FILM FESTIVAL 

To celebrate the centenary year of Satyajit Ray, legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator and music composer, a festival of classic black and white feature films; films from the Calcutta Trilogy; period pieces; a children’s film; and Ray’s all-time favourite film 

   
At 11:00 am    Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress/India)
(136 min; 1974; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta, Siddharth Chatterjee

Recipient of the Golden Lotus Award for Best Direction; Regional Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali; & Silver Lotus Award for Best Screenplay, National Film Awards, India 1975

At 1:30 pm  Jana Aranya (The Middleman/India)
(131 min; 1976; b/w; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Pradip Mukherjee, Satya Banerjee, Deepanker De

Recipient of the Golden Lotus Award for Best Direction, National Film Awards, India 1976

At 4:00 pm    Ghare Baire (The Home and the World/India)
(140 min; 1985; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Swatilekha Chatterjee, Victor Banerjee, Jennifer Kendal, Soumitra Chatterjee

Recipient of the NBR Award for Top Foreign Films, National Board of Review, USA 1985; Regional Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali, Best Supporting Actor & Best Costume Design, National Film Awards, India 1985; and BFJA Award for Best Actor, Bengal Film Journalists’ Awards 1986

At 8:30 pm    Shatranj ke Khilari (The Chess Players/India)
(129 min; 1977; dvd; Hindi/Urdu/English & with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, Richard Attenborough

Recipient of the Regional Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, National Film Awards, India 1978; Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor; Best Director; and Best Film – Critics, Filmfare Awards 1978

Re-scheduling of the film “Shatranj Ke Khilari” (The Chess Players)

Due to technical reasons, the film “Shatranj Ke Khilari” could not be screened as scheduled on 24 October 2021 at 8.30pm.

Kindly please make a note, we have now re-scheduled a screening of the film Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players) directed by Satyajit Ray on Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at 8.30 pm in the Centre’s C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium.

Inconvenience caused is regretted

 For film screenings, entry passes will be issued 30 minutes before each screening. 

FILM FESTIVAL 

To celebrate the centenary year of Satyajit Ray, legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator and music composer, a festival of classic black and white feature films; films from the Calcutta Trilogy; period pieces; a children’s film; and Ray’s all-time favourite film 

At 1:30 pm  Mahanagar (The Big City/India)
(131 min; 1963; b/w; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Madhabi Mukherjee, Anil Chatterjee, Haradhan Bannerjee, Jaya Bhaduri

Recipient of the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Indian Film, Berlin International Film Festival 1964; BJFA Awards for Best Indian Film & Best Dialogue, Bengal Film Journalists’ Awards, 1964; and Certificate of Merit, 3rd Best Feature Film in Bengali, National Film Awards, India 1964

At 4:00 pm    Charulata (The Lonely Wife/India)
(117 min; 1964; b/w; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sailen Mukherjee

Multiple award winner including OCIC Award & Silver Berlin Bear for Best Director, Berlin International Film Festival 1965; President’s Gold Medal for Best Feature Film, National Film Awards, India 1965; BFJA Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Music Director, Best Actor & Best Indian Film, Bengal Film Journalists’ Awards 1965

At 8:30 pm    Aranyer din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest/India)
(115 min; 1970; b/w; dvd; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Subhendu Chatterjee, Shamit Bhanja

 For film screenings, entry passes will be issued 30 minutes before each screening. 

FILM FESTIVAL 

To celebrate the centenary year of Satyajit Ray, legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator and music composer, a festival of classic black and white feature films; films from the Calcutta Trilogy; period pieces; a children’s film; and Ray’s all-time favourite film 

Jalsaghar (The Music Room)  
(100 min; 1958; dvd; b/w; Bengali with English subtitles)
Director: Satyajit Ray

With Chhabi Biswas, Padma Devi, Pinaki Sen Gupta

Recipient of the Silver Prize, Composer (Ustad Vilayat Khan), Moscow International Film Festival 1959; and Certificate of Merit, 2nd Best Feature Film in Bengali, National Film Awards, India 1959

For film screenings, entry passes will be issued 30 minutes before each screening. 

An exhibition of prints from the collection of National Gallery of Modern Art

Inauguration of the exhibition by Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, Life Trustee, IIC on Friday, 22nd October 2021 at 4 pm

(Collaboration: National Gallery of Modern Art)

Sculptural metaphors of the Anthropocene

An exhibition of sculptural forms by G.R. Iranna, H.G. Arunkumar, Karl Antao, Shambhavi and Puneet Kaushik

Advisor: Chandrika Grover Ralleigh

Inauguration of the exhibition by Shri N.N. Vohra, President, IIC on Friday, 22^nd October 2021 at 5 pm

(Collaboration: Gallery Espace)

Flights of Materiality

Sculptural metaphors of the Anthropocene

The current geological epoch, the Anthropocene, dramatically illustrates how we, individually and collectively, are leaving a human signature on our world. We have reached an unprecedented moment in planetary history. Humans now change the Earth’s systems more than all natural forces combined. This is the thread running through Gallery Espace’s exhibition of a group of compelling visual artistic experiences, using both new and traditional three-dimensional media, which capture scenes of our human signature, and convey the complexity and significance of our age.

