Film route of India

Index Introduction to Indian Cinema British Raj: Colonial Cinema Alexander and Zoltan Korda Other films considered as Colonial Cinema available at the Media Library Indian Independence: Golden Period of Cinema Bengali Camera Satyajit Ray Ritwik Ghatak Mrinal Sen Other titles by Satyajit Ray available at the Media Library

6 8 10 11 12 14 14 17 19 20

Popular Indian Cinema: Bollywood Films

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50s and 60s. Classical Bollywood Films Raj Kapoor Bimal Roy Mehboob Khan Guru Dutt Raj Khosla Vijay Anand Other Bollywood classic films available at the Media Library

24 25 27 28 29 30 31

Bollywood 70s and 80s: Winds of Change Ramesh Sippy Manmohan Desai Yash Chopra Sooraj R. Barjatya Other Bollywood films by directors of the 70s and 80s or related, and avalaible at the Media Library

34 34 36 37 39

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Contemporary Bollywood Ram Gopal Varma Sanjay Leela Bhansali Vikram Bhatt Ashutosh Gowariker Rajkumar Santoshi Farhan Akhtar Vishal Bhardwaj Other contemporary Bollywood titles available at the Media Library

42 43 45 47 48 49 50 51 52

Indian Commercial Cinema: Other Centres of Production 55 Telegu Cinema Ram Gopal Varma Tamil Cinema Mani Ratnam Shankar Malayalam Cinema Santosh Sivan Priyadarshan Other titles of Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam cinema available at the Media Library Parallel Cinema: Indian Independent Cinema Shyam Benegal Mahesh Bhatt Rituparno Ghosh Nagesh Kukunoor Aparna Sen Goutam Ghose Other titles of Indian independent cinema available at the Media Library Indian Non Residents Gurinder Chadha Deepa Mehta Mira Nair Other titles of the Indian non Residents available at the Media Library

56 56 57 58 59 61 61 62 65 66 68 69 70 72 74 75 76 78 81 82 85 86

Introduction to Indian Cinema 6

The Indian film industry is the most important of the world regarding the amount of long and short films made per year, above the production of the USA (Hollywood).

India has a 73% of income due to the edition of films in the area of Asia and the Pacific.

Indian people are those who most go to the cinema, with record figures that reach a billion people in three months.

Harishandra (1913), D. G. Phalke

Despite the fact that the Lumière brothers visited India for the first time in 1896, it wasn’t until 1913 when the first important local film was produced and edited, Harishandra, directed by D. G. Phalke, which approached a mythological topic: It is a primitive cinema, also called trick cinema, in the same line as the French Georges Mélies or the Catalan Segundo de Chomón. Even though in the West, Indian cinematographic industry has recently been known, it was already in the 30s when the amount of films surpassed a hundred per year. With the appearance of sound cinema in 1931, producing houses settled in different places, related to languages: Bombay (for Hindi, popularly known as Bollywood), Tollywood (for films in Bentali), Kerala (in Malayalam, known as Mollywood), Kodambakkam (in Tamil, known as Kollywood), Madras and Calcutta, where the mainstay of socially committed author cinema were born, away from commercial standards. Anyway, the most important phenomenon was the shaping of Bombay and its area of influence as the great epicenter of the production in Hindi.

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British Raj: Colonial Cinema

Find a Grave Memorial (1959), Fritz Lang The Tiger of Echnapur (1959), Fritz Lang

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The Drum (1938), Alexander and Zoltan Korda

The arrival of cinema to India took place a few months after it appeared in Europe due to the British presence in the Indian subcontinent. Colonial India has been the frequent scenario of cinematographic events. Because of its geography (sometimes real, sometimes imaginary) many fascinating adventures have taken place and its exoticism has given colour to all these adventures, treasure hunting and military deeds. The two films Fritz Lang wrote in 1920 and shot in 1959 are a good example of this: The Tiger of Echnapur and Find a Grave Memorial. However we will devote this first part of the route to the description of the two productions made by the Korda (Hungarian origin) made that tribute the British writer and poet born in India, Rudyard Kipling, author of stories, children’s stories and novelist, who made popular the Indostanic peninsula as the space for epic. From Captain Courageous (1937) by Victor Fleming, to Elephant Boy (1937) by Robert Flaherty and Zoltan Korda, films based on Kipling’s narrative taught about the opposition game the genre needed.

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Alexander and Zoltan Korda The Alexander and Zoltan Korda brothers, born in Hungary, emigrated in the thirties to Great Britain, where the major part of his career was developed.

Alexander combined the direction with the cinematographic production, and he was distinguished in both, to the extent that the British crown granted him with the title of Sir Alexander His brother wasn’t that lucky, but he made interesting films, especially with an exotic and oriental atmosphere. In fact, he (and his brother Alexander, who produced it) was who discovered the young actor with Indian features, Sabu, who starred many films with the Muslim topic, always from a Western perspective.

The Drum Year: 1938. With: Sabu, Raymond Massey, Roger Livesey, Valerie Hobson. Genre: Adventures During the British control in India, there was a certain bustle among the tribes in the Northeast, to where Captain Carruthers traveled dressed as a native. When he returned, and while he prepared his wedding with the daughter of the British governor, the Captain is sent to a celebration in Tokot, where Khan asked for British help to assure his son’s succession, Prince Azim (Sabu). Mohammed Khan suspects that his brother Ghul is planning a conspiracy with the insurrect tribes. Carruthers signs an agreement with Khan and has a friendship with Azim, who is taught the suitable signs with a regiment drum. As soon as the English leave, the revolution begins.

The Jungle Book Year: 1942. With: Sabu, Joseph Calleia, John Qualen, Frank Puglia. Genre: Adventures The Jungle Book was the most famous adaptation of the famous story

by Rudyard Kipling, until Walt Disney arrived in the decade of the sixties. This version we are commenting, in real image, has all the elements that defined the British Orientalism of the time: Papier mâché, adventures, fun. Out of the 20 films that Zoltan Korda directed, this was the most popular and the one that made him most famous, together with The Elephant Boy, translated in Spain with the title Sabu, as a tribute to the small actor who starred it.

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Other films considered as Colonial Cinema and that can be found in the Media Library: The Tiger of Echnapur (1959), Fritz Lang Find a Grave Memorial (1959), Fritz Lang

The Tiger of Echnapur (1959), Fritz Lang

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Indian Independence: Golden Period of Cinema 12

Š Sony Picture Classics. Pather Panchali (1955), Satyajit Ray

When India became independent in 1947, a process of national construction began which had one of its most singular discourses in cinema. In this period, India was already the second world producer with an annual average of between 250 to 300 films. From these beginnings a clear differentiation was marked between two completely different models, which were related to the two most important areas where the Indian cinematographic production was established: Bombay and Calcutta. Commerciality and author films.The called Bollywood films and Parallel Cinema.

The fifties opened the golden period of Indian films characterized by a genuine music model (known as Bollywood), that would establish the bases of the industry of Indian cinema. It was a commercial art that used films as shows. Commercial films were added to the apparition of Bengala of the first Indian author film, by two film makers such as Satyajit Ray, who with his first film Song of the Road would build the base of a cinematographic naturalism, and on the other hand, Ritwik Ghatak with his poetic realism.

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Bengali Camera The conflicted and impoverished Bengala of the fifties eventually became the birthplace of the greatest artistic renewal of Indian films of the period of the independence.The creation in 1957 of the Cinematographic Society of Calcutta thanks to the revelations of Satyarit Ray became the seeds of the disturbing film buffs that turned Calcutta into the epicentre of the artistic creation.The greatest exponents of these author films begun in the fifties in the region of Calcutta are: Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen.

Satyajit Ray Considered by many as the best director of the Third World, and one of the greatest film makers of history, Ratyarit Ray was born in Calcutta in 1921 in the bosom of a bourgeois family. His pictorial and literary education gave him a delicate artistic sensitivity that is reflected on his works. Director, scriptwriter and composer of the soundtracks of his films, his works make up an immense social and cultural picture of India, from an individual perspective, with strong influences of the Neorealist movement. The trilogy made by Pather Panchali (Song of the Road, 1955), which he shot in homemade conditions throughout almost three years, Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1957) and Apur Sansar (TheWorld of Apu, 1959), about the life of a rural family in Bengala, seen through the eyes of a boy, which made him famous internationally and gave him importance, which throughout the 60s and 70s was fixed until he was considered one of the most important film makers of India. Ray was a prolific film maker and directed 37 films in his life, including long films, documentaries and short films. He was granted many important film awards in his career, including an Honourific Oscar in 1992, soon before dying.

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Pather Panchali / The Song of the Road Year: 1955. With: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Bannerjee. Genre: Drama Aparajito / The Unvanquished Year: 1957. With: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Pinaki Sengupta, Smaran Ghosal.

Genre: Drama Apur Sansar/The World of Apu Year: 1959. With: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty. Genre: Drama Ray had decided that Pather Panchali, the classic of Bengali literature by Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhyay, would be the plot for his first film. The novel describes the growth of Apu, a child from the village of Bengala. Ray brought together a non-expert technical team and a cast with amateur artists. The shooting began at the end of 1952, with Ray’s personal savings. Pather Panchali was shot during a long period of 3 years, because the filming could only be done now and then, when Ray or the person in charge of the production Anil Chowdhury could gather enough money.

Thanks to a loan given by the Government of West Bengala, the film was finally made and launched in 1955, achieving great success with the critic and public. He received many awards and was screened in long sessions in India and abroad. But Ray’s international career began after the premiere of his following film, Aparajito (The Unvanquished).

