Knitting India through power of celluloid

I set out from Kolkata at 4 am and reached Kolhapur at 4 pm. In the meantime, I realised that the city of B N Sircar, Pramathesh Barua, Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha shares more than the three initial letters, Kol, with the home of Baburao Painter, Bhalji Pendharkar, Master Vinayak and Dinanath Mangeshkar. It shares a rich past in cinema. And it shares a passion for the 20th century art that will not yield to channel fever.
This became clear at the inauguration of the three-day Indian Panorama that concluded on July 31.Though worried about the flood-like situation in Panchaganga, district collector Laxmikant Deshmukh did not entertain any thought of postponing the festival organised with Directorate of Film Festivals; National Film Archive, Pune, and Baburao Painter Film Society, Kolhapur. His enthusiasm fired the local viewers: from the word go, Chhatrapati Shahu Smarak Bhavan was packed. Befittingly, the fest was flagged off by Vitthal' (Marathi), Rajat Kamal winner from debutant Vinoo Choliparambil, and Shob Charitro Kalponik', the Best Bengali Film of 2008.
The 22-minute non-feature film dealt with the psychological scar a child is left with when his head is shaved off as part of the ritual mourning for his dead grandfather. Aniket, the 12-year-old present on the dais along with his screen mother Chhaya Kadam, was as warmly applauded as Joseph Pulinthanath, director of the Kokborok winner Yarwng', or Nandu Madhav, who reincarnated Dadasaheb Phalke in the Oscar nominated Harishchandrachi Factory'. It's a pity that neither Rituparno Ghosh nor Prosenjit could make it to the event that is using celluloid to knit the India away from limelight.
However, their absence did not affect appreciation for the film that uses Joy Goswami's poetry to make us think of creativity, privacy, plagiarism& that is, colours that nuance the relationship between a poet and his wife. As the widow reads the poems penned by her dead husband, she falls in love anew with the man who was so detached from everyday life, yet derived so much from it as to create immortal art. Poetry may be difficult to translate, but not difficult to appreciate especially by Maharashtrians raised on Dalit literature.
So, what's special about Kolhapur? It was from this ancient city, often described as Dakshin Kashi, that Prabhat Talkies and Shalini Cinetone started their journey. The first indigenous camera was built here by the Painter brothers. The first colour film, Sairandhree', was produced here giving rise to censorship as the British frowned upon the metaphor used to speak of the rape of Mother India. The realistic film Savkari Paash' was made here. Master Vitthal, the first hero of Indian talkies, belonged to this city as did Bhanu Athaiya, the first to bring an Oscar to India.
Unfortunately, not many Kolhapures today loom large on Indian screen. Will the interactions with cine stars inspire new talents? Why not: we stand tall when we ride on the shoulder of giants, as Kolkatans will vouch.