His father Krishnarao Mestry was a blacksmith and carpenter by profession, but he also excelled in painting, stone and marble sculpting along with ivory carving.

[3] Noted theatre artist Keshavrao Bhosale, the owner of Lalit Kaladarsh Natak Mandali (theater troupe), hailed from Kolhapur.

He captured local scenes with the camera, like children jumping to swim in Rankala Lake and women washing clothes on the banks of the Panchganga River.

[4] Baburao founded the Maharashtra Film Company in 1918,[7] which was set up on the site of today's Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagriha (previously the Palace Theatre).

[10] He chose the story of Seeta Swayamwar (Sita's wedding) for his first film as Hindu mythology 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.

When Bal Gangadhar Tilak saw the film, he was so impressed by Baburao's work that he honored him with the title Cinema Kesari and a gold medal.

[13] In addition to mythology, Baburao also made films like Sinhagad (1923), Kalyan Khajina (1924) and Sati Padmini (1924), which were based on historical stories.

[1] In 1925, he released a social film Savkari Pash (Indian Shylock) which was based on a short story by Narayan Hari Apte.

[14] 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.

[19] He changed the concept of set designing from painted curtains to solid three-dimensional lived in spaces and introduced artificial lighting.

[14][17] 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.

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."

Being a self-taught painter, he learned art by observing European paintings housed in the museums of Aundh, Vadodara and Mumbai.

[2] 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.

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.

[13] 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.

[35] In November 2002, Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter Film Society (KBPFS) was established in Kolhapur, named after the stalwart.

[37] 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 (2015),[38] Shaji N. Karun (2016),[39] Sumitra Bhave (2017)[40] and Govind Nihalani (2019).

[41] The National Film Archive of India, Pune had organized an exhibition on Painter in June 2015 to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary.