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English-language Indian Films
English-language Indian films date back to the silent film era. After the advent of Sound film, sound, feature films in English almost disappeared. History Silent era In the 1920s, films directed by Franz Osten and Himansu Rai, including ''The Light of Asia (film), The Light of Asia'' and ''A Throw of Dice'', could be considered English-language films because the intertitles were in English. With the advent of sound, directors such as Osten and Rai chose Hindi as the language, thus effectively bringing to a close this phase of English-language films made in India. Crossover films An attempt to make English talkies in India named Karma (1933 film), ''Karma'' failed domestically in 1933. Indian crossover films appeared in Indian cinema with international productions with Indian themes, starting with Merchant Ivory Productions' first venture, ''The Householder'' (1963), which has an India story, setting with an Indian cast, and included Shashi Kapoor, Leela Naidu, and Durga Kh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silent Film
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when necessary, be conveyed by the use of inter- title cards. The term "silent film" is something of a misnomer, as these films were almost always accompanied by live sounds. During the silent era, which existed from the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, a pianist, theater organist—or even, in larger cities, an orchestra—would play music to accompany the films. Pianists and organists would play either from sheet music, or improvisation. Sometimes a person would even narrate the inter-title cards for the audience. Though at the time the technology to synchronize sound with the film did not exist, music was seen as an essential part of the viewing experience. "Silent film" is typically used as a historical term to describe an era of cinema p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
36 Chowringhee Lane
''36 Chowringhee Lane'' is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. It marked the directorial debut of Sen, who had until then been known as a leading actress of Bengali cinema. The film was very well received upon release. It stars Jennifer Kendal in a critically acclaimed role, along with Dhritiman Chatterjee and Debashree Roy.Two major songs used in the film were 1960's song "YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINY" by Brian Hyland and 1964 version of "SILENT NIGHT" by Mary Martin. Plot In post-independence India an Anglo-Indian teacher, Violet Stoneham ( Jennifer Kendal), lives a quiet and uneventful life at 36 Chowringhee Lane in Calcutta, now Kolkata. Her brother Eddie ( Geoffrey Kendal, Jennifer's father in real life) is senile and ailing in a nursing home. After the marriage of her niece Rosemary ( Soni Razdan), she is alone except for her cat, Sir Toby. Her only joy in life is teaching Shakespeare, despite the lack of interest from her students ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinematic career spanning over five decades, he has played in over 200 films. Bachchan is often hailed as the '' Shahenshah'' of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as "Greatest actor of the century" in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B.* * * His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a "one-man industry". He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards. Amitabh Bachchan was born in 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his wife, the social activist Teji Bachchan. He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College, University ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Last Lear
''The Last Lear'' is a 2007 Indian English-language drama film directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film won the National Award of India for Best Feature Film in English in 2007. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal, Divya Dutta, Shefali Shah and Jisshu Sengupta. Shefali Shah won the Best Supporting Actress National Award for her role in the movie. It was produced by Arindam Chaudhuri of Planman Motion Pictures. Production Basing the script on Utpal Dutt's semiautobiographical play ''Aajker Shahjahan'', Rituparno Ghosh penned it in 2006, and turned to the actors in February 2007, all of whom accepted the offer. The film began shooting from 28 February 2007 to 10 April 2007; principal shooting took place in Kolkata and some shooting took place in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. Dubbing for the film ended on 31 August 2007. ''The Last Lear'' premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September and received a significant reception, earning many ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rituporno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh (; 31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for his second feature film '' Unishe April'' which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Having won 19 National Awards, along with his contemporaries Aparna Sen and Goutam Ghose, Rituparno heralded contemporary Bengali cinema to greater heights. Ghosh died on 30 May 2013 in Kolkata after a heart attack. Ghosh was also one of the openly homosexual personalities in Indian cinema. Ghosh was influenced by the works of Satyajit Ray and was an avid reader of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore's works are frequently referenced to in his films. He also made a documentary titled ''Jeevan Smriti'' on the life of Tagore. In his career spanning almost two decades, he won 12 National and numerous International awards. His unreleased Bengali movie '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Being Cyrus
''Being Cyrus'' is a 2005 Indian English-language dark comedy film directed by Homi Adajania. The film revolves around a dysfunctional Parsi family. The film was originally titled '' Akoori'', a reference to a traditional Parsi scrambled eggs-like side dish. The film is the directorial debut of Homi Adajania and Saif Ali Khan's first film in English. Upon its release, the film was reported to be released in a Hindi dubbed version in 2007, however, the director cancelled the plan. Plot The plot is sometimes narrated from the perspective of Cyrus Mistry. Dinshaw Sethna is a retired sculptor who lives with his wife Katy in Panchgani. Dinshaw's brother Farrokh, their father Fardoonjee, and Farrokh's wife Tina reside in Mumbai. Cyrus Mistry, a wanderer hailing from Jamshedpur, arrives at Dinshaw's house one morning. He professes his admiration for Dinshaw's work and asks if he can become a sculpting apprentice. Dinshaw and Katy agree, and soon the young man becomes a part of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homi Adajania