The film shows the eternal struggle between the ambitions of a young man, Apu, and his mother who loves him. Many critics, especially Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak, valued it above the first one. The Unvanquished won the Golden Lion in Venice, which began the international projection of the director.

Ray hadn’t thought about a trilogy when he shot The Unvanquished, and he only considered it after being asked about it in Venice. The first part of the series, TheWorld of Apu was made in 1959. Ray introduced two of his favourite actors in the film, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore. The film introduces Apu to us who lives in a humble flat in Calcutta. He is involved in an unusual wedding with Aparna, making up the scenes of their life in couple “a display of the classic positive affirmation in the films of married life”, but tragedy awaits them.

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Devi, the Goddess («La diosa») Year: 1960. With: Chhabi Biswas, Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Purnendu Mukherjee. Genre: Drama After Apu Sansar, Ray continues his career with Devi, the Goddess, a work that studies the superstitions in Hindi society. It was starred

by Sharmila Tagore, in the role of Doyamoyee, a young wife who is blessed by her father-in-law. In this great work, Ray explores the Bengali customs, especially religion in its version of non-rational faith: Faith that if it doesn’t go through the filter of reason could take human beings to infantilism, to someone under their true power that acts in a naïve or credulous way.

Shakha Proshakha Year: 1990.With: Sumitra Chatterji, Ranjit Mullick, Dipankar Dey. Genre: Drama Ray himself considered Shakha Proshakha as his most pessimistic film “because it shows that those who have success are the crooks”. Despite the autobiographic keys that the story of the patriarch old man affected by a serious cardiac crisis presents, the story of the film begins with an old script of Ray’s recovered for the occasion: A family drama that affects four generations: The eight-year old grandchild (the future), the four children (mystical, businessman, playboy and frustrated intellectual, who are the present), the father (an idealist, builder of a city, that represents the immediate past) and the grandfather (already senile, but that could reach 100 years of age and who is the witness of a faraway past). Shakha Proshakha turns back to pointing at the crisis of values of the Bengali bourgeois, like in other works by Ray, which worried the director so much.

Devi, the Goddess (1960), Satyajit Ray 16

Ritwik Ghatak Ghatack, who was born in 1925 in Dacca, current capital of Bangladesh, lived the division of Bengala in 1947: The Hindi side was still part of India and the Muslim side constituted East Pakistan until in 1971, when it became independent and became current Bangladesh. In 1943 the region suffered hunger that killed more than a million and a half people. Ghatak’s films are the clear reflection of this political and social situation: Poverty, lack of work, migrations of the refugees and peasants…

Influenced by Eisenstein’s films, Ritwik Ghatak made politically committed films and was the most influential author of a generation of Indian film makers such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan or Mani Kaul, whose names have become synonymous of the called “New Wave” in that country since the end of the sixties and beginning of the seventies. Ghatak’s films are based on characters full of vital optimism despite the poverty that there is around him. In a kind of epic realism, his films tried to tell a story on several levels at the same time and for this he turned to resources such as music or a labored and kaleidoscopic narration. All in all, films that are too intellectual for the public of his country or even for the critic that never recognized his work in life. It was after his death in 1975 that his work began to be recognized in India and internationally.

A River Called Titas Year: 1973.With: Fakrul Hasan Bairagi, Narain Chakraborty, Banani Choudhury. Genre: Drama The film is based on the novel with the same name written by Advaita Malla Burman, and explores the life of the fishermen along the two shores of River Titas on his way to Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh. Like the film Kanghejungha by Ray or Calcutta 71 by Mrinal Sen, A River Called Titas was one of the first choral films, with lots of characters in crossed stories. The shooting of the film was a toll for Ghatak’s health, because in that period, the director suffered of tuberculosis.

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Calcutta 71 (1972), Mrinal Sen

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen was born in 1923 in Farikur (current Bangladesh). After moving to Calcutta to study Physics at University, he began to be politically active in the cultural section of the Communist Party. He began to be well known in the world of cinema thanks to films like Neel Akasher Nichey (1959) and Baishey Sravana (1960). However, his work wouldn’t reach international repercussion until Bhuvan Shome (1969), precursor film of the called New Indian Cinema.

Always politically linked to the Communist Party of India, Mrinal Sen was very influenced by the French Nouvelle Vage (Truffaut, Godard). In the first half of the 70s he maked the famous trilogy of Calcutta (made up of Kolkata 71 (Calcutta 71); Padatik (The Guerilla Fighter); and Chorus.

Bhuvan Shome Year: 1969. With: Utpal Dutt, Suhashini Mulay.

Genre: Drama This film, exponent of the new cinematographic Indian wave of the sixties, inserts animation scenes in an author personal narrative.

The main character is a lonely widow, a proud defender of strict discipline. When he looks behind towards the path of the past, Shome, a disillusioned man, takes the day off and deepens into another world: A new world made up of modest people.

Calcutta 71 Year: 1972 . With: Utpal Dutt, Devraj Roy, Satya Bannerjee, Madhabi Chakraborty. Genre: Drama This film is one of the most politically committed exponents of all the history of Indian films. Sen used a discontinuous narration to create a dramatic picture of his city, drowned by misery, exploitation and unemployment.There are several stories where the main character comes and goes, with their own sets and actors, but always with a common story, poverty and degradation. The last call of the young man, who is directed to the public through the screen, causes a reaction of the public.

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Other titles by Satyajit Ray available at the Media Library:

Jalsaghar / Le Salon de Musique (1958) Two Daughters / Teen Kanya (1961) Abhijaan (1962) Mahanagar / The Big City (1963) Charulata / The LonelyWife (1964) Kapurush / The Coward (1965) Kayak,The Hero (1966) Chiriyakhana (1967) Goopy Gyne & Bagha Byne / The Adventures of Goopy & Bagha (1968) Aranyer din Ratri (1970) Pratidwandi (1971) Seemabaddha (1971) Ashani Sanket (1973) Jana Aranya / The Middle Man (1976) Shatranj ke Khilari (1977) Joi Baba Felunath / The Elephant God (1979) Ghare-baire / The Home and theWorld (1984) Ganashatru / An Enemy of the People (1989) Agantuk / The Stranger (1991)

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Cartell de la pel路l铆cula Charulata (1964), Satyajit Ray

Popular Indian Cinema: Bollywood Films

Bollywood is the name of the group of Indian commercial films produced in the many cinematographic studios of Bombay. For this, this term, which settled in the decade of 1970, comes from a word game between Bombay and Hollywood, the centre of the cinematographic industry of the United States. Also called “Masala films”: Masala is the mixture of spicy spices that we can find in many dishes of the Indian gastronomy; and that is what this kind of cinema is like: A mixture of audiovisual elements, traditional dances, popular and classical music, mixture of genres… etc.

The most common characteristics in Bollywood films are: · Music scenes that can even be similar to a videoclip (they can work independently). In each film typical songs and dances of the country, mixed with curious choreographies of Western pop. In these scenes there is always dubbing. This is part of the tradition of this cinematographic industry, where first the scenes are shot and then the dialogues are dubbed (it is a practice that makes the subsequent translation into other languages easier), which in India (multilingual country) seems essential. It is a custom that the music of a film is launched to the market months before the broadcast of the film. It is a way to promote the film, which will be expected with interest by the public. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comedy, drama or action. These songs are almost as important as the film itself. In certain fields and cinematographic genres the presence of musical numbers goes down to 1 or is even inexistent, but there will be an eternal presence of music of a song for the aforementioned promotion throughout the film. · Its length: Indian films are normally quite long, reaching 3 hours in certain cases (on occasions they are longer, and generally they last more tan 2 hours), which is why there is a programmed interval in the film. Currently, there is a tendency to reduce the length of films, making them last less than 2 hours. · Pseudo-Puritanism: Its lack of sex scenes (it is even hard to see passionate kisses), in many romantic films, even though romanticism is a topic in common in this kind of films. However, the dance scenes are used to “turn on” the atmosphere (sensual movements, water to mark the shape of their bodies, etc.).

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Awaara (1951), Raj Kapoor

路 Mixture of genres, with romanticism almost omnipresent in some part of the film. 路 Happy End: The happy end is essential en almost any Indian commercial production.

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50s and 60s. Classical Bollywood Films

Bollywood films have changed throughout the years. During the decade of the 40s light and innocent romances were contemplated and love was expressed through nostalgic songs. The 50s was the golden period where the classics of Indian films appeared: Actors and directors such as Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan or Bimal Roy. Often they contradicted the traditional happy endings of films: Tragedy was still possible back then, such as emotion, pain and a deep worry for socie

Awaara (1951), Raj Kapoor

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Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (Peshawar, 14th of December 1924 – New Delhi, 2nd of June 1988) is an acclaimed actor, director and producer of Bollywood films. He began as an assistant director in 1935 and when he was 7 years old he appeared in a film for the first time. His greatest success came later with Neel Kamal (1947) by Kidar Sharma. In 1948, when he was 24, he established his own studio, R.K. Films, becoming the youngest director-producer of his generation.

His first film as a director, Aag (1948), was one of the many he made with the actress Nargis, who he was sentimentally related to. However, his third film, Awaara (1951), gave him a spectacular success and decided about his career as a director. Story of a good hearted marginalized person, the film that allowed Kapoor to introduce his characteristic character of Chaplin style (the public identified him as the Charles Chaplin of Indian films) in a context of realist musicals that had great popularity. His films were not only successful in India, but also in Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, China and Southeast Asia.

