Directory of World Cinema: India

Description

Indian cinema teems with a multitude of different voices. The Directory of World Cinema: India provides a broad overview of this rich variety, highlighting distinctions among India’s major cinematic genres and movements while illuminating the field as a whole. This volume’s contributors – many of them leading experts in the fields – approach film in India from a variety of angles, furnishing in-depth essays on significant directors and major regions; detailed historical accounts; considerations of the many faces of India represented in Indian cinema; and explorations of films made in and about India by European directors including Jean Renoir, Peter Brook, and Powell and Pressburger. Taken together, these multifaceted contributions show how India’s varied local film industries throw into question the very concept of a national cinema. The resulting volume will provide a comprehensive introduction for newcomers to Indian cinema while offering a fresh perspective sure to interest seasonal students and scholars.

Acknowledgements

Introduction by the Editor

Film of the Year

Gangs of Wasseypur

Directors

Satyajit Ray

Raj Kapoor

Guru Dutt

Ritwik Ghatak

Shyam Benegal

Adoor Gopalakrishnan

Mrinal Sen

Pre-Independence Cinema

Music and Musicals in Pre-independence Indian Cinema

The Studios: The Big Three (and others) in India

Reviews

Pramathesh Chandra Barua

Post-Independence Cinema

What India? The Many Indias of Indian Cinema

Bollywood: An Introduction Malayalam Cinema

Tamil Cinema

Mehboob Khan

Amitabh Bachchan

S Shankar

Yash Chopra

Saeed Akhtar Mirza

Images of India From Abroad

Recommended Reading

Indian Cinema Online

Test Your Knowledge

Sujets

• Directories
• Película fotográfica
• Reference
• Directory
• India
• Film

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 20 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783205097
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

EDITED BY ADAM BINGHAM

DIRECTORY OF WORLD CINEMA INDIA

Volume 28

dIrectory of world cInema IndIa

Edîted by Adam Bîngham

Intellect Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA

Fîrst pubîshed în the UK în 2015 by Inteect Books, The Mî, Parna Road, Fîshponds, Brîsto, BS16 3JG, UK

Fîrst pubîshed în the USA în 2015 by Inteect Books, The Unîversîty of Chîcago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chîcago, IL 60637, USA

Copyrîght © 2015 Inteect Ltd

A rîghts reserved. No part of thîs pubîcatîon may be reproduced, stored în a retrîeva system, or transmîtted, în any form or by any means, eectronîc, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse, wîthout wrîtten permîssîon.

A cataogue record for thîs book îs avaîabe from the Brîtîsh Lîbrary.

Pubîsher: May Yao Pubîshîng Managers: Jeena Stanovnîk and Heather Gîbson

Cover photograph: Shah Rukh Khan înMy Name îs Khan(2010), Dharma Productîons/  The Koba Coectîon Cover desîgner: Hoy Rose Copy-edîtor: Emma Rhys Typesetter: John Teehan

Dîrectory of Word Cînema ISSN 2040-7971 Dîrectory of Word Cînema eISSN 2040-798X

Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Indîa ISBN 978-1-84150-622-7 Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Indîa eISBN 978-1-78320-509-7

Prînted and bound by Short Run Press, UK.

contents

dIrectory of world cInema IndIa

aCkNOWLEDgEMENTS

INTRODUCTîON BY THE eDîTOR

fîLM OF THE yEàR Gangs of Wasseypur

dîRECTORS Satyajît Ray Raj Kapoor Guru Dutt Rîtwîk Ghatak Shyam Benega Adoor Gopaakrîshnan Mrîna Sen

PRE-INDEpENDENCE cîNEMà Musîc and Musîcas în Pre-îndependence Indîan Cînema The Studîos: The Bîg Three (and  others) în Indîa Revîews Pramathesh Chandra Barua

5

6

9

11

69

POST-INDEpENDENCE cîNEMà What Indîa? The Many Indîas of  Indîan Cînema Boywood: An Introductîon Maayaam Cînema Tamî Cînema Mehboob Khan Amîtabh Bachchan S Shankar Yash Chopra Saeed Akhtar Mîrza

