India Now - 60 Years of Indian Independence

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South Asian Cinema Foundation Presents Cinema of Independence at The Watermans

To mark 60th Anniversary of Indian Independence (1947- 2007), as part of India Now this 3rd thematic SACF Festival at Watermans brings the first ever Cinema of Independence to London. The Festival presents a niche selection of landmark films and documentaries that mirror India's struggle for independence and the trauma India and Pakistan faced at Partition.

Lalit Mohan Joshi, the Director, South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) says: "Made between 1947 to 2007 by masters like Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal, these films are Indian Cinema’s tribute to the struggle for Independence and for ending the British Raj. Sixty years on, it leaves many questions unanswered and these films address them directly or obliquely."

The period leading up to the 1857 revolt against the Raj is the subject for (Shatranj Ke Khilari (Chess Players), whilst Benegal’s Junoon, (Flight of the Pigeons) recreates the rebellion. Ketan Mehta’s Sardar reverberates with conflicts that paved the way to Partition and the most recent work the festival shows is the ground-breaking documentary Beyond Partition (2006), which explores the trauma of Partition and how it impacted on filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent.

FILMS
Fri 10 Aug, 5.30pm
Shatranj Ke Khilari (Chess Players) (U)
1977/ Ind / Hindi, Urdu, Engl/ 155 m/dir Satyajit Ray
Richard Attenborough, Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, Tom Alter
This is Ray's most expensive film, boasting of stars from the West and Bollywood. A period film, it recreates 1856, the eve of India’s first struggle for independence (The Revolt of 1857). A British firm, "The East India Company" ruled much of India; directly or indirectly through 'treaties of friendship.’ The Kingdom of Avadh is under siege while two landlords of Lucknow, Mirza Sajjad Ali (Sanjeev Kumar) and Mir Roshan Ali (Saeed Jaffrey) are busy playing chess.
The British are strengthening their grip on Avadh and Lord Dalhousie, the Governor General of India is playing a bigger game of chess.

Sat 11 Aug, 8.30pm
Junoon (Flight of the Pigeons) (PG)
1978/Ind/Hindi, Eng/144 m/dir Shyam Benegal
Shashi Kapoor, Nafisa Ali, Tom Alter, Ismat Chugtai, Naseeruddin Shah
1857. India is in turmoil. Indian units of East India Company’s Army are in open revolt, leading to a popular uprising against the British rule. The attack on the church is led by an ex-spy Sarfaraz Khan (Naseeruddin Shah). Among those massacred is Charles Labadoor (Tom Alter). Ruth (Nafisa Ali), her mother Mariam (Jennifer Kendal) and her grandmother (Ismat Chugtai) are only survivors. Javed Khan is madly in love with Ruth while his brother Sarfaraz has vowed to kill her entire family.

Sun 12 Aug, 6.30pm
Shaheed (Martyr) (U)
1965/Ind/Hindi/164 min/dir S. Ram Sharma
Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Prem Chopra, Manmohan
The Jalianwala Bagh (Amritsar) massacre of over 300 innocent men, women and children and the fatal beating of Lala Lajpat Rai, the national leader of India by the British police has turned three young men, Bhagat Singh (Manoj Kumar), Rajguru and Sukhdev into the enemy of the Raj. Inspired by Chandrashekhar Azad (Manmohan), they determine to avenge the death of their leaders and free India. One day the Police officer Saunders is killed and the assembly is bombed.

Mon 13 Aug, 7.30pm
Bose – The Forgotten Hero (PG)
2005/Ind/Hindi/210 mins/dir Shyam Benegal
Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Shyam Benegal's biography-epic explores the controversial life of Subhas Chandra Bose, the Bengali freedom fighter who renounced Gandhi's non-violence teachings and declared open warfare on the British Empire.

Bose (Sachin Khedekar) escapes from house arrest in Calcutta and via Afghanistan escapes to Berlin where he meets Adolf Hitler who is disparaging and lukewarm in his support. Frustrated, he leaves Germany in a U-boat to South East Asia. Here he links up with the Japanese to begin his own war.

Mon 14 Aug, 7.30pm
Sardar (The Iron Man of India) (12)
1993/ Ind / Hindi/175m/dir Ketan Mehta
Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Benjamin Gilani, Srivallabh Vyas, Tom Alter
Popular Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal plays rare historic role of Sardar Patel whose contribution to independence was crucial during Partition. Sardar, initially reluctant of Gandhi eventually accepts him as a leader. The film is full of historic conflicts between Jinnah and Patel on Partition. Strong performances by Paresh Rawal (Patel), Benjamin Gilani (Nehru), Annu Kapoor (Gandhi) and Srivallabh Vyas (Jinnah).

Wed 15 Aug, 8.30pm
Beyond Partition (PG)
2006/UK/Ind/65 mins/dir Lalit Mohan Joshi
The recent path breaking documentary explores the trauma of partition and how it impacted on filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent. Renowned filmmakers Govind Nihalani, Sabiha Sumar and Gulzar reflect on the communal violence they and their families witnessed as refugees.
The film explores current issues including terrorism and the tensions that intermittently vitiate Hindu-Muslim relations within the subcontinent as well as Indo-Pakistan disputes – as a continuing legacy of Partition.