...ऐसे में ढूंढ़ लाना: Hidden Histories of Bombay Cinema | A Presentation by Siddhi Goel | Project Showcase@IFA | November 24, 2022

India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)
invites you to
...ऐसे में ढूंढ़ लाना: Hidden Histories of Bombay Cinema
A Presentation by Siddhi Goel
Followed by a discussion with Ira Bhaskar

Every time we revisit iconic films of Bombay Cinema, we come across Pakeezah. Considered a milestone of the Muslim social genre, the film is deeply informed by Awadhi cultural sensibilities. Interestingly, its music and dance directors did not belong to Awadh. Where, then, did the inspiration come from? How did this regional cultural identity influence the film that came to define Kotha aesthetics? What of the creative and economic labour of the many people who left their mark on it – extras, background dancers, assistants and other supporting staff – whose stories remain absent from the mainstream discourses of cinema histories in India?

Join us to listen to Siddhi Goel talk about how looking into films like Pakeezah reveals fascinating stories of people from various professions, castes and identities who have contributed to the shaping of the Hindi film industry. Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, they have defied art-making rules by creating an aesthetic that now defines Bollywood. The presentation will be followed by a discussion with Ira Bhaskar.

Siddhi Goel is a Kathak dance teacher and choreographer based in Delhi. She is a disciple of Pt. Jai Kishan Maharaj of the Lucknow Gharana and alumna of Kathak Kendra Delhi and School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Ira Bhaskar is a Professor of Cinema Studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics at JNU. Her research interests include historical poetics, literary and performative forms and cinema, Islamicate histories of Bombay cinema and historical trauma, violence, memory and representation.

Siddhi Goel received a grant from India Foundation for the Arts under the Arts Research programme in 2020-21.

This session is organised as part of the Project Showcase @ IFA, a series of online presentations to showcase, discuss and engage audiences with the diverse projects we support and implement across programmes. 

Image Credit: Still from Pakeezah, cinestaan.com

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