Anand Patwardhan
Encyclopedia
Anand Patwardhan is an India
n documentary filmmaker, known for his activism through social action documentaries on topics such as corruption, slum dwellers, nuclear arms race
, citizen activism and communalism. Notable films include Bombay: Our City
(1985), Ram ke Nam (In the Name of God) (1992), Pitr, Putr aur Dharmayuddha (Father, Son and Holy War) (1995), and Jang aur Aman (War and Peace) (2002), which have won national and International awards.
, Maharashtra
.
He completed a B.A.
in English literature at Bombay University
in 1970, a B.A. in Sociology at Brandeis University
in 1972, and an M.A. in Communication studies at McGill University
in 1982.
His next film, 'War and Peace' made in 2002, brought him in the news once again, when the CBFC India (Central Board for Film Certification, or the Censor Board), refused to certify the film without making 21 cuts. As always, Patwardhan took the government to court, hence it was banned for over a year. However, after a court battle, Anand won the right to screen his film without a single cut. As with his previous films, Patwardhan also successfully fought to force a reluctant national broadcaster, Doordarshan, to show this film on their national network. It was commercially released in multiplexes in 2005
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n documentary filmmaker, known for his activism through social action documentaries on topics such as corruption, slum dwellers, nuclear arms race
Nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
, citizen activism and communalism. Notable films include Bombay: Our City
Bombay: Our City
Bombay: Our City is a 1985 Indian documentary film directed by Anand Patwardhan.-Awards:* National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film 1986* Special Jury Award, Cinema du reel, France, 1986* Filmfare Award for Best Documentary, 1986- External links:...
(1985), Ram ke Nam (In the Name of God) (1992), Pitr, Putr aur Dharmayuddha (Father, Son and Holy War) (1995), and Jang aur Aman (War and Peace) (2002), which have won national and International awards.
Biography
Anand Patwardhan was born in 1950, in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
.
He completed a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English literature at Bombay University
University of Mumbai
The University of Mumbai , is a state university located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was known as the University of Bombay until 1996 when the city of Bombay was renamed as Mumbai. The affiliated colleges of the university are spread throughout the city of Mumbai and four coastal districts in...
in 1970, a B.A. in Sociology at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1972, and an M.A. in Communication studies at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1982.
Films of Anand Patwardhan
Virtually all his films faced censorship by the Indian authorities but were finally cleared after legal action. His film ‘Bombay Our City’ was shown on TV after a four year court case, while, 'Father Son and the Holy war' (1995), was adjudged in 2004 as one of 50 most memorable international documentaries of all time by DOX, Europe's leading Documentary film magazine; though it was shown on India’s National Network, Doordarshan only in the year 2006, 11 years after its making, and that too after a prolonged court battle which lasted 8 years and ended with the nation’s Supreme Court ordering the state-owned media to telecast the film without any cuts.His next film, 'War and Peace' made in 2002, brought him in the news once again, when the CBFC India (Central Board for Film Certification, or the Censor Board), refused to certify the film without making 21 cuts. As always, Patwardhan took the government to court, hence it was banned for over a year. However, after a court battle, Anand won the right to screen his film without a single cut. As with his previous films, Patwardhan also successfully fought to force a reluctant national broadcaster, Doordarshan, to show this film on their national network. It was commercially released in multiplexes in 2005
Filmography
- 1971: 'Waves of Revolution' (Kraanti Ki Tarangein), this film first of his films was on government repression in Bihar MovementBihar MovementBihar Movement was a movement initiated by students in the Indian state of Bihar in 1974 and led by the veteran Gandhian Socialist Jayaprakash Narayan against misrule of and corruption in the government...
. - 1978: 'Prisoners of Conscience' (Zameer ke Bandi), a film on political prisoners in The Emergency (India)
- The Tyne Award, Tyneside Festival, UK, 1982.
- 1981: 'A Time to Rise' (Uthan da Vela): Concerns Indian immigrant farm workers’ efforts to unionize in Canada.
- Grand Prize: Tyneside International Film Festival, UK in 1982
- Silver Dove: Leipzig International Film FestivalInternational Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated FilmThe International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film , also known as the Leipzig DOK Festival, is a film festival that takes place annually in Leipzig, Germany. It was founded in 1955 under the name "1st All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and Documentary Films" and was the...
in 1982.
