Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In the middle of a burning desert in the 1970s,where the cast and crew of Duvidha was trying to get the shots right,the late director Mani Kauls wife went into labour. Kaul had to get her to the hospital immediately and there was only one way to do it by borrowing an army vehicle. In true filmy style,the desperate husband confronted an army officer and took over his vehicle to reach his wife to the hospital and thats how Shambhavi Kaul was born. He made the story of my birth sound very grand, remembered Shambhavi at a memorial for her filmmaker father at India International Centre on Saturday. Only later did I realise that he was exaggerating. The gathered guests burst into laughter,an unusual occurrence at a memorial meet.
Kaul,66,who directed critically acclaimed films like Idiot,Uski Roti,and Ashad ka ek din,and was considered one of the pioneers of new Indian cinema,died on July 6 after a prolonged illness. At the memorial,organised by Osians Connoisseurs of Arts,guests included actor-director Rajat Kapoor and actress Mita Vashisht as well theatre actor MK Raina,poet-lyricist Madan Gopal Singh,and Ashok Vajpeyi,Chairperson of the Lalit Kala Academi.
Speakers recalled anecdotes,some poignant and some funny about the award-winning filmmaker. Laughter sneaked up frequently. Kaul himself would have preferred it this way,said his family and friends as they spoke of his sense of humour,and his habit of laughing at himself.
Osians founder Neville Tuli said that the most important moments he had spent with Kaul were the lighter ones. He enjoyed being a mentor and an educationist, he added. Osians Cinefan has decided to institute an annual Mani Kaul Memorial lecture. He created universal cinema while being creatively rooted in his own culture, said Niranjan Desai
of Osians.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