IMàgES OF INDîà fROM aBROàD Revîews

rECOMMENDED rEàDîNg

INDîàN cîNEMà oNLîNE

tEST yOUR KNOWLEDgE

nOTES oN cONTRîBUTORS

fîLMOgRàpHY

107

163

178

180

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185

188

contents

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

acKnowledGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

Many, many thanks and ove to my famîy and cose frîends for contînued beîef and unendîng support, thanks that I extend beyond the parameters of tîme spent on thîs book. Sîmîary heartfet thanks to my coeagues at Fîm Studîes and Engîsh at Edge Hî Unîversîty – Dr. Jenny Barrett, Dr. Andrea Wrîght, Dr. Chrîs Aud, Dr. Jennîfer Woodward, Dr. Davîd Abe and Dr. Peter Wrîght - who I am proud and thankfu to ca my frîends as we as (înspîratîona) co-workers and who have aways been more than hepfu and supportîve. I must aso mentîon and thank Steve Marsh, my partner în (cînema-goîng) crîme for amost a îfetîme and someone wîth whom I have spent so much tîme dîscussîng ims and im-makers that our thoughts and opînîons seem to have merged. Everyone at Inteect has been very generous wîth theîr tîme and support, makîng thîs a great project to work on, and a contrîbutors have been easy to work wîth. Thanks to you a.

Acknowedgements5 acKnowledGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

6Indîa

IntroductIon by the edItor

Of a the promînent natîona cînemas în word im-makîng, there are surey few îf any to chaenge that of Indîa wîth regard to îts commercîa vîabîîty, mutîfaceted artîstry and vîsîbîîty around the gobe. Indeed, the term Indîan cînema îs hardy apt to convey and comprîse the dîverse quaîty and extensîve quantîty of the productîon output of the numerous ocaîzed îndustrîes that fa under the banner of ‘Indîan cînema’. The Asîan sub-contînent as a whoe has typîcay produced more ims than any other natîona cînema. The popuar Boywood Hîndî îndustry aone (Indîa’s argest) accounts for a productîon îne of im-makîng whose oca popuarîty îs more than matched by an amost constant presence în foreîgn cînemas - mutîpex as much as art-house - and, at east în the Unîted Kîngdom, on terrestrîa teevîsîon, and thîs îs but one aspect of a mutî-faceted and extremey dîverse whoe. It îs thus an exercîse în futîîty to tak of Indîan natîona cînema (a poînt aready made în the întroductîon to the învauabeEncycopaedîa of Indîan Cînema[Rajadhyaksha and Wîemen 1994]). But, conversey, îts myrîad im-makîng practîces and îndustrîes can be extremey usefu precîsey to the extent that they probematîze thîs îusory construct. The notîon of a sînge, deinabe natîona îdentîty (a gîven, a prîorî essence waîtîng to be dîscovered and eucîdated) îs a reductîve and argey mîseadîng concept to appy to any country and îts art forms. Natîonhood îs a constanty evovîng, deveopîng concept, arîsîng through perennîa sîtes of dîaogue and socîo-cutura negotîatîon. It remaîns eusîve and amorphous, îf aso an înterestîng sîte of study as the extent to whîch ims can hep în processes of deinîtîon and the aforementîoned negotîatîon, and Indîa îs perfecty sîtuated to relect and underîne somethîng of thîs potentîay compex precept, to stress both îts probematîc status and cînema’s suîtabîîty to contrîbute to processes that can stî map out natîonhood în art. To thîs end the present book îs an attempt not ony to trace a broady hîstorîca narratîve of the saîent ims, im-makers and genres to have varîousy deined and deîneated Indîan cînema, but an opportunîty to ceebrate îts dîversîty and ask precîsey what, îf anythîng, Indîan cînema can be saîd to mean. The cînema în Indîa îs as od as any other natîon, wîth some of the irst Lumîère brothers cînematographs exhîbîted în Bombay as eary as Juy 1896. An eary documentary tradîtîon was suppanted by a vîvîdy demarcated genre cînema, foremost among whîch was the ‘mythoogîca’ im. D.G. Phake’s no onger fuy extantRaja Harîshchandra(1913) was the preemînent pîcture of thîs new form (and Indîa’s irst feature-ength narratîve), wîth the dîrector soon after goîng on to deine the parameters of Indîan cînema through hîs documentary, educatîona, comîc and