- 1985: Bombay: Our CityBombay: Our CityBombay: Our City is a 1985 Indian documentary film directed by Anand Patwardhan.-Awards:* National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film 1986* Special Jury Award, Cinema du reel, France, 1986* Filmfare Award for Best Documentary, 1986- External links:...
(Hamara Shahar): Everyday survival issues of slum dwellers in Bombay.- National Film Award for Best Non-Feature FilmNational Film Award for Best Non-Feature FilmThe National Film Award – Best Non-Feature Film is given by the Directorate of film festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The winners are given a Swarna Kamal and a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000.-Winners:...
1986 - Special Jury Award, Cinema du reel, France, 1986
- Filmfare Award for Best Documentary, 1986
- National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film
- 1990: 'In Memory of Friends' (Una Mitran Di Yaad Pyaari): On rebuilding communal harmony in Punjab.
- National Film Award for Best Investigative FilmNational Film Award for Best Investigative FilmThe National Film Award - Best Investigative Film winners:-See also:*National Film Awards...
, 1990 - Silver Conch, Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
in 1990 Anand Patwardhan Films. - Special Jury Award, Mannheim International Film festivalInternational Filmfestival Mannheim-HeidelbergMannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...
, 1990
- National Film Award for Best Investigative Film
- 1992: Ram ke Nam ('In the Name of God'). On the rise of Hindu Nationalism and the demolition of the Babri MosqueBabri MosqueThe Babri Mosque , was a mosque in Ayodhya, a city in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, on Ramkot Hill . It was destroyed in 1992 when a political rally developed into a riot involving 150,000 people, despite a commitment to the Indian Supreme Court by the rally organisers that the mosque...
.- National Film Award for Best Investigative FilmNational Film Award for Best Investigative FilmThe National Film Award - Best Investigative Film winners:-See also:*National Film Awards...
, 1992 - Filmfare Award for Best Documentary 1996
- Best Documentary Film at Fribourg International Film FestivalFribourg International Film FestivalThe Fribourg International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected cultural films from Asia, Africa and Latin America....
, 1993 - Citizen's Prize, Yamagata International Documentary Film FestivalYamagata International Documentary Film FestivalThe Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan.It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and the most distinguished such festival in Asia...
, 1993.
- National Film Award for Best Investigative Film
- 1993: We are not your Monkeys: An Islamist critic to epic RamayanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
through a music video. - 1995: Pitr, Putr aur Dharmayuddha ('Father, Son and Holy War') Concerns the patriarchal roots of violence in India.
- National Film Award for Best Film on Social IssuesNational Film Award for Best Film on Social IssuesThe National Film Award - Best Film On Social Issues is given by the Non-Feature film jury of the National Film Awards annually, to films covering issues including prohibition, women and child welfare, dowry, drug abuse, and welfare of the handicapped.The National Film Award - Best Film On...
and National Film Award for Best Investigative FilmNational Film Award for Best Investigative FilmThe National Film Award - Best Investigative Film winners:-See also:*National Film Awards...
, 1996; - Toronto Film Festival, 1994
- Special Jury Prize, Vancouver Film Festival, 1994
- Special Jury Award, Yamagata International Documentary Film FestivalYamagata International Documentary Film FestivalThe Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan.It was first held in October 1989, which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and the most distinguished such festival in Asia...
, 1995 - Grand Prize, Jerusalem International Film Festival, 1996.
- National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues
- 1996: 'A Narmada Diary': Introduces the Narmada Bachao AndolanNarmada Bachao AndolanNarmada Bachao Andolan is social movement consisting of tribal people, adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against the Sardar Sarovar Dam being built across the Narmada river, Gujarat, India....
of Gujarat.- Grand Prize at the Earth Vision Film Festival in 1996;
- Filmfare Award for Best Documentary 1996.
- 1996: 'Occupation: Mill Worker': Chronicles the actions of mill workers who, after a four-year lockout, forcibly occupied The New Great Eastern Mill in India.
- 1998: 'Fishing: In the Sea of Greed': Response of fishing communities in India and Bangladesh, to industrial-scale fishing.