Awaara Year: 1951. With: Prithviraj Kapoor, Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis. Genre: Drama/Musical Awaara was one of the most famous films by Raj Kapoor who as well as directing, played the main role. In the film, as well as the main actress, emblematic Nargis, many of the roles were played by the Kapoor family (the father, brother and even the grandfather of the director starred characters and cameos in the film). Awaara focuses its plot in the crossroad between poor Raj and privileged Rita. When Raj, deceived and manipulated, commits a criminal act, must face the justice, where his own father will be the judge. Raj’s main character was the first one to adopt the references to Charles Chaplin, which then Raj Kapoor developed in other films such as Jagte Raho (1956) or Shree 420 (1955). Awaara was nominated to compete for the Grand Prize in the Cannes Festival in 1953.

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Shree 420 Year: 1955. With: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Nadira, Nemo, Lalita Pawar, M. Kumar. Genre: Drama/Musical Shree 420 continues with the character of Raj, the Indian Charles Chaplin invented by Raj Kapoor. It tells the story of a young villager, Raj, who intends to earn a fortune in the great city of Bombay. There he falls in love with the also poor, but virtuous Vidya (Nargis) who opens her arms to him. But with his ability for card games, Raj would soon be influenced by a businessman with no scruples who showed him the pleasures of a luxurious life with no ethics. When he becomes a cheat, Raj must choose between a dishonest life or to go back to his peaceful and honest life with his beloved Vidya.

Prem Rog Year: 1982. With: Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure. Genre: Romantic Drama/Musical Prem Rog tells the story like in many of the stories of Bollywood films, the love story between a poor orphan and the only daughter of a rich thakur (a feudal sir). When Manorama goes back to his parents’ house after becoming a widow, Deodhar, his orphan childhood friend that has returned after studying in the city, has the intention to go back to revive the flames of their love. But, for this, he must face the traditions and customs of the powerful and furious thakur.

Prem Rog (1982), Raj Kapoor 26

Bimal Roy As one of the unquestionable directors of Bollywood, Roy managed to join the commercial films of Bombay to social concerns, giving Indian commercial films the Neorealism it had never had before in Bombay. After emigrating to Calcutta after his father’s death, his passion for photography led him to work for the legendary director P.C. Barua, who introduced him in the Bengali film industry.

Even so, his first steps in direction were not well received by the Bengali industry, which made him go to Bombay, where he definitely became well known. His first great success inside and outside of the country was Do Bigha Zameen (1953), which has been compared by many to the Italian symbol of Neorealism, The Bicycle Thief by De Sica.

Devdas Year: 1955 With: Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Vyjayanthimala Motilal Genre: Drama

Do Bigha Zamin Year: 1953 With: Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy, Ratan Kumar Genre: Drama

This is one of the first shot versions of the novel Devdas by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. He tells the love story between the son of a rich family, Devdas, and Paro, the daughter of the servants of the family.

Devdas’ father does not approve the relationship between Devdas and Paro and he sends him to Calcutta to study, while they will force Paro to marry an older man.When Devdas comes back from Calcutta and sees the new situation of his beloved woman, he gets lost in alcohol and bad company.

Like many films by Bimal Roy, author and commercial cinema are together in this film, which was the first Indian film that won an international award at the Cannes Festival.

The film accounts Sambhu Mahato’s story, who like thousands of Indian people in rural areas, lives as a poor peasant working on the soil and expecting to celebrate the arrival of the monsoon. However, the powerful landlord of the place forces Sambhu to face an irrational proposal: He either returns the loan he was given in three months, or he will become the owner of his lands, the only source of the peasant to survive.

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Mehboob Khan Khan was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema (he began his career before the Independence of India), producer and director, better known for directing the film Mother India (1957) who, as well as winning the most important prizes at the Filmfare Awards (national awards of Indian cinematography), was nominated by the Academy of Hollywood as the Best Foreign Film. As well as being known as the director who was most influenced by Hollywood films of the 50s and 60s, Mehboob Khan also allowed his firm left-wing attitude to appear in many of his works that approached the oppression against the poor, the social class struggle and rural life. The director plays with different genres such as adventure films, musicals or social drama to report different cases of feudal exploitation and to brilliantly outline the role of women in the Indian society.

Mother India Year: 1957. With: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar. Genre: Drama/Musical Mother India might be one of the greatest cinematographic successes of the history of Indian cinema, which established the already recognized actress Nargis, whose image of suffering and effort is in the eyes of the Indian public as a myth and a symbol of their beloved country, India. The film explores the existing relationship between poor farmers and landlords: Radha, whose husband cannot work after an accident took his arms away, and must support his children and maintain the dignity and honesty of his family whatever and without falling for pressures and insults he receives by the true owners of his lands. Khan knew how to conspire a good dose of drama, adventure, Hollywood style stages and musical interludes. Mother India was extremely popular not only in India, but it was premiered in countries such as Spain, Greece, Egypt and the Soviet Union.

Mother India (1957), Mehboob Khan

Guru Dutt He was born in Calcutta in 1925 and he began his career as a choreographer of musical scenes when India was becoming independent. Very soon he started to direct and star successful long films, all of which were in the line of popular Indian cinema. He made his debut in 1951 with Bazi, a thriller influenced by North American films of the time. His next films were comedies or melodramas based on customs where the original musical numbers stand out, but did not presage the achievements of his two masterpieces: Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), films that defined him as a bridge film maker between commercial Bollywood films and Satyajit Ray’s naturalist realism.

Pyaasa Year: 1957.With: Mala Sinha, Guru Dutt,Waheeda Rehman.

Genre: Drama/Musical This melodrama which has acquired the status of a real classic of Indian cinematography was the first of a series of films where Dutt aimed to reflecting on the situation of his country and the role of artists in society.Vijay is a lonely poet, whose talent has been unnoticed among his friends. Most of his melancholic verses evolve around a non corresponded love by Meena, a friend from school married to a fatuous and superficial man. The only person who understands Vijay’s poetry is Gulabo, a prostitute. They both had a very special relationship through poetry. Many critics consider Guru Dutt’s acting work in this film as the best of his career.

Pyaasa (1957), Guru Dutt

Raj Khosla Raj Khosla (1925-1991) was one of the important directors of the Indian film industry between the 50s and 80s, especially known as a “actress director�.

Having studied to be a classical singer, the actor and producer Dev Anand, when he saw his talent, convinced him to begin as a direction assistant of several films (among which one by Guru Dutt stands out) and soon later he turned to direction. Maybe for his musical educational past, Khosla was recognized for the great photography of his musical numbers.

Kalapani Year: 1958. With: Dev Anand, Madhubala, Nalini Jaywant, Nasir Hussain.

Genre: Thriller/Musical Based on the novel Beyond this Place by the writer A. J. Cronin, the film tells the tireless story of a crusade for justice. A young man whose father has been involved by accident in a case of the killing of a teenager will fight to trap the real criminals and take them before justice, so his father is freed from life imprisonment he had been condemned to. For this, he will gather strength with a press reporter, a retired police inspector and a prostitute who will seem to have one of the keys of his father’s innocence.

Vijay Anand Vijay Anand (1933-2004), also known as Goldie Anand, was an Indian director, producer, scriptwriter and actor acclaimed by his films, most of which were thrillers, such as Guide (1965) or Johnny Mera Naam (1970). His debut was in 1957 with the film Nau Do Gyarah, shot it only 40 days. He is one of the directors that most has influenced the black films of Indian cinema. Vijay is one of the key figures in the period of transition between this genre of the classic period of the subsequent years to independence and the serious convulsions of the seventies.

Guide Year: 1965.With: Dev Anand,Waheeda Rehman, Leela Chitnis.

Genre: Drama/Musical Vijay directed and wrote the script of this film starred by one of the stars of the time, Dev Anand.The film is based on the novel acclaimed by the critic, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan and is considered a masterpiece of Indian cinema (at the Cannes Festival a screening of this film took place in 2007, 42 years after his premiere in India).

Guide approaches the adventures of Raju, a simple tourist guide and cheater, who goes from a life of excess to fulfill the sentence for falsification and was later wrongly considered a Saint who did miracles.

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Other Bollywood classic films available at the Media Library: Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971), Dev Anand Aag (1948), Raj Kapoor Barsaat: the Monsoon (1949), Raj Kapoor Teesri Manzil (1966), Vijay Anand Satyam Shivam Sundaram / Love Sublime (1978), Raj Kapoor Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), Raj Kapoor

Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Guru Dutt

Bollywood 70s and 80s: Winds of Change

Throughout the 70s and 80s, the dream of Bollywood turned into sex and violence. Romance as the core disappeared as a narrative element and masculine friendship appeared, the antihero males, disappointed when they didn’t reach their expectations in real life. Amitabh Bachchan, superstar who was highlighted among the rest, established the tone and rules. He ruled the stage with his presence, and performed as the lonely bad-tempered man, even in love, sometimes making comedy trying some dance steps, but especially lonely and full or rage against a system that destroyed the ill-fated, whose cause he defended.

Women were secondary, but the novelty consisted of the heroine holding the qualities of a vamp and a good girl‌ the Manichaeism of the past started to disappear.

Ramesh Sippy

Born in the bosom of a family of producers, Ramesh Sippy began his career as a producer and director at the beginning of the seventies. His most important success was without a doubt Sholay, one of the most acclaimed films in history, that remained for 140 consecutive weeks in its premiere screen in Bombay (and even six more years in matinees). He is also responsible for films as interesting as Shaan (1980), Shakti (1982) or Akayla (1991), all performed by Amitabh Bachchan. Sippy is also responsable for the most successful televisiĂłn series in, Buniyaad.

