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Introduction
by Cary Sawhney, Director of South Asian Cinema Project, bfi
South Asian Cinema was a truly diverse seven month festival which took place in 2002. It celebrated the different film cultures of the sub-continent, as well as the work by Asian film-makers living around the globe. We showed films from the past and present, and held numerous talks, events and publications to accompany them.
The South Asian Cinema website feature continues the project by providing a rich resource for anyone interested in South Asian Cinema. We have gathered together resources including books, DVDs, teaching notes and interview transcripts, as well as sources for further research, produced by the bfi and others. Our Guide to South Asian Cinema contains a feature on Noor Jehan, one of the greatest stars of both Indian and Pakistani cinema, where you can listen to her songs and view a photo gallery. Film-maker Shyam Benegal discusses the diversity of Indian cinema. There are a series of articles exploring the current trends in South Asian cinema outside India and Bollywood. You can also explore our poll by both experts and public alike who voted for their 50 top South Asian films.
A brief history of South Asian Cinema
Cinema arrived early in the Indian sub-continent. The first screenings were of Melie's films in Bombay in 1896 under the British Raj. Cinema became instantly popular and in the early part of the 20th century Indian film-makers began to deal with uniquely Indian themes such as stories based on religious myths and devotion.
With the advent of the sound era, songs entered Indian films creating the formula of spectacle, stars, song and dance that are associated with the popular cinema of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Film industries thrived in Lahore, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and Colombo. With Independence in 1947 and the subsequent creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh, cinema talent began to form new industries in these new countries, such as the great play-back singer Noor Jehan who became the musical heart of Pakistani cinema.
The Bombay film industry, now labelled Bollywood, grew into the largest exporter of films around the world. It rivalled Hollywood with its distribution and audiences.
Commercial cinema provided spectacle and melodrama, and a developing art-house cinema showed a realistic view to the sub-continent and the world. Bengali film-makers like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak became internationally recognised as auteurs and celebrated directors like Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan have carried on this legacy.
Sri Lanka too has made some great achievements in cinema with director Lester James Peries leading the way.
In countries as far afield as Britain, Canada, the USA and Australia Asian film-makers have also made a rich and hybridised contribution to the world of film, features and documentaries. In the UK many writers and film-makers have achieved memorable firsts, Gurinder Chadha's Bhaji on the Beach and Ayub Khan Din's East is East to name but two.
And what of today's film industries which must increasingly compete with the multiple choices of television? In Pakistan , the growth of a higher quality television industry has led to film-making struggling as it does in Bangladesh.
In India, art-house films today are hard hit but Bombay's Bollywood films have expanded their market around the world, with the movie Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham reaching number three in the British top ten films this January. Sri Lanka has had a recent resurgence of art-house films with a range of films releasing in 2002.
Around the world Asian film-makers are producing new films. We have already witnessed the joys of Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and other releases with Asian themes include the American film The Guru, Gurinder Chadha's return feature Bend It Like Beckham and the long-awaited Anita and Me. Many of these films were part of South Asian Cinema as well as visiting film-makers and stars. Look forward to to the future of South Asian film!
