Author: Sangeeta Datta
Foreword/Introductio: Derek Malcolm
Publisher: Roli Books
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 276
ISBN/UPC (if available): 81-7436-651-2
Description
Shyam Benegal is one of the most profile contemporary filmmakers from India’s ‘New Cinema’. From his first film Ankur (1974) through to Zubeidaa (2000), he has explored the contradictions and tensions of a society in rapid transition, with a unique focus on the female protagonists.
"Sangeeta Datta’s book traces his career with its beginnings in political cinema and a realist aesthetic. It shows how the struggles of women, the dispossessed and marginalized in Indian society find expression in films as diverse as Nishant, Bhumika, Mandi, Suraj Ka Satwan Ghoda and Kalyug. It traces Benegal’s work with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema—Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Govind Nihalani and, more recently, Karishma Kapoor and A.R. Rahman—developing a style and ethos uniquely his. It also explains how the director’s work presents both a stark contrast to Bollywood and yet contains creative continuities with commercial cinema and his distinguished predecessor Satyajit Ray.
"Perhaps no other director has come close to painting such a compelling and vivid portrait of modern India." (jacket)
Contents
Foreword by Derek Malcolm
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Parallel Cinema in India
The Formative Years
The Rural Trilogy: Wind of Change
The Woman's Voice: Bhumika and Mandi
Histories and Epics
Subaltern Voices
The Last Trilogy: Search for Identity
Experiments with Truth
Appendix: Reflections
Notes
Bibliography
Filmography
Index