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Sholay Year: 1975.With: Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan. Genre: Action/Musical Two prisoners and cheats are hired by a former policeman to help him free his village from the horror of a bandit that makes the population terrified and continuously extorted. Sholay is one of the most analysed Indian films in history that time has turned into a classic, one of those productions that doesn’t matter when it’s seen, because the result is unanimous: A masterpiece. Sequences like the opening one (a spectacular persecution of a train that takes us to a spaghetti western) or the scene of the discovery of the past of Thakur (where we suffer together with him the death of his family by the bandit Gabbar) remain in the Indian spectator’s eyes even today.

But which without a doubt is one of the best approached issues of the film is the characterization of the bandit Gabbar (character performed by Amjad Khan, with more than a hundred films throughout his career).The rest of the cast shines with its own light: From Amitabh Bachchan, giving life to sarcastic close to his companion and friend Veeru (Dharmendra), to all the repertoire of the secondary characters, like Basanti, the young bus driver who cannot stop talking, or the widow of one of the dead sons of Thakur, who will have a special relationship with Jai. Music, action scenes, love stories, revenge, treason and especially epic, is the summary of Sholay, one of the classics of Indian cinema.

Shakti Year: 1982. With: Silip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Smita Patil, Rakhee Gulzar, Amrish Puri.

Genre: Action/Drama/Musical An incorruptible and honest policeman doesn’t accept the demands of the kidnappers of his own son, even though his life is at risk.

7 Finally the child is freed and alive but will eternally life with an irreversible hatred towards his father, a father who was prepared to sacrifice his son’s life in order to not be against his principles. Vijay, the son, grows up hating everything his father represents and this is why he becomes one of the most important “lords” of Indian mafia. Father and son, both on each sides of justice, will confront each other in a case of assassination where Vijay is accused guilty.

Amitabh Bachchan

Manmohan Desai Desai especially known for being the director that has given most successes to the Indian public. Out of his around 20 films, at least 13 of them have managed to have the approval in sales at its premiere. Desai came from a family devoted to cinema (his father was the director of the Paramount Studios in India) and his cinematographic career gives rise to a new genre: Masala cinema (like spices in food, a bit of everything in his films). His success were also due to the star of the time, Amitabh Bachchan, who starred 8 of his films in the 70s and beginning of the 80s.

Coolie Year: 1983. With: Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor, Rati Agnihotri. Genre: Drama/Musical Before his premiere, Coolie was already a success due to the fact that while they were shooting a fighting scene, the actor-star Amitabh Bachchan was seriously hurt in the guts and had to be urgently operated and stayed in hospital for months. This event has a world repercussion and the Indian public begged in temples for the life of their favourite actor. The plot: A rich but evil man falls in love with Salma, a beautiful young woman who will reject him with the support of her father. Zafar, the indignant man in love, is imprisoned for several crimes and for 10 years in prison he plans his revenge against Salma and her family.

Coolie (1983), Manmohan Desai

Yash Chopra Labelled as the eternal romantic and with one of the best senses for musical numbers,Yash Chopra is one of the great directors of Bollywood specialised in romantic films, even though among his successes thrillers are also highlighted.

Also scriptwriter and producer, the films Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Lamhe, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai or Veer-Zaara are some of the most popular successes among the public. He is the founder of the already mythical producer Yash Raj Films.

Yash initiated in the world of cinema as his brother’s direction assistant, the also director B. R. Chopra, who gave him the chance to make his first film Dhool Ka Phool (1959). Later, a series of successes starred by omnipresent Amitabh Bachchan which earned him his friendship, as well as the consideration of being one of the talents of Bollywood. His children Aditya and Uday are also well-known figures within the industry of Mumbai.

Deewar Year: 1975. With: Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy. Genre: Action/Thriller Nobody like Amitabh Bachchan could have embodied in this urban thriller the unease of this working class origin angry young man.

Deewar, who really just retakes the story that has been told so many times between two brothers placed on opposite sides of the law, but whose roots are in well known episodes of the classical Indian mythological topics. Here, there is a quintessence of a certain and renewed way to understand black cinema in the sixties, in a moment when the industry of Bombay pays attention to what is happening in Hollywood at the same time, and in Europe, as well as martial arts of Hong Kong.

Veer-Zaara Year: 2004 With: Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee, Kiron Kher. Drama/Musical Produced by the myth Yash Chopra and directed by his son, who has recreated the paternal style so well in films such as the successful Mohabbattein, Veer-Zaara places the eternal romance between two young people in the Indo-Pakistani border, developing his love story throughout more than two decades, where they struggle against rejection, lack of understanding, pain (his own and someone else’s) and death. These Romeo and Juliet of contemporary India, embodied by Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta, an Indian air force pilot and a young Pakistani woman from a good family.

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Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Year: 1995. With Shahrukh Khan, Amrish Puri, Kajol.

Genre: Romantic Drama/Musical The film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge has been acclaimed by the Indian critic as one of the best 25 films of the history of Bollywood. Directed

by Aditya Chopra and produced by his father, Yash Chopra and his producing company, the film was shown for 600 weeks and in 1996 managed to receive 10 awards in the edition of that year of the Filmfare Awards. Dilwale‌ tells the store of Raj and Simran, to young non-residents who meet on a trip around Europe. What in the first place seems irreconcilable (the two young people do not stop arguing), will end up in a mutual understanding and consequent falling in love. But Simran is already engaged and his father, in view of her relationship with Raj, decides to send her to India where her future husband awaits her. What will Raj do?

Veer-Zaara (2004), Aditya Chopra

Sooraj R. Barjatya Sooraj R. Barjatya produced his films under the flan of Rajshri Productions, company founded in 1947 by his own grandfather. He was born in Mumbai and his debut as a director was with Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) turning into a success in Indian sales and becoming a good launching platform for him and the main character Salman Khan.They both continued working together achieving success in their careers such as Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994) or Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999). Sooraj’s cinema pleaded for a reestablishment of predominant commercial cinema in the 70s and 80s, action, violence and sex and the return to romantic comedy.

Maine Pyar Kiya Year: 1989 With: Salman Khan, Bhagyashree, Laxmikant Berde, Alok Nath Genre: Romantic Drama/Musical After receiving 5 important awards at the Filmfare of 1990 and becoming the best success in the year of its premiere, Maine Pyar Kiya tells the story of two friends who having been very close for many years, are separated by their respective destinies and taken to different lives: The widow Karan is a poor engineer who lives in a small house in the countryside, whereas Kishan is a rich businessman with a business empire and not enough time for old friends. But when Karan is offered work abroad, he turns to Kishan to ask for a favour: While he is away, his daughter Suman could live in the house of his old friend Kishan. Will he accept the proposal?

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Other Bollywood films by directors of the 70s and 80s or related, and available at the Media Library:

Mohabbatein (2000), Aditya Chopra Sadhana (1958), B. R. Chopra Dastaan (1972), B. R. Chopra Mahabharat (Serie TV, 1988), B. R.Chopra and Ravi Chopra Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973), Manmohan Desai Saagar (1985), Ramesh Sippy Baghban (2003), Ravi Chopra Baabul (2006), Ravi Chopra Hum Aaapke Hain Koun / Who am I toYou? (1994), Sooraj R. Barjatya Kabhi Kabhie (1976),Yash Chopra Chandni (1989),Yash Chopra Dil To Pagal Hai (1997),Yash Chopra

Kabhi Kabhie (1976),Yash Chopra 41

Contemporary Bollywood Since the 90s and, especially, in the first decade of 2000, there has been an acknowledged offensive by the film industry of Bombay to arrive in the market of the West. This way, the narrative of its films approached the Hollywood canons (this can be seen in Lagaan. Once upon a time in India, which was nominated to the Oscars as the best foreign film, or the new version of Devdas, especially presented at the Cannes Festival out of the contest). The profit of an Indian film, until now based on the videographic market, turns to selling the rights of exploitation to the satellite channels and foreign sales. This has to be added to the growing influence of the Indian immigration, which creates a new profile of spectator that is more westernized. This is why many productions turn to Western consumerism pleasures and go back to ancient heroes and heroines.

It’s the new perception of Bollywood films before a globalized public and this is why many of the productions try to reduce the length of their films (they now last around 2 hours), and they are shot directly in English (or in “Hinglish” as it is also known as) and they also include less songs, less musical numbers (1 or 2 and even none).

Lagaan (1983), Ashutosh Gowariker

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Ram Gopal Varma Ram Gopal Varma was born in the state of Andhra Pradesh in 1962. Since he was young, his passion for the seventh art made him frequent in cinemas. He graduated at the School of Engineering and opened a videoclub, where he continued working on his cinematographic culture. Varma began his career in the industry of Telegu films (from Andhra Pradesh’s area) as assistant director.

He soon consolidated his place in this cinema with his first film as a director and script writer, Shiva (1989), which became the reference film for the Telegu industry. In a moment when cinema mainly offered action films and glamorous love stories, Ram Gopal Varma offered deep and realistic films. Known for not using musical numbers that were characteristic in Bollywood cinema, his films mainly approach what’s contemporary and urban, generally focused on the city of Mumbai. One of the great precursors or creators of what’s known as “Mumbai Noir”, Varma managed to move the psychological deepness and the cinematographic virtuosity to the Indian genre films.

Company Year: 2002. With: Vivek Oberoi, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Mohanlal, Antara Mali. Genre: Thriller This could be one of the best thrillers in the Bollywood film industry.

