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Cinema can be a powerful medium for social transformation, and no one gauged it better than the legendary V Shantaram who used his memorable films to attack the malaise of untouchability and caste, forced marriages of young women to (rich) old men, dowry, communalism and regionalism, as well as to humanise policemen, prostitutes, and convicts.

And, he was not deterred when any of his courageous films ran afoul of vested interests.

When his “Apna Desh (Hindi)/Nam Nadu (Tamil)” (1949), an eloquent appeal against the deepening fault-lines threatening to destabilise the newly-independent country, faced an ill-informed and easily-swayed public and a malicious media campaign, there were powerful backers to ensure it faced no problems. These were no less than Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Morarji Desai, the then home ministers of India and Bombay state, his daughter recounted in his autobiography.

Far ahead of his times but constantly re-inventing himself, Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre,...

A still from Dadasaheb Phalke’s “Kalia Mardan”

You can watch films by early pioneers of Indian cinema like Dadasaheb Phalke and Franz Osten in a specially set up tent cinema in New Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium Complex.

Gulshan Mahal, a tent cinema set up by Films Division, has a seating capacity of 25 and is equipped with carpets and benches instead of plush cushioned seats.

Gulshan Mahal runs four shows daily till April 30th. Entry is free on first come first served basis.

The tent cinema is part of the Centenary Indian Film Festival (click here for detailed program) which is being held in New Delhi.

Program details:-

Sunday, 27 April

2-2:30pm

Indian News Reel about India Becoming a Republic, 1948

Shree Krishna Janme by D.G. Phalke

3:30 – 4pm

Banga Darshan, Silent, 11 mins

Raja Harishchandra by D.G. Phalke

5 – 5:30pm

Home Minister Sardar Patel at Jamnagar (a News Reel...

Raja Harishchandra

The Maharashtra Chapter of Federation of Film Societies of India is celebrating centenary year of Marathi Cinema at Phalke Memorial in Nasik on 6th May 2012 between 2 to 5 pm.

The representative of all the 50 Film societies in Maharashtra will be present at the event.

Directors Umesh Kulkarni, Amol Palekar, Ramdas Futane, Jabbar Patel, Paresh Mokashi and Sandip Sawant will be felicitated for getting Marathi cinema international recognition.

Kiran Shantaram, Vijay Kondke, Mahesh Kothare, Mahesh Manjrekar and Sachin will be felicitated for drawing audiences to Marathi cinema.

Phalke Anthology made by the National Film Archive of India and documentary Film Takes Wings directed by Gajanan Jagirdar will be screened.

A book on Dadasaheb Phalke and 100 Marathi Films will also be released at the event.

The function is organized in collaboration with Nasik Municipal Corporation and Phalke Film Society, Nasik.

P.K. Nair, film historian and Founder-Director, National Film Archive of India fondly remembers his association with B.D. Garga who passed away on Monday

Pic courtesy: Uma Da Cunha

My first interaction with Bhagwan Garga was way back in 1961 when he had come to Ftii Pune at the invitation of Principal Gajanan Jagirdar to discuss the modalities of setting up a Film Archive at the Institute. That was one of the tasks assigned to me while I joined the Institute in March 1961. Earlier I had known him as a Film Historian of repute through his writings on Indian Cinema in “Illustrated Weekly”, “Filmfare”, “Seminar” and other journals. I was particularly impressed by his article in “Sight & Sound”, about how he unearthed the second part of Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible, including the color reels in the vaults of Gosfilmofond (Russian Film Archive ) .

I had known him as a dedicated...