This sculptural collection brings together a multitude of lines of entry and inter-disciplinary conversations concerned with art and the environment that are emerging around the human impact on the planet and its far-reaching effects. The artworks invite these considerations through a collection of forces, vectors, concerns, and perspectives that can be engaged with and read in multiple orders, marrying form with content in powerful and different ways evidencing the Anthropocene in both metaphysical concepts and concrete reality.

Framed through modes of the visual in an object-oriented ontology, one returns in this exhibition to the philosophy of the object —a renewed focus on the composition, vitality, materiality, autonomy, wonder, and durability of sculpture, primarily as a sensorial experience. Using primordial materials such as iron, bronze, wood, textile and found objects, the artists manifest their concerns by asking what worlds we are intentionally and inadvertently creating, and what worlds we are foreclosing while living within an increasingly diminished present. It has become a concept that speaks not just to the hallmarks of our time, but to the apocalyptic foreclosure of possible futures.

Kristine Michael

Project advisor: Chandrika Grover Ralleigh

Arunkumar HG’s (b. 1968) art practice engages with a diversity of ecological concerns; primarily the decline of natural resources and habitats as a result of consumerism. His sculptures, made from re-cycled and re-purposed material, allude to local, historical and cultural milieux, as a microcosm of and a commentary on these concerns. Arunkumar lives and works in Delhi.

G. R. Iranna (b. 1970) is greatly inspired by Vedantic philosophy, particularly the idea of the duality of existence, and juxtaposes materials, colours, textures and forms in his paintings, sculptures and installations, to manifest the dichotomies of nature and artifice, spiritual and material, permanent and transient, heavy and light-weight, dark and light, etc.

An advertising professional who turned to art, Ahmedabad-based Karl Antao (b. 1966) is among the few contemporary artists who sculpts in wood (and sometime bronze), creating mammoth figures that are infused with life and emotion, and embody complex visual metaphors. Antao has exhibited widely in India and abroad and is also the recipient of several art awards.

Puneet Kaushik (b. 1972) is a Delhi-based contemporary artist whose practice carries traces of his deep engagement with Indian craft. His paintings and mixed-media installations use a spectrum of unconventional graphic materials such as glass or coral beads, cotton, wool or jute cord, metal wire, terracotta,  bone,  hair, charcoal, paper pulp, etc.

Shambhavi (b. 1966) is a painter, printmaker, and installation artist. Her practice is largely non-figurative and focuses on the relationship between man and nature, and the condition of the farmer. An alumnus of the College of Fine Arts and Crafts, Patna, and Delhi College of Art,  her sculptural installation ‘Reapers’ Melody’ will soon be unveiled at MoMA, New York.

Contact: +91-9871985857; art@galleryespace.com

A King’s Gambit

An exhibition of original period costumes created for the 1977 film by Satyajit Ray, Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players). Based on research and original sketches by Ray himself, and Shama Zaidi; created by local dressmakers. Apart from costumes, the display also includes footwear, turbans, costume jewelry, stills and working stills, copies of letters and pages from Ray’s kheror khata (script book).

From the collection of Suresh Jindal, producer of Shatranj Ke Khilari

Research and text: Indrani Majumdar, translator of Ray

Inauguration of the exhibition by Dr. Ashis Nandy, Trustee, IIC on Saturday, 23^rd October 2021 at 10 am

Chess, Costumes and a Crown

Shatranj Ke Khilari based on Premchand’s 1924 short-story, is only one of two films made by Satyajit Ray in the Hindi language. From the opening sequence, Ray adroitly locates the period setting of the film with a shot of the woven silk sleeves and ornate rings of the chess players. As the camera zooms out to bring the two players, Nawabs Mir Roshan Ali and Mirza Sajjad Ali, into focus, what strikes you first is the grandeur of it all — the rich backdrop, lavish decor, stylish artefacts and the magnificent costumes worn by the indolent royals. This sartorial splendour comes even more alive on screen as each of the 30 characters is introduced. Every individual, including in the crowd scenes, whether the nobility, dancers, retinues or visitors, are defined by their distinct attire. The costumes reflect the detailed and fastidious research that went into the production of Shatranj Ke Khilari. According to Satyajit Ray, ‘I did a lot of cultural and historical research before making this film. I was helped by the publication of the English translation of a famous book in Urdu…entitled Lucknow, the last phase of an Eastern Culture. It is an encyclopedia of the life and times of Wajid Ali Shah’.

