The history of Indian cinema has created many films dealing with the sex worker who lives on the fringes of mainstream society and belongs to a marginalised ghetto. Among the memorable examples are Shyam Benegal’s Mandi (1983), Gulzar’s Mausam (1975), T.S. Ranga’s Giddh (1984), B.R.
Sati is a Sanskrit term which means ‘a wife who possesses great virtue’. Agehananda Bharati, the late Austrian-born anthropologist who was born Hindu, said that sati was the nicor (essence) of pativratadharma (moral action appropriate for married women) The sati concept was so popular at
Nirjan Sanlaap Over the years, very few Bengali and Indian filmmakers have opted for the works of one of the most outstanding authors of post-Tagorean Bengali literature. Notable filmmakers like Mrinal Sen and Nabyendu Chatterjee have adapted his works, but over the nearly 100 years of
Tucked away in one corner of Uttarpara stands Uttarpara Bengal Photo Studio, the brainchild of 41-year-old Arindam Saha Sardar. A self-taught archivist and restoration artist, Arindam makes biographical documentaries, curates exhibitions of rare artefacts, collects old still and movie cameras, Bengali magazines of yore, and
Few outside West Bengal, or even inside the state, are aware that Rabindranath Tagore directed a film based on Notir Puja, a dramatized version of his long poem Pujarini, written in 1899. Notir Puja or its original long poem offer different perspectives on death in
WHunger finds a prominent place in three films by Satyajit Ray, reflecting three completely different backdrops, though hunger is a significant sub-plot in all three narratives, each one a ‘period’ piece in a manner of speaking. One is Pather Panchali, the second is Goopy Gyne
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates ‘rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular’, performed or chanted in a variety of ways, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The recent Bollywood film Gully Boy directed by Zoya
What does the acronym OTT mean? OTT (over-the-top) is a means of providing television and film content over the internet at the request of subscribers. The term ‘over-the-top’ implies that a content provider is going over the top of existing internet services. If treated scientifically
When filmmaker Srijit Mukherjee was scheduled to release his film Gumnami (2019), based on a popular theory that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose actually survived the plane crash that supposedly killed him, many of Netaji’s descendants were voluble in their protest. In particular, his grand-nephew and
A still from Los Lobos The Arthouse Asia Film Festival has been running for five years in the city of Kolkata. But thanks to a lack of publicity and marketing, and most importantly, sponsorship and funding, very few cinebuffs in the city are aware of this