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

short ims made at Hîndustan ims – a company he hîmsef formed aong wîth ive Mumbaî busînessmen. The repertoîre of Indîan cînema în the irst decades of the twentîeth century was drawn argey from natîve theatrîca and performance tradîtîons, but by the eary 1920s a number of genres had emerged as dîstîncty Indîan entîtîes: the mythoogîca, the hîstorîca and the so-caed devotîona im, whîch was typîcay concerned wîth the îves and actîons of saînts. The former, sometîmes referred to as the Pauranîc genre (after the Purana, or ‘ancîent story’), referred prîmarîy to the ledgîng Hîndî îndustry’s reîgîous fabes, and comprîsed perhaps the most vîsîbe of the three generîc entîtîes, there beîng an exîstîng artîstîc tradîtîon precedîng the begînnîngs of cînema. Meodramas and storîes of socîa reform were aso common, and were to feed înto a substantîa ied în eary sound cînema în Indîa. Many of the key texts for these genres are not onger extant, so the broad hîstory offered above lows înto the begînnîng of thîs book, whîch pîcks up wîth the begînnîng of sound, a hugey sîgnîicant change and one that facîîtated the bîrth of the Boywood song-and-dance paradîgm. Despîte the probematîzatîon of a natîona cînema aready outîned, one can certaîny îdentîfy recurrent trends across dîfferent regîons of the sub-contînent and theîr many competîng îndustrîes. Indeed ît has been saîd that Indîan popuar ims at east dîspay readîy îdentîiabe saîent features în terms of themes, narratîves, subjects, stye and technîque, and one can further tak (abeît broady) of the însuarîty and dîstînctîveness of other ocaîzed cînemas and movements. However, the împîcît conlîcts between varîous manîfestatîons of ‘Indîan cînema’ are just as teîng, and contrîbute to what may be termed a dîaectîcs of Indîan im-makîng. In other words, there îs a sense în whîch ony the connectîon and juxtaposîtîon of dîsparate materîas can gîve somethîng of an accurate pîcture of how a natîona aesthetîc or sensîbîîty may be eucîdated. Thîs îs perhaps one reason why, Boywood asîde, reatîvey few books have cosey examîned specîic regîons or movements în Indîan cînema. One can wrîte about the great dîrectors, as studîes of Satyajît Ray, Guru Dutt and, more recenty, the BFI Word Dîrector monographs on Yash Chopra and Shyam Benega ampy demonstrate; and one can further îsoate specîic eras, as the recent books Mournîng the Natîon(Sarkar 2009) andIndîan Cînema în the Tîme of Ceuoîd (Rajadhyaksha 2008) attest. But beyond thîs the dîfferent regîons and îndustrîes contaîned wîthîn ‘Indîan cînema’ have receîved comparatîvey îtte în the way of crîtîca hîstorîography, and more sîgnîicanty any sustaîned research or dîscourse on how such major regîons expore or construct theîr own poîtîcs of sefhood and (natîona) îdentîty. Hîndî cînema has often been taken to be Indîa’s natîona cînema. Certaîny îts hîstorîca centraîty to ‘Indîan cînema’ cannot be underestîmated, as ît has produced the most number of popuar works (ît îs the home of Boywood cînema). However, ît does not represent the whoe narratîve of Indîan im-makîng, and thîs text îs întended to begîn to redress thîs sîgnîicant îmbaance, and to work around such dîscourse wîth a hîstorîca overvîew of the mutî-faceted face(s) of ‘Indîan cînema’: to, as ît were, te other storîes of the natîon(s). As a startîng poînt în a ied teemîng wîth a mutîtude of dîfferent voîces, thîs book offers a broad overvîew that aows for both connectîon and dîssonance, communaîty and dîsocatîon, to be hîghîghted. Major genres and movements are consîdered în depth, as are severa împortant dîrectors and major regîons (Tamî, Maayaam, etc) that have not been the subject of much crîtîca eucîdatîon. At the same tîme there îs aso room for specîic, detaîed hîstorîca essays, and for work on the many Indîas of Indîan cînema, as part of whîch sectîon there îs a ook at whose Indîa îs beîng represented în and across dîfferent sets of texts? Thîs încudes, as a poînt of dramatîc contrast, a sectîon devoted to ims made în (and to a certaîn

