Indian cinema tours Scotland
As part of the British Council’s growing programme of cultural exchange between India and Scotland, a four-city Bengali film festival opened this week in Stirling.
From miracle-working goddesses to corporate corruption in Kolkata, three films from the Indian director, Satyajit Ray, will tour Stirling, Glasgow, Inverness and Dundee over the next month, as part of the British Council’s Scotland-Kolkata Connections 2009.
The selection is curated by film critic Mark Cousins, who explains the choice, “When looking for the creative heart of Indian cinema, its real humanity – its soul, you have to look to West Bengal and the film makers who grew up there and in Kolkata.”
“We are delighted to be offering Scottish audiences a rare treat to see some of this renowned filmmaker's best work,” said Sheila Murray from the British Council.
“What links these particular films is their universal and timeless appeal focusing, as they do, on relationships, emotions, struggle, conflict and the joys and sorrows of being human. This taste of India will be followed early next year with a season of Scottish films in Kolkata,” she explained.
The film tour forms part of a year-long programme of events aimed at strengthening ties between Scotland and India.
It builds on the Paradise Movie Hall launched at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June this year, where nine classic Indian films were screened. Last November, Scottish film students screened their work at the Kolkata Film Festival and Scotland was the theme of Kolkata Book Fair, which was attended by Scottish author, Alexander McCall Smith, at the start of the year.
The three films touring Scotland are:
Devi, (Goddess), which tells the story of a young woman who is believed to be – and eventually driven mad by - the belief that she is a goddess with healing powers.
Seemabaddha, (Company Limited), which depicts the stresses and delusions of middle class life as a Kolkata business man strives to climb the corporate ladder. The film depicts the suspicion that surrounded the commercial world in India at the time.
Ray’s final creation, Agantuk, (The Stranger), which holds up a looking glass to modern society, questioning urban values as it charts the return of a mysterious uncle to his family in India after time abroad.
