April Issue

The April 2013 issue of One India One People’ “100 years of magic” pays tribute to the colourful, effervescent and entertaining Indian cinema, which completes a century in May, this year. Though Bollywood continues to dominate Indian cinema, cinema from various states of India are making their mark at international festivals.

India produces more than 900 films a year in 30 different languages and dialects. While the films entertain the masses and provide employment to a wide array of professionals, India’s popular films impact cultural mores, social values, moral reference points, street fashion and the attitude of the youth in a way that few other cinemas of the world do.

The issue looks at the journey of Indian cinema, the technological advancements, new roles played by the Bollywood heroines, interesting stories of old Bollywood studios. And a detailed biography of the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke giving insight into aspects of his life hitherto unknown to many.

In the lead article ‘The many cinemas of India’, Film critic and historian Saibal Chatterjee, unfolds the dramatic journey of the cinemas of the various states of India. He says, the canvas of Indian cinema is a colourful one with varied images and larger than life characters. In these hundred years, Indian cinema has seen many twists and turns to evolve into world class entertainment.

With Raja Harishchandra, the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke heralded filmmaking in India. A creative genius, who paid scant attention to profits, Phalke made many remarkable films under challenging circumstances. National Award-winning film historian, scriptwriter and documentary filmmaker Sanjit Narwekar chronicles the life of this great visionary.

After a great start and a glorious period, Marathi films went through a lull. But with a new breed of young, talented filmmakers dishing out meaningful, path-breaking films, the audiences are flocking to theatres once again, and Marathi cinema seems to have a great future, says Meena Karnik, Film critic in “A period of resurgence”.

In ‘Ticket to big bucks’, Ayyappa Prasad, a veteran film journalist based in Chennai, gives an insight into the South Indian film industry, today. According to him with new technology, innovative subjects and presentation, south films are the new trend setters, and the industry is a hotline to Bollywood’s success.

Shoma A. Chatterji, freelance journalist, film scholar and author, traces the history and journey of both Bengali and Odiya Cinema. In ‘Breaking new ground’, Shoma observes that today’s Bengali films mark the growth and evolution of a rising group of young filmmakers who have radicalised the Bengali identity with their own brand of films that defy every notion of trapping ‘identity’ within a monolithic, homogenous fixed concept.

In ‘Time for a makeover’, Shoma opines that Odiya films clearly need an urgent makeover with meaningful scripts, visionary filmmakers and talented actors.

Shoma has authored 17 published titles and won the National Award for Best Writing on Cinema twice.

In ‘Whither Cinema of the North East’, Manoj Barpujari, a senior journalist based in Guwahati says, though the North East has produced nationally and internationally acclaimed filmmakers and star personalities, today, it is a mad hope to recover the investment in NE cinema, let alone make profits. Yet the never-say-die filmmakers are fighting against all odds.

Barpujari is an accomplished poet in Assamese language and winner of Swarna Kamal for best film critic at the national film awards 2011. He has 10 books to his credit, one of them a travelogue published as fellowship work in a Caribbean country. As member of FIPRESCI, the international federation of film critics, he has been juror in film festivals worldwide.

In ‘Creating celluloid magic’, Piroj Wadia, veteran film journalist, tells the stories of a few studios that have witnessed the emergence of Bollywood. Many have fallen prey to land sharks but some of them continue to create celluloid magic.

‘From demure to demanding, the new Bollywood heroine is here’, Maithili Rao, a Mumbai-based freelance film critic who has also served on national and international film festival juries, looks at the way women have been portrayed in Bollywood. Item numbers featuring scantily clad women gyrating to lewd lyrics still rule Bollywood, she says. But some filmmakers are portraying women as characters with a mind and identity of their own. Can these filmmakers change the game of how the contemporary woman is portrayed, she asks.

In ‘Wowing the world’, veteran film journalist and former editor-Screen, Udaya Tara Nayar, observes that while Hindi Cinema has a prime place in India Cinema, serious regional films in Bengali, Marathi, the North-East and South Indian languages too are attracting attention of the world.

In ‘A century of change’, Ujwal N. Nirgudkar, Technical Director, FILMLAB, Mumbai, talks on how film technology has evolved since Lumiere brothers made their first short films in 1895.

In ‘Bringing back the honour’, Sanjit Narwekar, a National award-winning film historian, scriptwriter and documentary filmmaker, gives an overview of prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement, which has been sadly shrouded in controversies from the start. He feels that a more balanced and inclusive approach can bring credibility to the Award.

In ‘Playing to the critic’s gallery’, Deepa Gahlot, a Mumbai-based film and theatre critic, looks at the changing face of film criticism today. She says that the conscientious critic is a bubble in the rarified air of self congratulation and mutual back-slapping that the film industry loves to breathe in. In such a scenario, is film criticism relevant at all, she asks.

 

Know India Better – The feature ‘Being Mumbai - The pearl in murky waters’ is a tribute to the city of dreams. Akul Tripathi strides along the harbour to explore the face of Mumbai that greets the sun but lives under the shadow of its more glamorous western cousin. Akul is a media professional and freelance writer.

Great Indians:

In solidarity with the theme, we have featured three filmmakers who with their innovative themes and style changed the face of Indian cinema and made the world change the way it perceived Indian cinema.

 

Bimal Roy, A sensitive filmmaker (1909-1966); 

Satyajit Ray, A genius in film craft (1921-1992) and 

Guru Dutt, The uncrowned king of Indian cinema (1925-1964)

And also read our regular columns and other features. To book a copy, email to oiopfoundation@gmai.com / oiop@vsnl.net or call Nagesh Bangera, OIOP Subscription-in-charge at 022- 2353 44 00.

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