Pre-Independence award to 1944 film Ram Shastri discovered at FTII
A cleaning drive at India’s premier film school Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has unexpectedly yielded a gem from history—an award certificate conferred on Ram Shastri, one of the first biopics produced in the country 76 years ago.
The pre-Independence award would now be showcased at the Prabhat Museum, according to FTII officials.
Ram Shastri, in 1944, was no less than a sensation as it swept one film award after another.
According to a person aware of the development, an award certificate presented to the Prabhat Film Company for Ram Shastri in 1944 was recently found in FTII’s Prabhat Studio at Pune.
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According to the details on the Certificate of Merit, the honour was presented to the film Ram Shastri for the Best Hindi Picture of the Year 1944 by Bengal Film Journalists’ Association, Calcutta. It bears the signature of the association’s president Tushar Kanti Ghosh and honorary secretary SM Bagde.
Ram Shastri was one of the most successful films of its time, and swept the awards announced by the association. It won 6 other major awards—Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Dialogues,Best Direction, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, according to the person cited above.
The certificate appears to be in a reasonably good condition considering the decades that hat have passed. FTII director Bhupendra Kainthola confirmed the certificate’s discovery at the institute.
Ram Shastri was among the first biopic films of its time when it was released on June 30, 1944 in Marathi and Hindi. It was based on the life of a legendary court official during the Maratha empire.
The runaway success of the film was also attributed to the powerful acting of Gajanan Jagirdar, who went on to become the first Principal of the erstwhile Film Institute of India (now FTII) in 1961.
The certificate was discovered by Ashutosh Kavishwar, assistant professor, Department of Art Direction and Production Design during a clean up of some rarely-visited areas of Prabhat Studio. The certificate will be restored and kept in Prabhat Museum, according to the person cited above.
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