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The householder of offbeat films

In the words of American poet and critic, Ezra Pound, “If a patron buys from an artist who needs money, the patron then makes himself equal to the artist; he is building art into the world he creates.”

The householder of offbeat films

A still from Junoon



Dipankar Sarkar

In the words of American poet and critic, Ezra Pound, “If a patron buys from an artist who needs money, the patron then makes himself equal to the artist; he is building art into the world he creates.” Similar sentiments can be attributed to the philanthropic contribution made by Shashi Kapoor in bolstering up the parallel cinema movement in India. His films were critically appreciated for their artistic sensibilities but were outright commercial failures. And Shashi Kapoor had to stop investing any more in  making such films. Thereafter, Shashi Kapoor tried to don the hat of a director with fantasy drama Ajooba (1991), made in association with Gorky Studios in Moscow. But unfortunately, the film was a flop. He couldn’t recover the lost courage to make a film again. With the release of New Delhi Times (1986), Shashi Kapoor was able to shed his romantic actor image. In the film, he played an honest journalist Vikas Pande. The film  earned him the National Award for best actor. The veteran actor, who died recently, was inspired by the title of Merchant-Ivory film Shakespeare Wallah (1965), in which he acted and named his production company Film-Valas, which produced the following art house films:

Junoon (1979)

Based on Ruskin Bond’s novella A Flight of Pigeons, Shyam Benegal’s subsequent partnership with the debutant weaves a passionate love story into the historical fresco. Set at the time of the First War of Independence, the film narrates the tale of Javed Khan (Shashi Kapoor), a Pathan, who falls madly in love with an Anglo-Indian girl Ruth Labadoor (Nafisa Ali) Hereafter, ensues a tale of fierce obsession that remains unrequited in an extremely volatile political situation.

Kalyug (1981)

Shashi Kapoor plays the role of Karna in this allegorical adaptation from The Mahabharata, set against the backdrop of intense rivalry between two industrialist families. The film excavates mythic material by strategically placing the myth of the epic tale within a playful apposition and presents the moral shift in our social values. The film, directed by Shyam Benegal, was a commercial failure but went on to win the Filmfare Award under the best film category. 

36 Chowringhee Lane (1981)

The first film to be directed by Aparna Sen, it is the first English language film made by a woman filmmaker living in India. The film narrates the tale of a lonely Miss Violet Stoneham (Jennifer Kapoor), who lives alone in a dingy apartment in Kolkata (then Calcutta). On a Christmas morning, she receives a visit from a pair of young lovers, also her former student Nandita (Debasree Roy) and her boyfriend Samaresh (Dhritiman Chatterjee). Thereafter, her mundane and regimented life takes a joyous twist of fate. But her happiness doesn’t last long and ends like a shortlived winter sun.

Vijeta (1982)

Directed by Govind Nihalani, the film is the coming of age story of Angad (Kunal Kapoor), a confused teenager, trying to find himself and caught in the marital problems of his mother Neelima (Rekha) and father Nihal (Shashi Kapoor). Set in the times of rising tensions of a war between India and her neighbouring country, the film is notable for some rarely seen aerial shots of combat aircraft active with the IAF in the 1980s. 

Utsav (1984)

Based on Sanskrit play Daridra-Charudatta by Indian playwright Bhasa, the director Girish Karnad and his co-writers remain faithful to the original story. The film tells the love story between Brahmin merchant Charudatta (Shekhar Suman) and the beautiful courtesan Vasantsena (Rekha). Apparently a more explicitly erotic version of the film was created for the western market. This expensive film was Shashi Kapoor’s last effort at an art-house production.

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