National Films Archives of India will showcase 1885 projector, which was a precursor to silent films and had impressed Lokmanya Tilak

It was born in 1885 and will be showcased 124 years later. On November 1, the National Films Archives of India (NFAI) will display the oldest cinema projector, which was made before the era of silent films, and a 35-minute show on it.

Magical powers
Inventor Mahadeo Gopal Patwardhan and his two sons, who invented the projector in 1885, named it 'Shambarik Kharolika' (demon lantern).

"It was named after a devil, who was believed to possess magical powers. People in that era used to be fascinated by moving images and believed it was magic," explained S V Patwardhan, great grandson of Mahadeo Patwardhan.

"Shambarik Kharolika was the origin of cinema," said Vijay Jadhav, director, NFAI.u00a0 He added, "The show will be a very good experience for film lovers because it will be interesting to see how people watched entertainment shows before silent films."

Arti Karkhanis, librarian at NFAI, added, "It was the first ever attempt to employ fine art on such a mass scale.

Patwardhans presented a complete story visually by employing continuous projections ofpicture frames. There was live narration, dialogues, lyrics and background music to make the show complete."

Tilak fascinated
Freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak too was fascinated by the animated shows because it drew huge crowds and he believed it was an effective medium to mobilise public opinion.

"Tilak was very impressed with the shows that were presented by my great grandfather during a Congress session in 1896," recalled Patwardhan.
The Patwardhans prepared hundreds of hand-painted slides on themes like the Ramayana, Krishna charitra and Raja Harishchandra. They were provided for private shows initially.

The projector will also be showcased at the 40th International Film Festival in Goa, tentatively scheduled for November 24.