It is a cold and grey portrait about the underworld of crime and gangster gangs. The action evolves around Chandu (a wonderful Vivek Oberoi), a kid who comes from shacks and manages to become someone within the organised crime of Mumbai and will earn richness and fortune. His life will seem a bed of roses when he meets and falls in love with Kannu, but things will change when he decides to do business with the Hong Kong triads.

Company (2002), Ram Gopal Varma

Bhoot (2003), Ram Gopal Varma

Bhoot Year: 2003. With: Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan. Genre: Horror A stockbroker and his wife move to a new apartment. The previous tenant committed suicide jumping from the balcony, but this doesn’t stop the owner from buying it. What’s more, he hid it from his wife so she wouldn’t be worried. It didn’t take long before she had strange experiences like nightmares, insomnia and mysterious visions. One of the best Indian horror films that manages to connect us to its main characters and be on continuous tension. Bhoot tries to avoid clichés of Indian standard films (which is not too hard, simply avoiding usual characters and white saris), as well as American films (which it approaches more in spirit). It is a very well made and unique film.

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Mumbai, 1963) joined the cinematographic industry in 1989 when he was in charge of thinking out the musical parts of Parinda (The Pigeon) by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. In 1993, he was the composer and scriptwriter of 1942: A love story, and in 1996, he made his debut as a director in Khamoshi: The musical, which tells the story of the life of a singer whose parents are deaf and dumb and wants to make them part of his passion. It must be said that in Bhansali’s films, image and music are very close, creating a particular atmosphere, which identifies him. Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself acknowledges that he doesn’t start a film without defining its musical universe. In 2003 Sanjay Leela Bhansali won 10 Filmfare Awards with the adaptation of Saratchandra Chattopadhayay’s novel, Devdas, with Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai y Madhuri Dixit. From its premiere, the success of Devdas has overcome the borders of India. The film was presented at the Cannes Festival and was nominated to the Oscars.

Black Year: 2005. With: Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Shernaz Patel, Ayesha Kapoor. Genre: Drama Based on the life of the American writer and political activist Hellen Keller (who doesn’t remember the film The MiracleWorker?), Bhansali offered the actor Amitabh Bachchan a main role in Black in 2005, a totally atypical film compared to other Bollywood films and that was also successful among the critic and public. The McNallys, an AngloIndian couple, are looking forward to the birth of their first baby.

But their happiness does not last too long, when the girl, Michelle, is born deaf and dumb.

In order not to expose the girl to the real world and so she isn’t hurt, the family tries to protect her, which is why Michelle becomes more and more violent and volatile. Everything will change when the governess and educator Debraj Sahai enters their lives.

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Devdas Year: 2002 With: Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit Genre: Romantic Drama/Musical Devdas and Paro are good childhood friends.

But as time went by the friendship turned into an innocent romance, accepted by Sumitra, Paro’s mother and by friends and family, despite the fact that for Kaushalya, Devdas’ mother, her son’s engagement to a low class woman is the worst thing that could happen. Devdas is a true visual show, with many sets, clothes, colours, music and dance that fascinates the public throughout the 3 hours it lasts. Playing with light and colour, which manages to create real magic atmospheres, Devdas shows a lot of music, dance and performances along with a story of class differences, underworlds and the search for true love. The best film for those who would like to deepen into Bollywood.

Devdas (2002), Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Vikram Bhatt Vikram Bhatt was born on the 27th of January 1987 and is director, producer and scriptwriter of Bollywood films. He is Vijay Bhatt’s grandson, one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, has more than 20 films in his filmography and is the creative mind of the producing companies under the abbreviation ASA. It is also known (it has the ‘sad’ reputation) for its copies and continuous remakes of Hollywood films (Fareb in 1996 is based on the film by Jonathan Kaplan, Unlawful Entry; Footpath in 2003 based on the film with Sean Penn State of Grace; and Ghulam itself which we talk about a lot is a remake/tribute to On theWaterfront

by Elia Kazan).

Ghulam Year: 1998. With: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Deepak Tijori, Sharat Saxena. Genre: Drama/Thriller Ghulam (which means “slave”) tells the story of Siddharth (Aamir Khan), a young amateur boxer. His older brother Jai, works for the gangster of the neighbourhood, frightening the neighbours and extorting traders in exchange for protection. His father, an ex boxer, committed suicide in front of him, which mentally touched him deeply. During his life, Siddharth met his love Alisha and Hari, a social worker who showed him other possibilities for his path.

Ghulam (1998), Vikram Bhatt

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Ashutosh Gowariker Ashutosh Gowariker (born in 1964) is a Bollywood actor, director, script writer and producer. His debut as an actor was in 1984 in the film Ketan Mehta, Holi. After acting in many television series, in 1993 he made Pehla Nasha (inspired in the Hollywood film Body Double, by Brian De Palma) which marked his debut in direction, but was not a very successful film regarding sales. His second film in 1995, Baazi, starred by Aamir Khan, wasn’t either.

Aamin Khan was the producer of the film for which Gowariker was internationally well known: Lagaan in 2001 with which he achieved the acknowledgement of many festivals, including the Hollywood Academy. Later, other successes arrived such as Swades (2004) or more recently the fabulous and epic Jodhaa Akbar (2008).

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India Year: 2001. With: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne. Genre: Drama/Musical At the end of last century the majority of India had accepted that the English would rule another 100 years. The Rajah has lost the majority of their legendary power and richness and were simple rulers because of their name. The English protected the territories of the Rajah and administered law and order. In exchange, they collected a tax that all the farmers of the country had to pay: A portion of their crop as a tax known as Lagaan. Almost four hours of epic show in a fictitious confrontation between the English and Indian in a cricket match. A nice and honest story, with no double reading or ironies, whose only purpose is to make everyone enjoy and have fun.

Swades:We, the People Year: 2004.With: Shah Rukh Khan, Rahu Vohra, Peter Rawley, Gayatri Joshi. Drama/Musical Swades, in a tone closer to documentaries than to a classical music classic, introduces us to the trip of a young engineer of NASA, role played by Shah Rukh Khan, in search for his babysitter. This trip to the centre of India discovered its social problems and makes him question his role as a citizen of his country. This fresco of India, full of fervent and declared nationalism, includes one of the most beautiful images shot in the last years. Intimate, as well as colourful and musical (the soundtrack is A.R. Rahman’s), the film received many awards in 2005.

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Rajkumar Santoshi Son of the famous Indian choreographer P. L. Santoshi, Rajkumar Santoshi initiated in cinema as Govind Nihalani’s direction assistant, and later specialized in a kind of epic action cinema. His first work as a director was the film that turned Sunny Deol into the star of violent cinema, Ghayal (1990). In 1995 the story was repeated with Bobby Deol, brother of the aforementioned, who entered the star system thanks to Barsaat. China Gate (1998) or Pukar (2000) are among the most famous films by Santoishi.

Khakee Year: 2004 With: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Genre: Action

Family:Ties of Blood Year: 2006 With: Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Aryeman Ramsay, Bhoomika Chawla Genre: Thriller/Drama

Rajkumar Santoshi caused a stir at the beginning of 2004 with this excellent thriller which is political and hardly has any musical numbers, which grouped a few stars of the “Bollywood Olympo” under a high budget (mythical Amitabh Bachchan, beautiful Aishwarya Rai, the action man Akshay Kumar, tough Ajay Devgan and young Tussar Kapoor were there). This film, which had a turnover and was dramatic and patriotic, needs the time to place the action and develop it as an intense and solid road movie where there were hardly any musical numbers and sporadic concessions to the most visual part of the film. An attractive film for Western eyes.

Viren Sahai is a mafia boss whose life is surrounded by crimes and violence. He has a strict rule: His family is the most important thing, but if someone hurts it, they will pay for it. Shekhar Bhatia, a simple and hard working chef also feels the same respect for the symbol of the family and gives all his love to his little brother Ayran who he would die for. When Viren accidentally kills Secar, Ayran will search for revenge. Despite not having been successful among the critic or in sales (it was accused of having a weak plot and a poor direction), Family… includes the acting of two of the great names of the Indian star galaxy, as well as approaching the universal concept: Destiny and karma.

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Farhan Akhtar Farhan Akhtar is the son of the most famous Bollywood script and song writer Javed Katar, married to Shabana Azmi, the most awarded actress of Indian cinema, social activist and current Member of Parliament. Farhan Katar, therefore, grew up and learned from its trade within the industry of cinema, as well as broadening his technical knowledge abroad. Director, script writer, actor, singer, song writer, producer and television presenter, his debut as a director took place in 2001 with Dil Chahta Hai which became a cult film among young people when it was premiered and was successful in sales and among the Indian cinematographic critic.

Dil Chahta Hai Year: 2001. With: Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta. Genre: Drama/Musical The film tells the story of the relationship of 3 young people in Mumbai who have just graduated in a kind of initiation journey to maturity: Akash, Sammer and Siddhart. The first, a well off boy who is too busy living the present to think about anything else; Sammer who searches for a stable relationship but ends in a traumatic way; and the artist Siddhart who believes that love will arrive at the right time. Urban and elegant, based on the ‘golden youth’, the film received the approval of young people and the critic, winning 21 awards in different prizes of the Academy of Indian Films, among which we stand out the award to the best choreography, by Farah Khan (also choreographer of films such as Dil Se, The MonsoonWedding or Asoka), the director’s cousin.

