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India Now - 60 Years of Indian Independence 3rd SACF Festival Cinema of Independence (10 – 15 August 2007) To mark 60th Anniversary of Indian Independence (1947- 2007), this 3rd thematic SACF Festival at Watermans brings the first ever Cinema of Independence to London. The Festival presents a niche selection of landmark films and documentaries that mirror India's struggle for independence and the trauma India and Pakistan faced at Partition. Lalit Mohan Joshi, the Director, South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) says: "Made between 1947 to 2007 by masters like Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal, these films are Indian Cinema’s tribute to the struggle for Independence and for ending the British Raj. Sixty years on, it leaves many questions unanswered and these films address them directly or obliquely." In Shatranj Ke Khilari (Chess Players) based on a short story by Premchand, the doyen Ray creates a solid ground for the oncoming 1857 Revolt against the Raj, whereas Benegal’s Junoon, an adaptation of Ruskin Bond's heartrending novel Flight of the Pigeons, recreates the rebellion. Ketan Mehta’s Sardar reverberates with conflicts that paved the way to Partition. The most recent work of the Festival is the ground- breaking documentary Beyond Partition (2006) that explores the trauma of Partition and how it impacted on filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent. Shatranj Ke Khilari (Chess Players) (U)
1977/ Ind / Hindi, Urdu, Engl/ 155
Richard Attenborough, Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, Tom Alter Shatranj Ke Khilari is Ray's most expensive film boasting of stars from the West and Bollywood. A period film, it recreates 1856, the eve of India’s first struggle for independence (The Revolt of 1857). A British firm, "The East India Company" ruled much of India; directly or indirectly through 'treaties of friendship.’ The Kingdom of Avadh is under siege while two landlords of Lucknow, Mirza Sajjad Ali (Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir Roshan Ali (Saeed Jaffrey) are busy playing chess.
The British are strengthening their grip on Avadh and Lord Dalhousie, the
Governor General of India is playing a bigger game of chess. 1978/Ind/Hindi, Eng/144 m/dir Shyam Benegal
Shashi Kapoor, Nafisa Ali, Tom Alter, Ismat Chugtai,
Naseeruddin Shah
1857. India is in turmoil. Indian units of East India
Company’s Army are in open revolt, leading to a popular uprising against
the British rule. The attack on the church is led by an ex- sepoy Sarfaraz
Khan (Naseeruddin Shah). Among those massacred is Charles Labadoor (Tom
Alter). Ruth (Nafisa Ali), her mother Mariam (Jennifer Kendal) and her
grandmother (Ismat Chugtai) are only survivors. Javed Khan is madly in
love with Ruth while his brother Sarfaraz has vowed to kill her entire
family. 1965/Ind/Hindi/164 min/dir S. Ram Sharma Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Prem Chopra, Manmohan
The Jalianwala Bagh (Amritsar) massacre of over 300 innocent men, women
and children and the fatal beating of Lala Lajpat Rai, the national leader
of India by the British police has turned three young men, Bhagat Singh (Manoj
Kumar), Rajguru and Sukhdev into the enemy of the Raj. Inspired by
Chandrashekhar Azad (Manmohan), they determine to avenge the death of
their leaders and free India. One day the Police officer Saunders is
killed and the assembly is bombed. 2005/Ind/Hindi/210 mins/dir Shyam Benegal Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda Shyam Benegal's bio-epic explores the controversial life of Subhas Chandra Bose, the Bengali freedom fighter who renounced Gandhi's non-violence teachings and declared open warfare on the British Empire.
Bose (Sachin Khedekar) escapes from house arrest in
Calcutta and via Afghanistan escapes to Berlin where he meets Adolf Hitler
who is disparaging and lukewarm in his support. Frustrated, he leaves
Germany in a U-boat to South East Asia. Here he links up with the Japanese
to begin his own war. 1993/ Ind / Hindi/175m/dir Ketan Mehta Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Benjamin Gilani, Srivallabh Vyas, Tom Alter
Popular Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal plays rare historic
role of Sardar Patel whose contribution to independence was crucial during
Partition. Sardar, initially reluctant of Gandhi eventually accepts him as
a leader. The film is full of historic conflicts between Jinnah and Patel
on Partition. Strong performances by Patel (Paresh Rawal), Nehru (Benjamin
Gilani), Gandhi (Annu Kapoor) and Jinnah (Srivallabh Vyas). 2005/Pak/Urdu/18 mins/dir Afia Serena Nanthaniel Omair Rana, Imran Siddique, Adeel Ansari, Zahid Qureshi
It is 1947. The newly formed governments of India and
Pakistan want to exchange the lunatics. A powerful short film based on
classic story by Sadat Hasan Manto. 2006/UK/Ind/65 mins/dir Lalit Mohan Joshi The recent path breaking documentary explores the trauma of partition and how it impacted on filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent. Renowned filmmakers Govind Nihalani, Sabiha Sumar and Gulzar reflect on the communal violence they and their families witnessed as refugees.
The film explores current
issues including terrorism and the tensions that intermittently vitiate
Hindu-Muslim relations within the subcontinent as well as Indo-Pakistan
disputes – as a continuing legacy of Partition.
To watch these landmark films ring Watermans
The Cinema of
Independence Fest |
