Usha Kiran

  • Uday Shankar – Kalpana (1948)

    1941-1950ArthouseIndiaMusicalUday Shankar

    The only film by the visionary dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar is a utopian dream of cultural renewal and a celebration of Indian dance in all its variety. Unfolding as an epic film within a film, Kalpana tells the story of a dancer (the director himself) who is determined to open a cultural center and breathe new life into India’s traditional artistic forms. Meanwhile, the visible adoration between him and his lead dancer arouses the jealousy of his enterprising companion. A riot of ecstatic imagery—including swirling surrealist dance spectacles—is interwoven with anticolonial, anticapitalist commentary, making for a radical, proto-Bollywood work that is one of the most influential films in Indian cinema.Read More »

  • Hrishikesh Mukherjee – Mili (1975)

    1971-1980ClassicsDramaHrishikesh MukherjeeIndia

    Synopsis:
    Shekhar Dayal has moved into a new neighborhood, and is just not pleased with the new surroundings. He resents the noise children make while playing, as he prefers quiet and solitude. His reclusion is shattered when his neighbor, Mili, comes into his life. At first he hates the intrusion, but then grows to be fond, and then ultimately fall in love with her. When the time comes for him to propose to this sunny, cheerful, and positive young lady, he is told that she has only a few more months to live.Read More »

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