Indian Cinema on Pitara Kids Network

Artist of the Free Spirit

Sat, 08 Sep 2001 01:46:11 +0000

‘My heart is beating, keeps on repeating. . .’ remember the memorable lines from the 1970s Hindi movie ‘Julie’? Remember the Satyajit Ray directed film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ in Bengali and the mischievous Merlin-like magician Borfi? The tale of two simple village boys Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, who by a curious turn of fate, find themselves in the possession of boons by kindly ghosts.

Artist of the Free Spirit [Illustration by Shiju George]

Teeming with interesting, ‘other-worldly’ characters and the toothless Borfi in his pointy hat and glasses, a wizened creature who cast naughty spells on all and sundry. Including the king whom he put to sleep for years and years. No prizes for guessing who wrote the lyrics or who Borfi was. Borfi was none other than Harindranath Chattopadhyay!

The Actor

Sat, 19 Oct 2002 23:06:35 +0000

October 6 : Dhanna wants to become an actor. His dream is to star in a film with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, two famous actors of Bollywood, Mumbai’s hugely popular film industry.

Seventeen year-old Dhanna is the son of a rexine bag-maker. He lives with his family in a narrow by-lane of a poor colony in Delhi. The journey from here to the bright lights of Bollywood appears to be very long indeed. The journey becomes even more convoluted given the fact that Dhanna is also mentally challenged.

Indians All the Way As 'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps Oscars

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:41:23 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

February 22, 2009 : India awoke to the sound of cheers and applause last Monday as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fetched two Oscars* for A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty. With the American-made film ‘Smile Pinki’ about an Indian girl winning the Oscar for the best short documentary, the focus was definitely on India.

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by the recognised British filmmaker Danny Boyle, is about an Indian boy. The film has an all Indian cast, and was shot in Mumbai with Indian technicians. A.R. Rahman, one of the country’s best known musicians, became the first Indian to win two Oscars (Best Original Score as well as the Best Song, ‘Jai Ho’). Rahman’s acceptance speech was simple, and the maestro modest in victory. The honours for best song are shared by the famous lyricist Gulzar. Rahman had earlier won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA awards for his work in the film.