Lakshya Year: 2004. With: Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri. Genre: Action/Drama Lakshya was the return to the screen of the director of the hyperstylized Dil Chahta Hai. A belic drama with the backdrop of the umpteenth turn of the screw of the Indo-Pakistani war. Despite it is not totally free of the propaganda components of this kind of films, it accounts the situation from a more sensitive point of view, without a good dose of epic and show. Focused on the battle of Kargil, which has given many films to cinema, it includes the effective Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri.

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Vishal Bhardwaj From the world of musical composition (he has made around twenty soundtracks from his debut in 1966 with Maachis), he debuted in direction with Makdee (2002) a film for children, a public he would like because in 2005 he directed The Blue Umbrella, also for families and children. After Makdee, in 2003, he made one of his best films, Maqbool: The adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, he would later go back to making his particular version of Othelo in his film Omkara in 2006.

Makdee:The Web of the Witch Year: 2002.With Shabana Azni, Makrand Deshpande, Shweta Prasad, Alaap Mazgaonkar, Mohini Mathur. Genre: Adventures/Children/Musical Chunni and Munni are 11 year-old twins, identical in appearance but very different in character. Chunni is a hard working and well mannered student, whereas Munni is naughty and pretends to be her sister. A haunted mansion will cause the biggest stir in their lives.

A Bollywood style fairytale, a film full of songs that take children to the adventures of the young stars. Makdee won the award to the best film at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival of 2002.

Omkara Year: 2006. With: Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma. Action/Drama Regarding the adaptation of the English classic, Othelo, Omkara is a brilliant cinematographic work, that moves and transforms with conviction the characters of Shakespeare’s work in an Indian epic story. Those who don’t know the story of Othelo will find in this film the description of a man who, full of jealousy, he killed his own lover to finish his life a bit later. The effort of the director Vishal Bhardwaj to adapt the literary work that was written more than 400 years ago, is laudable.

But without taking into account Shakespeare’s spirit, the film offers a lesson of good cinema, a thriller where lots of its public will feel identified with the visceral reactions of its main characters.

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Other contemporary Bollywood titles available at the Media Library:

The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), Rajkumar Santoshi

Damini Lightning (1993), Rajkumar Santoshi Pukar (2000), Rajkumar Santoshi Lajja (2001), Rajkumar Santoshi The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), Rajkumar Santoshi Rangeela (1995), Ram Gopal Varma Daud: Fun on the Run (1997), Ram Gopal Varma Satya (1998), Ram Gopal Varma Jungle (2000), Ram Gopal Varma Sarkar (2005), Ram Gopal Varma Shiva (2006), Ram Gopal Varma Hum dil de Chuke Sanam (1999), Sanjay Leela Bhansali Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Vikram Bhatt Deewane Huye Paagal (2005), Vikram Bhatt

Indian Commercial Cinema: Other Centres of Production Bollywood produces around 250 films per year and is the main national producer, but there are more film producers in India, which do not envy Bollywood at all, in fact, their original ideas and scripts usually give better results that those of the industry of Mumbai. Generally, the rest of film producers in India are structured by regions and depending on their language (this is initiated from the appearance of sound films in 1931): Tollywood (for films in Bengali), Kerala (in Malayalam, known as Mollywood), Kodambakkam (in Tamil, known as Kollywood), Madras and Calcutta, where the stars of engaged author cinema were born, away from the commercial standards. Even though Bollywood commercial cinema is the star of Indian cinema, the enormous production of good films in other parts of India cannot be forgotten, very interesting and quality films. We will go through these centres of production and commenting some of their most representative directors.

Telegu Cinema The second national producer is Tollywood, with 200 films per year, a cinema from the area of Andhra Pradesh, south India, and shot in Telegu language.

Ram Gopal Varma Ram Gopal Varma was born in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in 1962. Since he was young his passion for the seventh art turned him into a frequent in cinemas.

He graduated in the School of Engineering and opened a videoclub, where he continued working on his cinematographic culture. Even though he was already very successful in the industry of Bombay, Ram Gopal initiated his career industry of Telegu cinema (from the area of Andhra Pradesh) as an assistant director. He would soon find his place in Telegu cinema with his first film as a director and script writer, Shiva (1989).

(See more information in the reference 4.3.1. in the section of “Contemporary Bollywood�).

Shiva Year: 1989. With: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Amala, Raghuvaran, J.D. Chakravarthi. Genre: Action/Drama Shiva is a stylized and violent drama about crime in the context of universities: Shiva is a new student of a university community.

Received by his colleagues, including charming Asha who he feels attracted to, Shiva will not take long in noticing the violence within the university field, and not only among students but also in external groups. Searching for answers, Shiva will bump against threats and violence in first person. With extremely tough and graphic action and violent scenes, as well as achieving pioneer aspects at the time in photography and sound, Shiva became a reference film for the industry of Telegu cinema and later Varma himself would make it in Hindi in 2006, but would not achieve as much success as the original.

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Tamil Cinema Also in the south one comes accross Tamil Nadu, one of the centres of cinema in India with 130 productions per year, most shot in the area of Kodambakkam, which is why its name is Kollywood. Kollywood cinema is the second in distribution in India and one of the most exported to the south and southeast Asia, because in many of these areas Tamil is spoken as the main language.

Guru (2007), Mani Ratnam

Dil Se (1998), Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam Mani Ratnam is one of the most famous directors of south India, even though he is well known in the whole national territory. He is one of the film-makers who has revolutionized the industry of Tamil cinema with films with great technique, beautifully photographed and with brilliant performances as well as colourful and adjusted songs. Born in 1956 in Madras where he also went to university, he carries out his debut in Kannada film directing with Pallvi Anu Pallavi (1983) starred

by Anil Kapoor. After making several unknown films in the Tamil and Malayalam industry, Ratnam broke all the molds in 1986 with Mouna Ragam, with which he began to revolutionize the film industry of his hometown.

Guru Year: 2007.With: Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan.

Genre: Drama/Romance/Thriller Film premiered in January 2007 in Bombay and also dubbed for the Tamil and Telegu areas and directed by Mani Ratman, who is the cowriter of the script. The similarities between the experiences of the main character of the film with the important and recognized Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, led to the speculation of the fact that the film was based on his life. Gurukant Desai comes from a small village of Gujarat and dreams about having his own business in Mumbai. After coming back from Turkey, he marries Sujatha in order to inherit the dowry and move to Mumbai where he can start up his business. Guru approaches the experience of Gurukant in the achievement of the business success: The obstacles he comes across on his path, his success and failure.

Dil Se Year: 1998. With: Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta., Raghuvir Yadav.

Genre: Romantic Drama / Thriller/Musical Dil Se seems like a typical commercial film with a Bollywood structure, but we soon realize that it is something different: A tense thriller that includes a tough political criticism towards the government and the military stratum; a love story... love for ideals more than the passionate love between men and women; a dark, intense, too political, too tragic film... nothing common in the patrons of the commercial cinema of the time. Dil Se leaves us a question: How to judge terrorist acts when the cause could be totally justified? A young Shahrukh Khan travels by train in search for interviews and opinions for his radio program. On his journey, he will meet an enigmatic girl. Both seem attracted by each other, but there is something in her, in her tired and sad eyes that keeps him on his guard. What does she hide?

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Shankar Shankar, born in August 1963 in the area of Tamil Nadu, he is one of the most famous directors and producers of the industry of Chennai cinema (films in Tamil language). His films often have a social content, but this is relegated to the narrative commercial megablocksbusters. With 10 films in his career as a director, Shankar, from his beginnings with Gentleman in 1993, he has linked one success to another. He is known by the use of the new and expensive CGI effects (Computer Generated Images) in his films. Many of his films have been dubbed into Hindi or Telegu.

Anniyan Year: 2005. With: Chiyaan Vikram, Sada, Vivek, Prakash Raj, Yana Gupta. Genre: Action/Horror/Musical Ramanujam is a lawyer against the world. Every day, in the streets of Madras, he comes across robs, accidents, corruption‌ His shy character does not allow him to impose himself before these injustices until he enters a strange website that will turn him into an implacable avenging person, as well as being a womanizer who stars spectacular musical numbers. Anniyan is a perfect example of Tamil cinema: A crazy and clever story, a technically perfect super production and a continuous feeling of roller coaster.

Anniyan (2005), Shankar

Asoka (2001), Santosh Sivan

Malayalam Cinema We continue in the south and we’re off to the state of Kerala with films shot in Malayalam and known as Mallywood, with a production of 70 films per year.

Santosh Sivan

Santosh Sivan, born in Kerala, is one of the most acclaimed directors and photographers by the critics of Indian cinema. Winner of awards inside and outside India, Sivan belongs to a family focused on cinema (his brothers are also film directors and his father was a famous documentary director). Even though the majority of his filmography is in Malayalam, Sivan is also within the industry of Bollywood. His film Anandabhadram of 2005, a film about ghosts, spirits and black magic and based on the novel with the same name written by Sunil Parameswaran, gave him great reputation, for its success in sales and for the 5 awards at the Kerala State Film Awards.

Asoka Year: 2001. With: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Ajit Kumar, Danny Denzongpa.

Genre: Drama/Adventures/Musical Freely based on the story of the Emperor, Asoka is one of the most beautiful love stories told in Bollywood, and at the same time the most epic and spectacular. A masterpiece decorated with musical numbers shot in paradise scenarios.

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Priyadarshan Known by the remakes of his own films or of films made in the market of Malayalam cinema to take them to Bollywood. Director and script writer, Priyadarshan began his career directing Malayalam films in the eighties and nineties, to then turn to Bollywood. Influenced by his father, a famous playwright, he developed love for reading and fascination for comics and fairytales that is reflected in his films.

