At The Edge

Based on a scene from Mani Kaul's Uski Roti. -0-

Ritwik Ghatak in his film  Jukti Takko Aar Gappo (Reason, Debate and a Story), 1974. -0- Youtube link

Mamata Shankar in Mrinal Sen's Telugu film  Oka Oori Katha (The Marginal Ones/Story of a Village, 1977) based on (and in some ways built around) Munshi Premchand's short story Kafan . [ Youtube link ] -0-

Came across it in 'A Pictorial History of Indian Cinema'  by Firoze Rangoonwalla (1979). -0-

When Ashok Kumar famously took up chicken farming. Ashok Kumar at his farm in Karla near Poona. Filmfare December 1, 1972 Photographs: Balkrishan -0-

A Muslim As "Krishna"! I cannot forget the words uttered by Khalil, a veteran among actors, at the Motion Picture Congress. Addressing Dad Phalke, he recalled how he, a Muslim, had been given the role of Krishna in dozens of films. In spite of the opposition from the orthodox element, Dada Phalke continued to cast a Muslim youth in the roles of Hindu gods. Art knows no barriers of caste or creed. And, looking through the pages of the history of the Indian film industry, you will come across numerous such instances. It was a Jewish producer who revived the glory of "Nur Jehan," a Hindu who dramatized the romance of the Taj Mahal in "Shiraz," a Muslim who produced "Chandra Rao More" and a Parsi who produced "Vaman Avatar". And even if some of these films were bad, I believe that they did bring the people of this vast country nearer in their understanding of one another's culture and traditions. Not only Art but Commerce too, dec...

Devika Rani with Mehmood's father Mumtaz Ali in Achhut Kanya (1936).

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Cross-posted from my Kashmir blog . A young Mani Kaul in Basu Chatterjee's Sara Akash (1969). -0- Complete film available here -0-

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"A bride bedecked in a sombre setting - a Franz Osten composition for Prem Kahani directed for Bombat Talkies in 1937. We observe here a striking use of light to accentuate details of the dress, contours of the face and figure and above all, the mood of the scene. Maya Devi in the center as the bride, and Saroj Borkar at left. Courtesy: Cine Society Bombay," -0-

Kanan Devi in Vidyapati, 1937 Previously: Choli pay nazariya jaye -0- Now youth advanced, childhood withdrew, Her eyes have caught the dancing of her feet, Twin eyes performed the task of messengers, Her laughter hid, and shame was born. Continually she sets her hand upon her robe. Speaks every word with hanging head: Her hips have gained their full-grown glory - She leans on her companions when she walks. ~ from Vidyapati: Bangiya Padabali, Songs of the Love of Radha and Krishna.Translated into English by Ananda Coomaraswamy (1915) [ openlibrary.org LINK ] -0-

"Funnily, I broke no bones in my youth. Then, in 1983, when I had my last fall, I broke my leg by tripping over a carpet. [...] Another time, I was speeding and smashed a friend's car into a tree at Chembur. My immediate reaction was to catch hold of the tree's trunk and start laughing. What else could I do? Homi chided me, that's when I realised I was acting silly. However, I insited that I drive the car back to town. I was perspiring like hell when I reached home. But I did it. Not for nothing was I called Fearless Nadia." Nadia to Roxanne Kavarans for September 1991 issue of 'Cinema in India'. Here's the entire article:

'Muslim Social' directed by K. Asif at the age of 23. Story by Kamal Amrohi. -0-

Lala was a punk! This is one of the most illuminating things I have read in recent times. And yet, still doesn't explain why a book like Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games can be read in India but a film based on it cannot be made and screened in India without a lot of 'toning down' for Indian sensitivities. Forgot to add: Came across it at Digital Library here: Indian Cinematograph Committee (1927-28) vol. 1 , Indian Cinematograph Committee (1927-28) vol. 2 Aren't available in an easy to read pdf form there. So I took some parts of it and converted them to pdf. -0- While on the topic of cinema, information and crowd behavior: ironic,  Lala Lajpat Rai vs Babbu Maan -0-

Like all things in India, this story too begins with religion. In around 1664 a Jesuit named  Athanasius Kircher in his writings described a magical device that could be used to project demons. Later when this device got made, this  Magic Lantern  * became a favorite of conjurers, magicians and missionaries. Although people found it magical, but for some it still wasn't magical enough. The images couldn't move. And they remained immobile for another one hundred and fifty years till in around 1828, a Belgian researcher named  Joseph Plateau  got an idea on how to make the images move. In around 1832, Plateau came up with a device called  Phenakistoscope  that could create an illusion of motion. Soon all kind of devilish ideas started popping in human head. Man wanted to see motion. See himself in motion. In 1891, Edison came out with a  Kinetoscope . That motion could be captured on camera became a...

The following verdict on present state of Indian film Industry is from 'Verdict on India' (1944) by  Beverley Nichols .  Hindu Hollywood LET us go to the pictures, and see an Indian film. It was the first thing I did, when I was well enough to hobble about again, and it would seem that no other Englishman has ever had such a wild idea before. 'What are Indian films like?' one used to ask. 'Good heavens, how should I know?' 'But haven't you ever seen one?' 'Seen one? An Indian film? Really!' Blank amazement greeted the suggestion that it might be interesting to see an Indian picture. And yet, the films are a living mirror of a nation's life; even if one did not understand everything that the mirror showed, it would surely repay a few hours of study. I was particularly anxious to visit the studios themselves, and after a little wire-pulling obtained permission to witness the shooting of a big historical picture which ...

Came across this gem by Mario in December 1, 1972 issue of Filmfare. This was part of the public  debate triggered by Khosla Committee Report (1968-1969). -0- For further study: this mind-altering rendition of Chintamani Bhatta's Suka Saptati or 'The Seventy tales of the Parrot' done by bollywood in 1985.

Fimfare 1-15 Oct 1981 Topic of discussion was Kalpana Iyer's bare back scene in Armaan(1981), a film about 'Liberation of Goa' (you see, I wasn't kidding, there is a co-relation between skin show in Indian Cinema and Goan liberation ). The article talked about what a 'bare back' meant generally in greater context of Indian culture and in lesser context to censorship in India. 2012-04-19 The news is about some bright people in Calcutta coloring posters in blue ink to cover a 'bare back' so that it becomes less obscene and less provocative . April 17, 2012 Good old Khushwant Singh wants to know  Why sexy films are ‘blue’… not red, yellow or green? and recounts catching one with Good old R.K. Narayan. The reason: "Comparing this notion of prudisness to the expression blue movie (i.e., pornographic films). the later one seems to entail quite an opposite meaning, but it is a metonymy as well, just having gone into a different direction...

Close on heels of  Sharmila Tagore's August Bikini cover , November issue of Filmfare had Mumtaz as beach babe on cover. 1966 was probably the hottest year in India or that was the year Indians profusely thanked Sardar Patel and Nehru, or either one of them, whoever it was, for bringing in Goa into India. -0-