Homi Adajania (born 28 February) is an Indian film director and writer. He made his directorial debut with ''Being Cyrus'' (2005), an English-language psychological drama. He followed this with the commercially successful Hindi-language romantic comedy ''Cocktail'' (2012). After this Adajania directed the satire ''Finding Fanny''. Career Adajania entered the film industry directing and co-writing the English-language psychological drama ''Being Cyrus'' (2005) starring Saif Ali Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, and Boman Irani. The film earned critical acclaim, despite being commercially unsuccessful. Film critic Rajeev Masand called it "a stylish thriller that's told in an immensely engaging style." Adajania's second directorial venture was the Hindi-language romantic comedy ''Cocktail'' (2012). The film was written by filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan under their banner Illuminati Films. The lead roles were played by Khan, Deepika Padu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bombay Boys
''Bombay Boys'' is a 1998 Indian crime comedy film written and directed by the Indian director Kaizad Gustad. It follows the adventures of three young men in modern-day Mumbai (or Bombay). The boys are of Indian origin, but were all raised in the West. Krishna Sahni (played by Naveen Andrews) is an aspiring actor from New York City who wants to make it big in Bollywood. Ricardo Fernandes ( Rahul Bose) is from Sydney and is in Mumbai to search for his long-lost brother. Finally, Xerxes Mistry ( Alexander Gifford), a musician from London, is looking to discover his "roots" in the land of his ancestors. Synopsis The three meet for the first time at Mumbai's airport and decide to find a place together. In the course of the movie, Krishna finds out that, in order to break into the local film industry, he must first win the (decidedly risky) patronage of Don Mastana, a godfather of the Mumbai underworld who's also a film producer. Mastana is a violent man who thinks nothing of impal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaizad Gustad
Kaizad Gustad (born 1968) is an Indian film director and author based in Mumbai, India. He is best known for his 1998 comedy ''Bombay Boys.'' In his career as an author, he has written three books, ''Of No Fixed Address'' published in 1998 by HarperCollins, ''The Road to Mandalay'' and ''7 Storeys''. Early life Gustad was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) into a Parsi family. He has an older brother and a younger sister. He grew up on a farm in the outskirts of Wadi, Karnataka, Wadi, a town in the Kalaburagi district of Karnataka, where his father and grandfather owned cinema theaters and a stone quarrying business. He first attended the Cathedral and John Connon School in Bombay and then studied at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling. At the age of sixteen, he moved along with his family to Sydney, Australia. He later attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to study film. At the age of 18, Gustad left home and started traveling to different parts of the world. He kept a dia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyderabad Blues
''Hyderabad Blues'' is a 1998 Indian drama film written, directed, and produced by Nagesh Kukunoor. Primarily shot in the English language, the film explores culture clash from an Indian American's perspective, vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land. The film starred non-mainstream actors, including Kukunoor in his directorial and acting debut, as well as his family members and friends. The film heralded new age Indian independent cinema. Hyderabad Blues was premiered at the Eros International Mini Theatre, Mumbai; the Denver Film Festival, the "View From Abroad" section of the First MAMI Film Festival; as well as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. It was premiered as a three part television series in Doordarshan. Hyderabad Blues garnered the "Audience Award for best film" at the Peachtree International Film Festival in Atlanta, as well as the Rhode Island International Film Festival. In 2018, Hyderabad B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagesh Kukunoor
Nagesh Kukunoor (born 30 March 1967) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and few Telugu films. He is known for his works in parallel cinema, such as '' Hyderabad Blues'' (1998), '' Rockford'' (1999), '' Iqbal'' (2005), '' Dor'' (2006), '' Aashayein'' (2010), ''Lakshmi'' (2014), and '' Dhanak'' (2016). Kukunoor has received seven International Awards, and two National Film Awards for his works. In 2003, he directed '' 3 Deewarein'', which was showcased among the Indian panorama section, at the 2003 International Film Festival of India. The film was also premiered at the Kolkata Film Festival. After having been screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, where it was well received, the film was screened at the Commonwealth Festival at Manchester. It was nominated as one of the top five films, at the gala presentation. Nagesh Kukunoor has also received the Filmfare Award for Best Story. In 200 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English, August (film)
''English, August'' is a 1994 Indian English-language black comedy film and director Dev Benegal's first feature film. A humorous and irreverent study of bureaucracy and the Indian Generation X, ''English, August'' won several awards at international film festivals. ''English, August'' became the first Indian independent film to break the stranglehold of mainstream Indian Bollywood cinema when it was acquired by 20th Century Fox and became a theatrical success in the country. This has led the way for other low budget, independent movies such as ''Bombay Boys'' and ''Split Wide Open'', which are part of the next generation of "middle cinema". The film is based on the novel of the same name by Upamanyu Chatterjee. The negatives of the film were spoiled due to flooding at a storage facility of Prasad Studios. There was an unsuccessful attempt at restoration, following which the film was declared a lost film. In February 2020, a copy of the film was found in the National Film A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