The costumes were studied in museums, paintings, engravings and old photographs. Salar Jung Museum, Falaknuma Palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad and City Palace Museum of Jaipur were primary sources for the film’s research. Archival images available at the erstwhile Bourne & Shepherd photographic studio in Calcutta were another significant resource. The Victoria Memorial offered up an oil painting of Wajid Ali Shah, which acted as the primary reference for the king’s physical appearance. The India Office Library and Imperial War Museum in London added other essential layers to the research.

The material for the outfits spanned a variety of velvet, brocade, silk and even wool as the setting was winter. They were procured from Hyderabad, Lucknow and Calcutta.  It was a deliberate decision to opt for muted hues – gold, copper, bronze, pastel shades of green, blue and peach.  According to Ray the Kathak scene in particular was inspired from an engraving of that period.  Bansi Chandragupta, the art director from Bombay, scoured his city for authentic props and finally found them in Calcutta. Quite a few heirlooms were generously loaned by Wajid Ali Shah's great-great grandson, Anjam Qudr, a resident of Metia Burj in Calcutta.

After an elaborate consultation with the National War Museum in London, Andrew Mollo, a British expert on military uniforms, did the sketches for the military costumes, which were arranged sequentially according to scouts, cavalry, horse artillery, general and staff, infantry, heavy artillery and baggage. Red and gold, blue and silver, red and yellow and white uniforms were produced for the Bengal cavalry. In this context Shama Zaidi who was closely associated with the film categorically mentioned that ‘As this was a pre-mutiny sequence, army uniforms before the mutiny were not standardised.’

Ray's biographer Marie Seton writes, ‘For the sake of accuracy, the ADC uniforms were ordered in London. When they arrived they were found to be summer uniforms but the order was for winter! Even the helmet was incorrect. It was Shama Zaidi who improvised a means of making them look nearly right’.

On display are a wide range of achkans, angrakhas, jamas, pyjamas, shararas, ornate cholis, turbans, pagris, silver ornaments, and footwear from Suresh Jindal's personal collection. Also on view are letters exchanged by Ray and Jindal; sketches prepared for the dresses along with their fabric swatches; as well as sketches of the jewellery by Manju Saraogi who fabricated the costumes for the film. Two volumes of kheror khata (clothbound notebook) digitised by the National Digital Library of India are also exhibited. Finally and significantly, the exhibition showcases the crown worn by the king of Awadh.

For the first time ever, A King’s Gambit exhibition showcases the original costumes from Shatranj Ke Khilari and offers a glimpse into the magical world of Wajid Ali Shah.

- Indrani Majumdar

PHYSICAL / WEBCAST  PROGRAMME

 Kabir and Meera presented by Mir Mukhtiyar Ali and group from Bikaner

Mir Mukhtiyar Ali and his group are traditional Rajasthani folk singers

Chief Guest: Shri K.N. Shrivastava, Director, IIC

Mir Mukhtiyar Ali

Mir Mukhtiyar Ali, a folk singer from Pugal village, Rajasthan, hails from the semi-nomadic community of Mirasis who are the traditional carriers of the oral tradition of Sufiana Qalam in India. Mukhtiyar blends the Rajasthani folk idiom with refined classicism to sing the poetry of Kabir, Meera, and Sufi poets such as Bulleh Shah. He crosses boundaries of genres and cultures with ease. Other than his engagement with the traditions of Sufiana Qalam, he draws his music from a wide range of inspirations across Rajasthan and Punjab in India, and Pakistan. He sings Kafi, Qawwali, Ghazals, Bhajans and Kabir Vani. He has also lent his voice to a few films, including Tashan (2008), Bombay Summer (2008), Kathai (2010) and Delhi in a Day (2011). He was awarded the GiMA Award for Best Music Debut for the year 2015 for the song ‘Fanny Re’ in the film Finding Fanny. It was through the Kabir Project that Mukhtiyar was spotted by world music circuits and he made his international debut in July 2007. Since then, he has performed in Belgium, Sweden, China, Canada, Germany and France.

Mukhtiyar Ali’s voice has the rare combinations of the masculine and the feminine, a merging of the earthy directness of folk music, and the complex octaves of the classical traditions.

