Established in 1918,[1] it was a silent film studio, which was a pioneer in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema, under the patronage of the Shahu Maharaj, the Maharaja of Kolhapur.
It made numerous films till the advent of talkies in 1931, but started collapsing after V. Shantaram left in 1929, to form Prabhat Film Company, it finally closed down in 1931.
[1][2] Vishnupant Damle was trusted lieutenant of Baburao Painter in his Maharashtra film Company, Kolhapur.
Baburao was not particularly keen on the talkies for he believed that they would destroy the visual culture so painfully evolved over the years.
[4] Baburao Painter's associates, V Shantaram, Keshavrao Dhaibar, and close friends Vishnupant Damle and Fateh Lal (Damle Mama and Saheb Mama) held senior posts at the company.