Pratibha

This poster is linked to a film directed by Baburao Painter. It is not known that Baburao Painter painted or designed this poster. Nonetheless this poster provides a look at the visual culture of Marathi cinema in the 1930s. The composition of this poster focuses on a woman. The womans face shows a look and her body shows a calm posture creating a mood of introspection. The woman wears a sari and sits next to a landscape of trees and rough ground. This woman occupies this poster with dignity. The contrast between this woman and the landscape makes this poster feel pictorial. The simple arrangement pushes the viewer’s eye to this womans face and gesture. Because this poster has no colour the surviving copy uses differences in tone to highlight the connection between this woman and the landscape. Shalini Cinetone in Kolhapur produced the film Pratibha. The film Pratibha shows how literature, theatre and new film promotion meet. Pratibha is based on N. H. Apte’s novel Hridayachi Shrimanti. The film places this heroine in a story built around relationships and social ambition. This poster is more, than an advertisement. This poster gives a doorway into the cultural imagination of early Marathi cinema even though the designer of this poster is not known.