- 1998: Ribbons for Peace: An anti-nuke music video.
- 2002: 'War and Peace', Jang Aur Aman. Traces the development of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan.
- Grand Prize at the Earth Vision Film Festival in 2002
- Best Film at Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
in 2002 - FIPRESCI International Critics' Award at Sydney Film FestivalSydney Film FestivalThe Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
in 2002 - Best Documentary in Karachi International Film Festival in 2003
- National Film Award for Best Non-Feature FilmNational Film Award for Best Non-Feature FilmThe National Film Award – Best Non-Feature Film is given by the Directorate of film festivals under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The winners are given a Swarna Kamal and a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000.-Winners:...
, India, 2004, etc.
Quotes
- ...My entry into the world of the documentary began as a means of political, social intervention and thirty odd years later this is still a primary motive. If I am not satisfied with the results, it is not because of a failure of the medium, but because of the limits that our system puts on the distribution of such films. All my films are badly under-utilized and hence did not have the impact on the real world that they could have had...
- ...In India, the early documentary scene was dominated by government propaganda made by the Films Division of India, which produced newsreels and documentaries that were compulsorily shown before every commercial film. People either arrived deliberately late or walked out for a smoke during these films, and the tag of "boring" became inescapably attached to the documentary. It has taken several decades of sustained independent work to break this tag...
- ...You have to be a filmmaker, and then you have to be a lawyer as well...
- ...The real issues of the information gathering and disseminating systems have more to do with what kinds of programs are made, who makes and airs them and what impact they have. The role of the developed world as consumer and the role of the developing world as the consumed may now be complicated as the latter yields its own voracious elite, but the former continues to determine taste.
- ...It does not need much imagination to see that even in so-called advanced nations like the UK and the US, a great deal of racism and deep-seated religious prejudice fuels the propensity towards righteous war and the belief that one's own nation is always right and that "terrorism" resides only in the other...
- ... I do not wish to neutralize the horror I feel at the destruction of Buddhist monuments with the thought that my national leaders did the same thing a decade ago. But I do believe that if this act sparks in us the desire to fight intolerance of all kinds, then surely the Buddha will not have lived and taught in vain...
- ...One problem with our democracy is that a rigid class and caste hierarchy coupled with gross gender inequality has kept large sections of our population traditionally without a voice. But having no voice does not mean having no brain! On the contrary the voiceless have much to say and we can learn so much from their ways of seeing and thinking. Feelings of humanity seem to survive much better amongst the powerless than among the affluent and powerful...
Websites on Anand Patwardhan's work
- war and peace dvd at dearcinema.com
- Anand Patwardhan website
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666674/ Anand Patwardhan at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
] - Films by Anand Patwardhan
- The Films of Anand Patwardhan
Interviews
- Anand Patwardhan, the 'Michael Moore of India,' brings his hard-hitting documentary films to campus - UB Berkeley News
- Director's Interview- BBC interview
- All the dire predictions of communal carnage made in my film came true
- Interview: Firebrand filmmaker Anand Patwardhan CNNGO Website
- A voice above the din, Indian Express
- Firebrand filmmaker Anand Patwardhan - Coilation for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Website
- It Doesn't Have To Be High Art For It To Be Useful - Indymedia
- Interview with Anand Patwardhan
- Filmmaker as activist - The Hindu
- Battling the bomb - Montreal Mirror
- Of The 200 Killed In Mumbai, A High Number Were Muslims - Tehelka Interview, 2008
Writings
- Monkey Business: Cross Currents Website
- Gandhi: Film as Theology - Reprinted from Economic and Political Weekly Vol.XVIII (1983)
- Terror: The Aftermath
- The Good Doctor of Chhattisgarh - Association for India's Development Website
- Films for freedom
- Destruction of Buddhist monuments in Afghanistan and the Babri Masjid
- Festivals in contrast - The Hindu
Reviews
- Censoring peace amid nuclear 'deterrence' - Tehelka
- Short is Sweet - Tehelka
- On War and Peace - Time Out, Mumbai
- Netting the conscience - The Hindu
- Weapons of Mass Pride: India's Nuclear Embrace, New York Times