Composing Music for Sita Sings the Blues – Q&A with Todd Michaelsen
1. Is it difficult composing South Asian music? I like music that blends into something new. When I came to New York City from my small town years ago the first music I was exposed to was Karsh Kale and Talvin Singh. And what they do I would not strictly call South Asian. They are...
Marathi Cinema: A 100 Year Journey
Contributed by Dr. Sid Ghosh & Mili Ghosh Marathi film industry is the oldest form of Indian Cinema with the first Marathi film – Shree Pundalik (by Dadasaheb Torne) releasing on May 18th, 1912. With pioneers like Dadasaheb Phalke, who directed his first feature film – Raja Harishchandra – in 1913, the Marathi film industry...
I Am
Contributed by Smita Chand I love that I was approached by CSAFF to write about the recent screening at the Chicago Cultural Center of “I Am” directed by Onir and released in 2010. I am a huge fan of anyone who takes risks in challenging the mindset of people – especially South Asians – because...
Patang – The Kite Soars
On May 3, 2012, Chicago South Asian Film Festival in collaboration with FACETS Cinematheque premiered a beautifully conceived and thoughtfully directed film, Patang – The Kite. The director, Chicago’s own Prashant Bhargava, was present to introduce his film and give thanks to the many people involved in making the film (his father produced the film,...
Bollywood and Independent Cinema: A Comparison
Contributed by Rochona Majumdar The expression “Bollywood” writes the film scholar Tejaswini Ganti was a “tongue-in-cheek term created by the English language press in India.” Today it has become a global term that designates the large number of Hindi language films made by the film industry based in Mumbai. The history of Hindi (and other...
Q&A with the Promiseland cast and director
A Candid Q&A with the cast of the upcoming film Promiseland by Chicago filmmaker Kevin Dalvi How is filmmaking in Chicago different from the “coasts”? Kevin Dalvi: Chicago offers amazing scenic views that are a filmmaker’s dream. It has a spectacular downtown and a beautiful lakefront with parks and beaches. Moreover, there is a great...