Introductîon7

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

8Indîa

extent about) Indîa by European and Amerîcan dîrectors, încudîng works by Jean Renoîr, Powe and Pressburger, and of course James Ivory. There are aso a serîes of revîews that baance accaîmed and canonîca tîtes wîth more recent, perhaps esser-known ims în order to provîde more comprehensîve coverage and to înk modern Indîan cînema wîth îts rîch herîtage and antecedents. Thîs book îs, hopefuy, a serîous întroductîon to Indîan cînema for the unînîtîated and, sîmutaneousy, somethîng of a re-contextuaîzatîon and a re-deinîtîon for those seekîng a fresh perspectîve. Because of the partîcuar chaenges presented by a country wîth a number of dîverse cînematîc schoos and styes, a few îbertîes have been taken wîth the typîca format of the crîtîca Dîrectory serîes. There are extended essay revîews, for înstance, and an effort not to sîmpy skîm the surface of Indîa’s dîversîty as a cînematîc natîon but rather to concentrate on a few areas în detaî as a preude to hopefuy more wîde-rangîng anayses în subsequent studîes. Wrîtten by both natîve and foreîgn schoars, the approaches to both essays and îndîvîdua im revîews contaîned wîthîn these pages are mutî-fod and enîghtenîng. And utîmatey îf they may be argued to ony scratch the surface of thîs vast natîon’s extensîve cînematîc output, then thîs îs both a testament to îts dîverse rîches and a curtaîn raîser for more detaîed and dîverse work to come în the near future.

aDàM bîNgHàM

fIlm of the year GANGS OF WASSEYPUR

sTUDîO/dîSTRîBUTOR: Jar Pîctures AKFPL Bohra Bros Productîons Tîppîng Poînt Fîms VîàCOM 18 mOTîON PîCTURES Mara Pîctures (UK) Image Fîms Dîstrîbutîon dîRECTOR: Anurag Kashyap PRODUCERS: Rakesh Bhagwanî Sunî Bohra Anurag Kashyap Guneet Monga Ajay Raî Prasanth Kumar sCREENWRîTERS: Anurag Kashyap Akhîesh Jaîswa Sachîn K Ladîa Rutvîk Oza Zeîshan Quadrî cîNEMàTOgRàpHER: Rajeev Ravî aRT dîRECTOR: Saîkat Bose cOMpOSER: Sneha Khanwakar eDîTOR: Shweta Venkat dURàTîON: 320 mînutes GENRE: Crîme drama

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

Synopsis In 1941 a crîmîna îs exîed for împersonatîng a oca hood, and thereafter he becomes a notorîous outaw whose expoîts cause consternatîon. When Khan îs kîed by hîs boss, Ramîdhîr Sîngh, hîs son, Sardar, vows vengeance, and through workîng for Sîngh begîns to pot agaînst hîm and thus eevate hîmsef to the ranks of notorîous oca hood. Hîs fraught famîy îfe causes troube as the decades pass, especîay when hîs sons become învoved în hîs crîmîna actîons. Critique An epîc tae of gang warfare and persona greed and corruptîon, Gangs of Wasseypursîgnas a bod new dîrectîon for Boywood im-makîng. Intrîguîngy ît doesn’t eschew as much as rework the paradîgmatîc tenets of the popuîst Hîndî cînema, partîcuary îts recourse to song-and-dance routînes as a centra part of îts generîc îdentîty. Of course Boywood has at varîous stages refashîoned îtsef, and dîrector Anurag Kashyap în fact dîrecty references perhaps the most famous înstance of thîs în a scene featurîng some characters watchîng an Amîtabh Bachchan im, thus acknowedgîng the fantasy of Boywood – îts mode of arger-than-îfe heroes and romantîc, spectacuar storyînes – as împîcîty dîstînct from thîs im’s vîsîon. Esewhere the songs înGangs of Wasseypurare argey non-dîegetîc and sef-conscîousy summatîve devîces that, when juxtaposed as they sporadîcay are wîth a voîce-over, become part of the im’s storyteîng methodoogy rather than îts spectace. Thîs în addîtîon to theîr frank subject matter (sex, vîoence and vengeance more than romance) contrîbutes to quîte a through- goîng transgressîon of the Boywood mode that marks outGangs of Wasseypuras a sîgnîicant im. Attendant on thîs re-wrîtîng of the Boywood code înGangs of Wasseypurîs a dense întertextua web of references to structure and anîmate the narratîve. Kashyap’s two-part im parades a debt to such western precedents as Francîs Coppoa’sGodfather ims (1972, 1974, 1990), Brîan De Pama’sScarface(1983) and partîcuary Martîn Scorsese’sGangs of New York(2001); however îts feverîsh nîhîîsm, furîous pace, urgent stye and use of a crîme

Fîm of the Year9