess of Kashi in Hindu mythology. The wise Sumitra is the third queen consort of Dasharatha, the king of Kosala, who ruled from Ayodhya. She is the mother of the twins Lakshman ...
(2017) and
Govind Nihalani
Govind Nihalani (born 19 December 1940) is an Indian film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Hindi cinema. He has been the recipient of six National Film Awards, and five Bollywood Filmfare Awards. In 1 ...
(2019).
The
National Film Archive of India, Pune had organized an exhibition on Painter in June 2015 to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary. It showcased photographs, posters and publicity material of the films made by him.
References
External links
*
Documentaryby
DD Sahyadri
DD Sahyadri is a Marathi TV channel. It is a regional channel dedicated to Maharashtra. It shows Marathi serials, news, films infotainment and educational programs about agriculture, healthcare, and other subjects. It is part of Doordarshan ne ...
(in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
)
Documentaryby DD Sahyadri (in Marathi)
Memories of Baburao Painter shared by daughter(in Marathi)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Painter, Baburao
Marathi cinema
Indian silent film directors
People from Kolhapur
1890 births
1954 deaths
Articles containing video clips
Film directors from Maharashtra
Hindi-language film directors
Indian male painters
Indian male sculptors
20th-century Indian film directors
20th-century Indian male artists
20th-century Indian painters
Set designers