G D Naidu: The Edison Of India review – Forgotten pioneer of India's industrial growth

K Ranjith Kumar's documentary G D Naidu: The Edison Of India presents the astonishing life story of one of the more remarkable innovators and industrialists of India from the 20th century, a man who never got his due.

The 53 minute documentary, which bagged the Best Science and Technology Film award at the 66th National Film Awards in 2019, retraces Naidu's journey from his early days in a small village named Kalangal near Coimbatore through his struggles and innovations to his contribution to the newly independent India's industrial growth.

Born on 23 March 1893 to a farmer named Gopalsamy, the young GD Naidu had no interest in school whatsoever. He even ran away from school once after throwing sand in a teacher’s face. Following this rebellious behaviour, his father sent him to work in farms where he spent most of his teenage years. He worked in the agricultural fields in the mornings and read Tamil books in the evenings to become a self-taught man.

One day, at the age of 20, he noticed a British officer on a motorbike and was fascinated by how the vehicle was moving without any external source of power such as horses or bullocks. Curiosity got the better of him and with only one goal in mind, he began doing odd jobs as a waiter in restaurants. Finally, he was able to save Rs400, a princely sum in those days, and buy the motorcycle from the officer. He then proceeded to take it apart and reassemble it to understand the mechanics behind it.

Then he took up a job as a help in the house of a Chevrolet trucks agent named Stanes who eventually gave him a bus to operate. He worked everyday for 12 years and with his dedication and hard work expanded his service from a single bus to more than 280.

Naidu built India's first modern bus junction in Palladam, with good restrooms and waiting rooms. He also set up India's first workshop for buses. In the early 1930s he went to Belgium and went on to invent an electric razor, India's first. In his lifetime he came up with more than 70 inventions.

Naidu worked on several inventions in multiple fields like electrical, agricultural, mechanical and automobile. Not just the razor, he also came up with the country's first indigenous electric motor, mechanical calculator, ticket vending machine and many others.

What's more, he was not simply an inventor. He was also one of the architects of the country's industrial growth. He started India's first automobile course in 1941 to teach and train youngsters about the mechanisms of buses and other vehicles as there was no such course available in India. He also opened India's first polytechnic institute with the latest automobile courses.

Towards the latter stage of his life Naidu became interested in agriculture and came up with some innovative botanical techniques. For him, making money was not a priority. The priority was to have money to make the world a better place.

K Ranjith Kumar's documentary features interviews with GD Naidu's son and daughter-in-law who also offer insights into how he was as a family man. But the short documentary focuses mostly on his industrial achievements than on Naidu as a human being. The film would have left a much more emotional impact if it had delved deeper into his personal life and thoughts.

Ranjith Kumar has chosen a straightforward approach for the film without much drama. Apart from one or two brief mentions, the director has also glossed over the hardships Naidu must have faced from the British and, later, the new rulers of free India. That could have added a bit more drama to the film. Yet, his industrial achievements against all odds make this true story stranger than fiction.

G.D. Naidu: The Edison Of India was screened at the 17th Mumbai International Film Festival on 2 June 2022.