Narratives of change in Indian screenwriting
Daniela Rogobete | Jan 26
In the present landscape of Indian cinematic productions, the ever-growing number of female authors… offer a change of perspective in Indian cinema so far dominated by male voices and gazes, a change which does not necessarily imply a feminine representation of the world but, importantly, a different approach and a different gaze, which takes into account a number of social, domestic, and cultural issues, generally overlooked or poorly represented. The courage of breaking conventions; the boldness of representation, of subverting gender and genre stereotypes, and of portraying real women instead of prototypes; the highlighting of gender inequality and the creation of self-awareness; and poetic sensitivity are a few of the qualities displayed in the texts produced by these women scriptwriters.
Impact of digital platform on Kolkata film market
Arnab K Middya | Jan 15
It would be very difficult to bring back the aura that the episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharat once had. The days when people wouldn’t dare miss an episode and/or its repeat screening as there was no other option of watching them ever again is long gone.
Polyphony in time: narrational strategy in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Anantaram (1987) and the film’s multiple interpretations
Babu Subramanian | Feb 7
Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Anantaram (1987), his fifth film and its three preceding films have a common approach of a biography of an individual… Anantaram, which differs from them with its narrative strategy, is Adoor’s magnum opus. Analysing it will help in understanding its import and what Adoor achieved in it.
Indian Cinema & its philosophical idée fixe
S Viswanath | Feb 26
Despite mimesis as a narrative necessity and primary constructive principle of cinema being virtually absent in the lexicon of Indian filmmakers, their films work for the intended audiences… The book talks about the philosophical issues in Indian cinema and offers an understanding of what makes Indian cinema a key differentiator and informs on what it lacks in the context of the global cinema coliseum.
Deepa Mehta’s Fire
Ananya Nandan | Feb 26
Fire asks society a few uncomfortable questions. Primarily, “Is the desire to love someone beyond the periphery of the heteronormative relationship a sin?”… The film breaks stereotypes and exhibits the different needs in a relationship.