Shoma Chatterji
Oorvazi Irani | July 11
During the time of Meena Kumari, Madhubala and their peers, the camera focussed more on the face of the leading lady than on the body. This changed radically from the 1990s when the body of the heroine became as or more important than the face. The sati-savitri image underwent a radical make-over probably with Nutan, who, without showing skin, made a powerful presentation in strong roles such as Seema and Bandini. Geeta Bali promoted the image of a mischievous tomboy, also a positive deviation from the sati-savitri image.
Bimal Roy — a daughter remembers
Aparajita Sinha | July 12
Quite a few children made their debut in my father’s films… Dilip Kumar said that he learnt to act from working with my father and that it was the only “school” that he knew… Shyam Benegal once said that he had noticed that the camera in my father’s films was very carefully placed so as to always be on the same level as the actor. It was never used to strip a character of their essential humanity. No clever top shots to make characters look like ants struggling against a hostile environment… “Do you know wherein lies Bimal da’s greatness?” Jagdeep said to us. “He loved the common people. It was for them that he made his films.”
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Naseeruddin Shah — the angel of chaos
Amborish Roychoudhury | July 20
A shy boy who found it incredibly difficult to talk to people, went up on stage with dozens of heads staring at him, judging him. But there were bright lights on him and he couldn’t see anything. Till he could only see the abyss. He stared at the black void in front of him and started speaking. That one night was to transform that boy completely.
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Shajith Koyeri — sound designer
Joy Bimal Roy | July 23
I personally witnessed the magic of those bent fingers when we sat together for the sound design of my film… Shajith’s story is inspirational particularly for handicapped people. His life proves that one’s strength of mind and determination can make the impossible possible.