Beyond Bollywood

Anil Sinanan on a season showcasing the lost side of Indian cinema.

Sep  6 2006

If one asks 'the man on the Clapham omnibus', or even the average British Asian, what they know about Indian film, the answer is most likely to be 'Bollywood'. These camp, candyfloss song-and-dance melodramas have become synonymous with Indian cinema in recent years. Although there is much to enjoy in these 'masala' movies, India does not have a reputation for experimental, thought-provoking movies. This is a misconception. Alternative cinema has always been made in India – just think of the films of Satyajit Ray, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak, Shyam Benegal – but they remain largely unseen and unknown, mostly because Indian audiences, domestic and foreign, traditionally don't like seeing the reality of their daily lives portrayed on screen. To redress the balance, next weekend Tate Modern's 'Cinema of Prayoga' season offers features, shorts and documentaries of such 'parallel' cinema.

The Sanskrit word 'Prayoga' loosely translates as 'experiment' or 'representation', and it is hoped that these screenings will expose new audiences to the rich vein of visual-arts cinema that confirms that not all Indian cinema conforms to the Bollywood norm.

Kicking off the weekend on Friday September 15 is a rare screening of a sequence from 'Raja Harishchandra', regarded as the first Indian movie. This silent black-and-white classic, made in 1913 by Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, is loosely based on the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. It tells the story of King Harishchandra, played by Phalke, who accidentally invades the space of a sadu (holy man) and consequently has to renounce his kingdom and suffer numerous hardships before his atonement.

It can be read as a critique of British imperialism of the time and a proud statement of Indian cultural values, and the film's success led directly to the establishment of an Indian film industry with Hindi cinema (embryonic Bollywood) taking the lead. What makes the film unique is Phalke's technique in creating mood and continuity through the juxtaposition of spatial planes, allowing the viewer an insight into the events unfolding. Sadly, this is the only surviving reel that remains from the original print. The season will also include a series of excerpts from Phalke's incomplete films ('Birth of Shree Krishna'), along with others made by like-minded filmmakers of the period.

Other highlights include the 'Saturday Live Mumbai' presentation 'Migration and [Dis]location', showcasing contemporary films from the hip and happening Mumbai cultural scene, including several films by NRI (Non-Resident Indian) directors who have returned to India to explore their cultural identity. Highly recommended is Xav Leplae's 'I'm Bobby', a re-imagining of Raj Kapoor's classic 1973 'Romeo and Juliet'-style Bolly-hit 'Bobby'. Sunday's main feature, 'Kaal Abhirati' ('Addiction to Time'), a homage to the Phalke style of filmmaking, is also worth catching.

The festival closes on Tuesday 19 with a series of groundbreaking shorts. Best of the bunch is 'Bomgay', a collection of six short films depicting gay life in Mumbai (yes, it exists). Made in 1996, this 12-minute film reveals the pitfalls of being gay in India's 'maximum city', where homosexuality remains illegal.

As Bollywood's profile in London continues to grow, this festival is a timely reminder that not all Indian filmmakers sing from the same sheet. Go see – just don't expect any saucy wet-sari musical sequences.

'Cinema of Prayoga: Indian Experimental Film and Video 1913-2006' runs Sept 15-19 at Tate Modern.

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