On Saturday evening, Kaberi & I found ourselves invited to help introduce an open-air screening of the ‘Bollywood’ film Dilwale dulhania le jayenge (The big-hearted will get the bride) in Liège. Now, I cannot claim to be an expert in ‘Bollywood’ films, not least because I don’t understand Hindi. However, in recent years, Kaberi has introduced me to the better-known films of this genre through subtitled versions.
Month: June 2010
Sustaining Tagore’s legacy outside Bengal
Last Saturday, at London’s Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Samir Khan and Suddho mancha did something remarkable. They organised an event to pay tribute to some of those who have helped the UK’s Bengali community to sustain Tagore’s legacy. Those honoured were Arati Bhattacharya, Sushmita Bhattacharya, Pompa Dhar, Benu Rahman and my father, Jayanta Chatterjee.
Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary
Many have been looking forward to celebrating Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, which will be on May 7, 2011. So much so that some started celebrating over a year in advance.
UNESCO announced that it would be celebrating the anniversary, in the same way that it had celebrated Tagore’s birth centenary in 1961. That was marked by several notable events all over the world, including Satyajit Ray’s documentary Rabindranath Tagore and Teen Kanya, his trilogy of Tagore’s short stories The Postmaster, Monihara (the lost jewels) and Samapti (Conclusion).
My name is Khan (and I am not a terrorist)
Kaberi and I went to see this film last weekend. It’s quite a remarkable film in several ways and I’d recommend you to see it.
My name is Khan is an Indian film. To many in the West, this may bring to mind a 3-hour romantic film with a good-guy-falls-in-love-with-nice-girl-who-falls-for-bad-guy-but-is-rescued-by-good-guy-and-falls-in-love-and-they-live-happily-ever-after plot in which
Our Tagore dance film trilogy
If you have been wondering where Kaberi and I disappeared to, perhaps this leaflet about our Tagore dance film trilogy will give you an idea.
I have finally succumbed to the suggestion of various friends, particularly Lambros, that I start a blog. Through our Shyama podcast, Kaberi and I are trying to offer answers to the many questions about Shyama and Rabindranath Tagore which people watching our film version of Shyama have been prompted to ask us.
This blog is more about my personal interests, though the link with our Tagore dance film trilogy is inescapable since the trilogy brings together my interests in films, Tagore and digital thinking. I hope you’ll find them interesting too.