Savkari Pash (The Indian Shylock) is Indian cinema's 1925 social melodrama silent film directed by Baburao Painter.[1] V. Shantaram made his acting debut as the young village peasant in the film.[2] Painter later remade Savkari Pash in 1936 as a talkie version.[3] The story of the film was written by Narayan Hari Apte[4] as suggested by Baburao Painter, and is referred to as a "milestone film" in Indian cinema.[5] Along with Shantaram, the rest of the cast included Kamladevi, Zunzharrao Pawar, Kishabapu Bakre, K. Dhaiber and Shankarrao Bute.
Savkari Pash | |
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Directed by | Baburao Painter |
Written by | Narayan Hari Apte |
Produced by | Maharashtra Film Company, Kolhapur |
Starring | V. Shantaram Kamladevi Zunzharrao Pawar K. Dhaiber |
Cinematography | Sheikh Fattelal |
Production companies | Maharashtra Film Company, Kolhapur |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | India |
Languages | Silent Film Marathi intertitles |
The film has been cited as one of the "earliest examples" of parallel cinema in its depiction of real social issues.[6] The story deals with a greedy moneylender who cheats the peasants of their money, forcing them to give up farming and take on jobs as mill-workers.[7]