Hera Pheri Year: 2000 With: Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawalm, Tabu Genre: Comedy/ Drama/Musical

Hulchul Year: 2005 With: Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal Genre: Comedy

Hera Pheri (Monkey Business) is a cult comedy premiered in Mumbai in 2000, Bollywood remake of the film in Malayalam Ramji Rao Speaking of 1989, directed by Siddique and Lal’s. Comedy of situation where three young people with economic problems try to find their own place in the working world of Mumbai. One day, a mistaken phone call places them before the kidnap of the grandchild of a rich businessman and they decide to take advantage of the situation.

Akshaye Khanna is the main character of the mix ups that occur regarding two confronted families for generations whose grandchildren continue fighting. Reversion of the Malayalam title Godfather, it has many humouristic situations, especially starred by Paresh Ramal (one of the usual actors of the director) and the disappeared Amrish Puri. Even though the sense of humour leaves space for other ingredients as the end gets closer, it is a perfect title to initiate in the authentic made in Mumbai comedy.

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Hulchul (2005), Priyadarshan

Hulchul (2005), Priyadarshan

Guru (2007), Mani Ratnam

Other titles of Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam cinema available at the Media Library:

Imsai Arasan 23 M Pulikesi (2006), Chimbudeven Roja (1992), Mani Ratnam Bombay (1995), Mani Ratnam Guru: the Most Controversial Man of theYear (2007), Mani Ratnam The Terrorist (1999), Santosh Sivan Nayak, the Real Hero (2001), Shankar Yeh Teraa GharYeh Meraa Ghar (2001), Priyadarshan Hungama (2003), Priyadarshan MalamaalWeekly (2006), Priyadarshan

Raincoat (2004), Rituparno Ghosh

Parallel Cinema: Indian Independent Cinema 66

Always against the current, experimental independent cinema or Indian author cinema have always been left aside, hidden behind the commercial cinematographic industry.

Since the 70s, when the “New Indian Cinema� was born until today, many directors have tried to move their works away from the typical mass product. Indian independent cinema tries to find a place in the massive industry of commercial cinema. Out of the 14000 cinema screens in India, less than 10% are alternative cinemas where independent productions can be seen, author, art or essay cinema. So these independent productions must compete in commercial screens with Indian or American blockbusters (even though these last mentioned are very scarce).

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Shyam Benegal Key figure in the new generation of film-makers of India, Shyan Benegal was born on the 14th of December 1934 in Andhra Pradesh. He began his career working in 1959 as an advertisement writer in Bombay and, meanwhile, he made his first documentary in Gujurati, Gher Betha Ganga in 1962. During the years he worked in the advertising world he directed more than 900 documentaries and advertisements and he was also part of the teaching staff for a few years in the Institute of Cinema and Television of India. Already in Mumbai, he received the financing necessary for his first film, Ankur, in 1973, a story about the economic and sexual exploitation of his home state, Andhra Pradesh. The success of the New Indian Cinema in the decade of the 70s and the first years of the 90s could be attributed, in great extent, to the films by Shyam Benegal: Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and Bhumika (1977).

Ankur Year: 1974. With: Shabana Azmi, Sadhu Meher, Anant Nag. Genre: Drama Ankur (whose literal translation means “sowing”) was the first long film directed by Shyam Benegal and the debut of several Indian actors. Like many other films by Benegal, it belongs to the genre of artistic Indian films. The plot is based on a true story that occurred in Hyderabad, probably in the 50s. With three national awards and more than 40 in India and abroad, Ankur accounts the odysseys of Laxmi, a peasant who has to face the desertion of a deaf and dumb and drunk husband and the pressure of the landlord who loves her as a lover and will make her pregnant before the looks of lack of understanding and criticism of the society of the time. Through this film, the actress Shabana Azmi, who plays the role of the main character of the story, becomes one of the great actresses of Indian independent cinema of the 70s and 80s.

Trikal (Past, Present, Future) Year: 1985. With: Leela Naidu, Neena Gupta, Anita Kanwar, Soni Razdan, Dalia Tahil. Genre: Drama Set in Goa (Portuguese former colony) in 1961, period of Indian post-independence, the story of Trikal, told in past by one of the family friends of the main character, accounts the past, present and future of the rich and influencing Goan family: The affairs of the head of the family and his subsequent death, the difficulties with the servants, the need to marry the daughters of the family well, etc.

The film was the return to the scenario of the veteran actress Leela Naidu, who plays the role of the family mother and hadn’t acted for a few decades.

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Mahesh Bhatt Mahesh Bhatt was born in 1949 in Mumbai and began his career (after abandoning university in 1970) as the assistant of the director Raj Khosla. He directed his first film at the age of 21. His film Saasransh of 1984 received the special award of the jury at the Moscow Festival, but especially, his most famous films were Arth (1982), Janam (1985) and Naam (1986). He is known by his non-conventional style of directing and by his topics, which almost always reflects his experiences in his personal life. Very critical with politics and social aspects in India, some of his films had problems with the Indian censorship.

Arth Year: 1982. With: Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil. Genre: Drama This semi autobiographic story was also written by Mahesh Bhatt about the extramarital relationship with the actress Parveen Babi.

Arth is a wonderful and brilliant film about infidelity in marriage and is considered one of the best Indian films of all times

Arth (1982), Mahesh Bhatt

Rituparno Ghosh Rituparno Ghosh is a Bengali director, always identified with parallel cinema, and has won several national awards, as well as having achieved some more at international festivals. Ghosh was born in Calcutta in 1963 and, after studying Economics at university, the influence of his father (a director of documentaries and painter) took him to the world of cinema. He began his career in the advertising world and in 1992 he made his debut directing a film for children called Hirer Angti (The Diamond Ring). His second film, Unishe April (1994) won the award to the best film at the National Film Award of India. From then on, other productions followed, such as Dahan (1997), Utsab (2000) or Chokher Bali (2003), all made in Bengali, until in 2004 with Raincoat, he also began to direct in Hindi language.

Chokher Bali /A Passion Play Year: 2003 With: Aishwarya Rai, Prasenjit Chatterjee, Raima Sen, Lily Chakravarty Genre: Drama

Raincoat Year: 2004 Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai, Annu Kapoor, Mouly Ganguli Genre: Drama An unemployed man who needs money for his sister’s wedding travels to Calcutta where his ex girlfriend lives, who he was about to marry, but she preferred not to do so with a rich man. With his arrival, the memories of wasted time and too many secrets to be discovered will appear. Premiered in the art and essay circuits of the capitals has had an excellent answer of the critic and the usual public of off-Bollywood.

Bengali film based on the novel Chokher Bali by the great Indian novelist and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. The main character of the story is Binodini (Aishwarya Rai in one of his best roles), a young woman who has just become a widow after getting married and who her ill and weak husband has hardly left anything. Before her declining situation, Binodini decides to go back to her hometown where she lives as she can for a while, until she sees some relatives she decides to live with.There, the married son will start feeling attracted by Binodini.

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Chokher Bali (2003), Rituparno Ghosh

Nagesh Kukunoor Nagesh was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in 1967. He studied Chemistry Engineering in Atlanta, working as an environmental adviser before returning to India. With the money he had earned in the United States he finances his first film Hyderabad Blues (1998), beginning a successful career with films like Bollywood Calling (2001), Teen Dewaarein (2003), Hyderabad Blues 2 (2004) or Iqbal (2005), with which he achieved great success, he had the support of the critic and won several prizes. A film based on a deaf and dumb boy who wants to play cricket. Later, Dor (2006), displayed at several festivals, and winning the award to the best film at the Festival ImagineIndia of Madrid in 2007.

Iqbal (2005), Nagesh Kukunoor

Iqbal Year: 2005.With: Naseeruddin Shah, Shreyas Talpade, Shweta Prasad, Yatin Karyekar. Genre: Drama Iqbal, written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, is a story about modest people with great dreams. The struggle for something we really want but difficult to achieve. A story that allows you to meditate and think about life and that shows us the power of the human mind when we try to achieve something. Drama and sport are mixed to make a film full of values where cricket is the core and honesty impregnates narration. Iqbal, like most 18-year old kids, hates working and having responsibilities. He is unique, not because he is deaf and dumb, but because he doesn’t consider it a limitation. Iqbal receives his mum and sister’s support, who share his aspiration of turning into a cricket player in the national team.

Dor Year: 2006. With: Ayesha Takia, Shreyas Talpade, Gul Kirat Pagat, Girish Karnad. Genre: Drama Dor is a story based on a true story directed, written and interpreted (in a secondary role) by Nagesh Kukunoor. Directed with sensitivity and greatly performed by his two main actresses, Dor is a love, friendship, courage, hope and redemption story. It is an ode to freedom and independence, especially of those women who are still abided by masculine decisions. It is beautifully told, with an extreme sensitivity and great intelligence (nobody, of one side or another will be offended). The friendship story between young Meera and Zeenat from two different worlds are essential for the lovers of not Indian cinema, but cinema and not more.

Dor (2006), Nagesh Kukunoor

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (Calcutta, 1945) is one of the most reputed women directors in India.

She was one of the precursors of the direction of films in Hinglish, this is, to use English as the base language in her films, as she did in her debut in direction with 36 Cjowringhee Lane (1981), whose script she also wrote. This work made her be awarded with the Grand Prix at the Manila International Film Festival and the prize to the best director at the National Awards in India. Other of her works are memorable films, always within parallel cinema, such as Paroma (1984), Sati (1989) o Yugant (1995). Daughter of a recognized cinema historian, critic and director, Chidanda Dasgupta, Aparna Sen is also one of the most recognized actresses of the Indian star system, having earned several awards for some of her performances.

