Remembering Bimal Roy - Documentary On Bimal Roy: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR REMEMBERING BIMAL ROY -...

As part of the Bimal Roy Birth Centenary Celebrations in town, the Bimal Roy Centenary Committee, in collaboration with Moving Images and the Hyderabad Film Club, is screening a 55-minute documentary titled Remembering Bimal Roy, on 31st January, at Prasads IMAX.

Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 - 7 January 1966) was one of the most acclaimed Hindi film directors of all time. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like Do Bigha Zameen, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him a significant institution of Hindi cinema.

Roy was born to a Bengali family in Dhaka, and after India's independence, moved to India. He entered cinema as a camera assistant with New Theatres Pvt. Ltd, during which time he assisted director P C Barua on the 1935 hit Devdas starring K.L. Saigal. He then went on to win a number of awards throughout his career - including 11 Filmfare Awards, a National Film Award, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival.

Remembering Bimal Roy is directed by his only son Joy Roy and produced by 3 of his 4 children. The documentary, edited by Bhaskar Sharma and jointly cinematographed by Christopher Rego and Samiran Datta, is a celluloid journey of Roy's son Joy, who was only 10 when his father passed away of cancer in 1966. Through this documentary, Joy goes on to add that the film became a journey within and without him and helped him understand why his father was so driven and how he achieved immortality in a short lifespan of 54 years.

The film documents the life and times of Bimal Roy through a series of interviews with people he worked with very closely, and with his immediate family. His late wife Manobina Roy and daughter Aparajita, actors Dilip Kumar, Dharmendra, Vyjayantimala, Sulochana and Kamini Kaushal, his long-time assistant Gulzar, and some filmmakers who succeeded him - Shyam Benegal, Ashutosh Gowarikar and Javed Akhtar included - have been interviewed.

Aparajita points out that her father who came away from Dhaka now in Bangladesh, must have been homesick for his original home alone the river Padma and so, the river plays an important role in every film of his. The film is intercut with archival clips from some of Roy's films, amongst which are Sujata, Do Bigha Zamin, and New Theatres' film Mukti which was cinematographed by Roy.

Entry is free for everyone, and passes are available one hour before each screening. Please contact 98496-16063 / 93910-202 for further details.