Parde Ke Peeche (PKP) Podcast

The final episode of our three-part series exploring Hindi cinema's transition to Bollywood. In the first two episodes we looked at how India transitioned from a post-colonial country in the late fourties & early fifties, to a tumultuous era of political oppression in the seventies.

With today’s episode we are finally examining how the liberalization of Indian economy in the nineties, coincided with the release of films such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Pardes, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, and how the Non Resident Indian (NRI) market became a key demographic for those films.

• ​Released: September 6, 2019
• Intro & Outro music: Sourced from royalty-free sites.
• Films Mentioned & Dialogue Clips from:
  • Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Aditya Chopra, 1995)
  • Purab aur Paschim (Manoj Kumar, 1970)

Hosts Raeesa and Ankur sit down with Calgary-based filmmaker Amair Javaid to discuss his new short film Hafiz (2020), which was selected to be part of the Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals. They also discuss Amair’s filmmaking journey, cultural responsibility & representation, identity, and other topics around being a filmmaker in the Canadian-Desi diaspora.

Films discussed:

• Hafiz (2020)
• Charsi (tbd)
• Mogul Mowgli (2019)
• The Tiger Hunter (2016)

The influence of William Shakespeare on cinema is well known & far reaching. Since the dawn of cinema The Bard’s work has been adapted, or provided inspiration, in cinematic works from Griffith, Kurosawa, and Julie Taymor.

The influence has also touched Indian filmmakers as well, providing rich, complex, and beautiful stories for filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj, Gulzar, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali to explore themes, conventions, and emotions that run deep in Shakespeare’s works.

In this episode, hosts Ankur and Raeesa look into the history of Shakespeare in Indian cinema, and answer questions regarding the popularity of Shakespeare, and why Indian filmmakers keep reaching for the plays to tell very unique, idiosyncratic, and Indian stories.

It’s Cannes season, baby! This year in what is a first, the Cannes Film Festival has chosen India as the official “Country of Honour”. But India has not always played a huge role in the 75 year history of this international festival. In this episode of PKP, hosts Raeesa and Ankur explore India’s relationship with Cannes, the Eurocentric nature of the festival, and the lack of support for films back home.
Sources:

• Dhingra, Manisha. “The History of India at Cannes.” NDTV, 14 May 2014, https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/the-history-of-india-at-cannes-639287. Accessed 13 May 2022.
• Firstpost. “Explained: What does being named as 'Country of Honour' at Cannes Fim Market mean for India-Entertainment News.” Firstpost, 5 May 2022, https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/explained-what-does-being-named-as-country-of-honour-at-cannes-fim-market-mean-for-india-10634871.html. Accessed 14 May 2022.
• Gadre, Soham. “Cannes Essay: India's Absence from Cannes' Official Selection.” Vague Visages, 24 May 2019, https://vaguevisages.com/2019/05/24/cannes-indian-cinema-film-culture/. Accessed 13 May 2022.
• The Hindu. “India to be Official Country of Honour at Cannes Film Market.” The Hindu [Chennai], 03 May 2022, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-be-official-country-of-honour-at-cannes-film-market/article65378828.ece.
• Jha, Subhash K. ““Indian cinema is a f***ing joke at Cannes” – Sheetal Talwar.” Bollywood Hungama, 25 May 2012, https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/indian-cinema-is-a-fing-joke-at-cannes-sheetal-talwar/. Accessed 13 May 2022.
• Kaur, Gurnaaz. “Here's a Look at Indian Movies That Have Been Showcased at The Cannes Film Festival Over the Years.” Tribune India, 7 July 2021, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/lifestyle/heres-a-look-at-indian-movies-that-have-been-showcased-at-the-cannes-film-festival-over-the-years-279415. Accessed 13 May 2022.
• Sridharan, Soujanaya. “Seventy Years of India at Cannes.” The Hindu [Chennai], 02 May 2017, https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/seventy-years-of-india-at-cannes/article18352463.ece.

In this special episode, PKP went live at the Calgary International Film Festival! Indian filmmaker Shlok Sharma and screenwriter Shilpa Srivastava sat down with Ankur and Raeesa to chat about their film Two Sisters and a Husband (2022), their experience working with Anurag Kashyup, and all things Indian cinema!
This episode of PKP was recorded on site at the Calgary International Film Festival. Now in its 23rd year, CIFF brings the best of Alberta, Canadian, and world cinema to Calgary each fall. Sign up for the CIFF newsletter at www.ciffcalgary.ca/newsletter, or follow @ciffcalgary on all platforms to be sure you don’t miss out on any of the exciting upcoming events