Indian Cinema: Today and Tomorrow: Infrastructure, Aesthetics, Audiences (Winter 2020-Spring 2021)

Guest Editors: S.V. Srinivas, Ratheesh Radhakrishnan, Subhajit Chatterjee

Edited by Omita Goyal, Chief Editor IIC

To be released by Dr. Karan Singh

What was the cinema? What is it becoming today and what will be the future of the form and institution that was once cinema, in the wake of disruptive technologies and emergent socio-political conditions?’  This thematic issue brings together a number of essays by researchers from a variety of disciplinary and critical perspectives to reflect on these questions. They assess the impact of new trends and technologies, spaces and modes of consumption, aesthetic paradigms, piracy, etc., on this 20th-century institution that has played such a crucial role in defining the ‘modern’.

With contributions by S. V. Srinivas, Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Darshana Sreedhar Mini, Gurmmeet Singh, Ipsita Barat, Ishita Tiwary, Jenson Joseph, M. Madhava Prasad, Madhuja Mukherjee, Mohamed Shafeeq Karinkurayil, Moinak Biswas, Navaneetha Mokkil, Pujita Guha, Puneet Krishna, Raghav Nanduri, Rashmi Sawhney, Ratheesh Radhakrishnan,  Samhita Sunya, Spandan Bhattacharya, Subhajit Chatterjee, Sudipto Basu, Tejaswini Ganti, Trinankur Banerjee and Uma Maheswari Bhrugubanda.

Cover Art

Film set studio photographed with fish eye lens

Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash

https://unsplash.com/s/photos/movie-set

PHYSICAL / WEBCAST  PROGRAMME

By Vignesh Ishwar from Chennai, disciple of Palakkad Shri T.S. Anantharama Bhagawathar and presently under Shri T.M. Krishna

Accompanied by R.K. Sriramkumar on the violin; K. Arunprakash on mridangam; and N. Guruprasad on ghatam

Chief Guest: Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Trustee, IIC

Vignesh Ishwar

Vignesh Ishwar began learning music at the age of three under the guidance of Palakkad T.S. Anantharama Bhagawathar for over 15 years, and later trained under Shri T.M. Krishna in 2008.

An undergraduate in Electrical Engineering and a graduate in Sound and Music Technology from the Music Group Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Vignesh took up Carnatic music full time in Chennai and later continued to learn and practice in Mumbai. He also sings playback and has worked in the ‘Kollywood’ entertainment industry. His work has been repeatedly recognised in Tamil-language movies, as a result of which he has worked predominantly in the Tamil film industry.

With his sonorous voice, charming stage presence, effortless brigas and perfect diction, he leaves his audience awestruck. Vignesh has been defined in the media as an ‘artist to be watched’.

PHYSICAL / WEBCAST  PROGRAMME

By Vidushi Shalmalee Joshi, Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana, daughter and disciple of Smt Madhuri Kulkarni, Pt. Chintubuwa Mhaiskar and of late Pt. Ratnakar Pai

Accompanied by Tejovrush Sunil Joshi on tabla; and Vinay Mishra on harmonium

Chief Guest: Shri Shyam Saran, Life Trustee, IIC

Shalmalee Joshi

Indian classical music has an enigmatic charm, with an immense power to draw a person one step closer to the ultimate divine power. It’s not just an art to entertain the audience and listeners, but a sacred and intelligent way to connect to the divine, meditation of self! Music for me has the potential to unite the mind and the soul, which is much needed in today’s turbulent society. It does not recognize boundaries and is therefore unifying in nature. 

These are the profound sentiments of Vidushi Smt. Shalmalee Joshi, an eminent Hindustani classical vocalist, scholar, teacher and professional music composer. She has received training in the Jaipur, Gwalior, and Kirana gharanas. She hails from a family with a long music tradition. She received her early grooming with her mother Mrs. Madhuri Kulkarni, and in the Gwalior and Kirana traditions with 
Pt. Chintubuwa Mhaiskar of Sangli. She then polished her performing presence and emerged as a convincing exponent of Jaipur-Atrauli Khayal vocalism with fifteen years of training under legendary Guru Late Pt. Ratnakar Pai, one of the most respected custodians of the Gharana’s repertoire and stylistic legacy.

Besides Khayal vocalism, Smt. Shalmalee Joshi is also admired for her command over semi-classical genres such as Thumri, Tappa, Dadra, Hori, Chaiti, Kajari, Bhajan, Sufi, Marathi Natya Sangeet, Kannada Bhajans, and Rajasthani folk music, which she learnt from Marwar Ratna Pt. Govindaji Kalla. Her music bridges may a chasm – from the mundane to the spiritual, from gross to sublime, and from entertainment to upliftment. She has a deep understanding of raag swaroop and is adept at correctly elaborating the complex jod-ragas and anvat (rare) ragas of the Jaipur–Atrauli tradition.

She has received several scholarships, awards and honours, and has performed across India and overseas.