Strengthening of Experimental Cinema in India’ Wednesday, 09.01.2010, 10:00am (GMT)
BOLLYWOOD FLYOVER
‘Strengthening of Experimental Cinema in India’
My dear friends from the world cinema…I am extremely happy for the overwhelming response to my previous articles ‘My Brush with International Cinema’ and ‘Bollywood has Universal Language’ in the last issues. I am excited that you have liked my ‘journey of cinema’…This cinematic journey is my own way of self-expression.
Here in this issue I am going to talk to you about the strengthening of experimental cinema in India.
The year 2010 has shown that the parallel, experimental or art cinema, whatever we may call it, is gaining its enormous growth in India. Small-budget, non-star cast films like ‘Love, Sex Aur Dhokha’, ‘Tere Bin Laden’ ‘Udaan’ and ‘Peepli Live‘ were released in the last eight months of 2010 and have proven to be commercially successful films in comparison to some of the big-budget films released within this period. It is certainly a good sign that the people of India and the Worldover are taking keen interest in this meaningful cinema emerging from India.
The World audiences had mainly experienced Indian cinema through what is known popularly as Bollywood. Films structured around song and dance sequences, and full of extravagant action and melodrama. Thus, while popular Indian films follow different narrative and stylistic conventions, they do share the star and genre centered approach of western mainstream film.
Since the mid-1970s, India has led the world in annual film production. Although slightly decreased in recent years. Besides the quantity, Indian cinema is also marked by its great diversity in language and culture. While there are as many as 16 official languages, the majority of films are in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam.
A rather different film experience, usually screened in ‘art film’ venues is the ‘New Indian Cinema’. A movement inspired by Italian neo-realism and at odds with orthodox Indian Cinema emerged in the films of the famous Indian film directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. Satyajit Ray is well-known in World as a classic director and a filmmaker offering a distinctive style and themes. He established the possibility of filming outside the commercial centres of mainstream film.
His fellow Bengali director Ritwik Ghatak also scripted and directed films in the same period. He has not achieved the international reputation of Ray. But his political and educational work in film has had an important influence on subsequent film-makers.
In the 1960s younger directors like Mrinal Sen tackled explicitly political subjects and developed new and unconventional forms for such films. During this period such film production was partly dependent on state funding, including work commissioned or screened by the Indian State Television network ‘Doordarshan’. There is also a predominantly urban network of independent exhibitors screening both foreign art films and independently made Indian films. Since the 1980s both these sectors have suffered under the impact of commercial satellite broadcasting. This has reduced the opportunities for independent films. But the history shows that the cinema lives forever…may any obstacle come…
There is a certain growth in the international co-productions now…focusing on this experimental cinema from India. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is an example and more is following.
I, as a film-maker strongly believe in this kind of cinema. ‘ANTS’ was my beginning and ‘RE-SEARCH’ is my continuity…I am in the pre-production of one experimental feature length film namely ‘RE-SEARCH’…As the name suggests…it is a search, rather a re-search of certain issues which haunt me as a film maker…
But what is my ‘Re-Search’…?
“Re-Search” is an intense feature length film on the 35 mm setup.
“Re-Search” is a film in English and Hindi languages for its Worldwide release.
“Re-Search” is being submitted in all the major International Film Festivals in North America and Europe.
“Re-Search” is a Cinematic Journey…..
…of a Village SHOWMAN, a simple village person who comes to the city of Thiruvananthpuram, the land of God in India.
…of the ‘CLOWN’, a simple young man from Bihar state of India, who comes with his Boss (SHOWMAN) to the land of God, with an aspiration to see ‘big’, to feel ‘big’ and…to be ‘big’ , but ultimately finds himself to see the ‘TRUTH’ which his Boss wanted to see.
…of the ‘LADY CLOWN’, a beautiful girl from Uttrakhand state of India, who has left her village to be in the land of God.
…of the elite Indian Society which hides all the mis-deeds under its white robes.
“Re-Search” is a ROMANCE...
“Re-Search” is a DANCE…
“Re-Search” is a BETRAYAL…
“Re-Search” is a SATIRE…
“Re-Search” is a HARSH REALITY…
-What happens to the ‘SHOWMAN’, who wants to expose the Indian society…?
-What happens to the ‘CLOWN’, who, once an effective instrument in exposing the society, ultimately falls to his own greed.
-What happens to the ‘LADY CLOWN’, who eloped with the ‘CLOWN’ to be with him, ultimately finds herself alone at the mercy of the society, to which she was trying to expose…?
That is what ‘Re-Search’ is all about… A story of Truth, Lies, Love, Betrayal, Nudity of the Society and Pathos to be created as the World Cinema…This is not a mere Comedy by CLOWNS…But a serious Portrayal of the SYSTEM by three musketeers…
Friends, I truly believe that the world is an extended family…I shall be back next time with another step over on Bollywood Flyover…Cheers!
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