Mr and Mrs Iyer Year: 2002 With: Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhisham Sahni. Drama In this naturalist drama of identities, religions and interpersonal relationships, a Hindi woman pretends that her bus ride companion, who is Muslim, is her husband, to avoid his execution by terrorists.

A poetic and beautiful story, more valid than ever, that evokes the style of Master Yazujiro Ozu.

Mr and Mrs Iyer (2002), Aparna Sen

Goutam Ghose Goutam (born in Calcutta in 1950) was graduated at the University of Calcutta and was son involved with theatre as an artist and director. He acted in Grihajudda

by Buddahaeb Dasgupta in 1982. His is a professional photojournalist and directed his first short film called New Eart in 1973. Goutam Ghose (as he is also known) has been a great political activist who has travelled around India to document the life of modern India. His meeting with reality, with photographs of stark close-ups inspired him to use cinema as an effective arm of self expression.

His debut in the long film was the convincing and powerful Hungry Autumn of 1974, documentary that won several awards.

Dekha-Perceptions Year: 2001. With: Soumitra Chatterjee, Debashree Roy, Haradhan Bannerjee, Anjan Dutt. Genre: Drama.

Dekha is the chronicle of a blind poet who has seen the world and could make out love and passion, always under her poetic “vision�.

After going blind and living basically alone in a great half ruined mansion, we follow the poet through his daily tasks and setbacks, at the same time we retake small pieces and images with him which he manages to rescue from his visual memory.

Moner Manoush (2010), Goutam Ghose

Other titles of Indian independent cinema available at the Media Library:

36 Cjowringhee Lane (1981), Aparna Sen Paroma (1984), Aparna Sen Sati (1989), Aparna Sen 15 Park Avenue (2005), Aparna Sen Zakhm (1998), Mahesh Bhatt Kurukshetra (2000), Mahesh Manjrekar Tera Mera Saath Rahen (2001), Mahesh Manjrekar Vaam! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005), Mahesh Manjrekar Bollywood Calling (2001), Nagesh Kukunoor Bariwali/The Lady of the House (1999), Rituparno Ghosh Titli/The First Monsoon Day (2002), Rituparno Ghosh Nishaant/Night’s End (1975), Shyam Benegal Bhumika/The Role (1977), Shyam Benegal Junoon (1978), Shyam Benegal Mandi/Market Place (1983), Shyam Benegal Mammo (1994), Shyam Benegal Zubeidaa (2001), Shyam Benegal

Vaam! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005), Mahesh Manjrekar

Heaven on Earth (2008), Deepa Mehta

Indian non Residents 78

In contrast to the Bollywood’s good situation and of the commercial cinema of the rest of centres of production, the international visibility of Indian cinema has been slowly reducing since the years of Independence, as it was lacking many of its traditional foreign markets and did not have the profit of distribution in the West. From this point of view, one of the most characteristic phenomenon of the decade of the 90s was the appearance of “Indian” films shot inside and outside the country and in English or Hindu by expatriate film-makers.

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Bend it like Beckham (2002), Gurinder Chadha

Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Chadha, was born in January 1960, is an Indian origin British film director. After her beginnings as a BBC reporter for which she made a documentary called I’m English but… (where the story of relationships among British-Asian young people is told), begins to work in the cinematographic industry in 1993. Married to the also director Paul Mayeda Berges, with whom she has collaborated several times, her first film Bhaji in the Beach (1993) received many international awards and achieved a nomination to the BAFTA awards in 1994, as well as the Award of British Cinematography to the first film. This success is followed by other films such as Bend it like Beckham (2002) with a very young Keira Knightly or her own version of Pride and Prejudice, in the Bollywood style, which she shot in 2004 with the title of Bride and Prejudice.

Bend it like Beckham Year: 2002. With: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Anupam Kher, Archie Panjabi.

Genre: Comedy/Sport Jess is 18 and her parents want her to be a charming and conventional Indian girl. But she only wants to play football like her heroe, David Beckham. This is, kick a ball in the park with her friends. And this is how she discovers Jules, a young girl who invites her to join the local female football team. The girls are the same age and share the same dreams. At the same time their friendship is being consolidated, the team begins to travel to play in other cities. But Jess’s parents do not understand why she doesn’t calm down and learns to cook.

Bride and Prejudice Year: 2004.With: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gilliesi. Genre: Romantic Comedy/Musical This current adaptation to Bollywood of a classic by Jane Austen tells us the story of Mrs Bennet, a woman anxious to meet the ideal husband for her four bachelor daughters. When Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy, two rich and bachelor gentlemen, arrive in the city to go to a wedding, the hopes of the Bennet increase despite the fact that the circumstances and comments of people involve a great threat to carry out their desires.

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Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta (Amritsar,1950), is an Indian origin director settled in Canada and who was made known with the controversial Fire (1996) where the relationship of friendship and lesbian love between the two main characters was told, and for which certain conservative Hindi centres showed their rejection and even organized attacks to the cinemas that screened the film. Her reputation grew when she completed her controversial trilogy of the elements with the following two titles: Earth (1998) about the war and the Indo-Pakistani division, and Water (2005) where she critically approached religion and is the film that achieved considerable success in the author film circuits in Spain. Deepa Mehta has notable reputation as an innovative and clever film-maker, whose films frequently transmit universal topics such as identity and tradition.

Water Year: 2005. With: Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas, John Abraham, Sarala. Genre: Drama With Water, Deepa Metha closes her trilogy about the elements, which is the fiercest denounce of subjection of Indian women. Set in 1938 in a country colonized by the British, but where they begin to talk about independence and social changes around the figure of Mahatma Gandhi, Water describes the situation of a group of women of different ages, joined by the common misfortune of being widows and therefore, lower level human beings to the classist Indian society condemned to isolation and poverty. If when Fire was premiered in India it awoke from its first screening at a festival violent reactions and vandal acts, the problems of Water began before: The shooting, which had been planned for 2000 in Varanasi, on the shore of Ganges, became hell when a group of extremists sacked it and burnt the sets and threatened the director to death, accusing the film of denigrating Hindi widows.

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Bollywood/Hollywood Year: 2002. With: Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Rishma Malik, Jazz Mann, Moushumi Chatterjee. Genre: Comedy/Musical Bollywood/Hollywood is the particular incursion in the commercial cinema of Mumbai (Bollywood) by the director Deepha Mehta. Rahul is a handsome and rich Indo-Canadian man who is desperate about his family stopping to meddle in his private life. They want him to settle down and stop being single, but Rahul doesn’t seem to be convinced. His sister doesn’t receive their approval either in order to marry a young pop singer who isn’t liked by the family. One day Rahul, who is already desperate, meets Sue in a bar, the typical “company” lady and sees a solution to his problems hiring her and pretending he actually has a girlfriend.

Water (2005), Deepa Metha

MonsoonWedding (2001), Mira Nair

Mira Nair Born in 1957 in the city of Bhubaneshwar, to the east of India, Mira Nair is the youngest of a family of three brothers whose father was an employer of the Government. Since she was born she felt interested in cinema, but she felt more passion with theatre, which she studied (as well as Sociology) at the University of Delhi. Sever years after graduating, she had shot four documentaries about Indian culture and traditions and its impact in the life of common people. Her international recognition arrived with Salaam Bombay, a film that, according to her own words, “it describes the reality of children with no childhood, children who survive on the streets with resignation, sense of humour and dignity”. After the shooting of Kama Sutra (1997), Nair faced during 18 months with the censorship of India to achieve the authorization of screening the film in all the cinemas of the country. But with MonsoonWedding (2001) with which she received international recognition winning the Golden Lion at the Festival of Venice.

Salaam Bombay!

Year: 1988. With: Shafiq Syed, Raghubir Yadav, Aneeta Kanwar, Nana Patekar. Genre: Drama The massive emigration of the rural world, under the sociological optic of orphan or abandoned children who try to survive in the streets of the great city, is what is shown in Salaam Bombay! with Mumbay and its streets as the set and with non professional actors (an audition was organized with the children of the streets), Nair achieves, in the Ray style, a naturalist type story that has little to do with Indian typical dramas of set decorations they were used to. Approved by the Golden Camera to the best first film at the Festival of Venice, premiered in Spain and candidate to the Oscars, the film gave international fame to a hardly 30 year old film maker.

Monsoon Wedding Year: 2001. With: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz, Tilotama Shome, Vasundhara Das. Genre: Drama/Comedy/Musical The preparations of a smart wedding in New Delhi that will last four days will show the conflicts that are lived in the Indian society among generations prepared to follow traditions and other defenders of modernity.The director Mira Nair and the scriptwriter Sabrina Dhawan portray the current society of Delhi where everything is mixed up: What’s old with what’s modern and the innocence with sex. The intimist style introduces the spectator in the life of the characters and in Nair’s Punjabi culture, a robust and direct culture full of life.

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Other titles of the Indian non Residents available at the Media Library: Fire (1996), Deepa Mehta Earth (1998), Deepa Mehta Bhaji on the Beach (1993), Gurinder Chadha What’s Cooking? (2000), Gurinder Chadha Kama Sutra, a Tale of Love (1996-1998), Mira Nair Vanity Fair (2004), Mira Nair The Namesake (2006), Mira Nair

Vanity Fair (2004), Mira Nair

Water (2005), Deepa Metha

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