11 months ago
Jagat Murari Cultivated World Cinema Appreciation at FTII
Imagine a film school where students only knew one type of movie.
Jagat Murari wanted to show them many more!
He collected films from all over the world, like 'Battleship Potemkin' from Russia and 'Citizen Kane' from America.
He believed that by watching these different movies, his students would get new ideas for their own films.
At first, seeing so many new styles was a bit confusing for them.
But soon, it helped them become more creative and make better movies.
It was like discovering a huge treasure chest of film knowledge.
This exposure helped shape the Indian film industry by encouraging new and original storytelling.
Jagat Murari aimed to elevate Indian cinema by exposing FTII students to world cinema.
He established a film library and archive featuring both landmark Indian and international films.
This exposure was intended to foster originality and move students beyond formulaic filmmaking.
Students found the diverse cinematic styles initially 'unsettling' but ultimately transformative.
The initiative impacted various film disciplines, including acting and cinematography, inspiring new techniques and approaches.
- Who
- Jagat Murari, an educator at FTII, and his students
- What
- Murari curated a collection of world cinema to expose students to diverse filmmaking styles and broaden their perspectives beyond popular Indian cinema.
- Where
- Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Poona (Pune), India.
- When
- During the period when FTII students were in their formative years, with specific mentions of the 1950s and 1960s.
- Why
- To foster originality, social consciousness, technical excellence, and a passion for cinema among future filmmakers, moving them away from formulaic and imitative filmmaking.
Key facts
- Founder
- Jagat Murari
- Institution
- Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
- Goal
- To elevate Indian cinema standards and foster originality
- Method
- Building film library and archive with international films
- Impact
- Broadened students' perspectives and cinematic vocabulary
- Key Films Shown
- Battleship Potemkin, Citizen Kane, Bicycle Thieves, Rashomon, Pather Panchali
Quotes
Rehana Sultan
First Institute alumna to win the National Award for Acting
“We learned characterization . . . in real life, how will you react, how will you feel? How do you imagine? Sophia Loren ne kamaal ka kaam kiya (did amazing work). She portrayed a drunkard, a prostitute, but she was not, so how has she done it? Characterization and imagination. You see, you think, you do.”
scroll.in
“Russian films, Italian films, German films, the Institute was a Khazana (treasure chest).”
scroll.in
R.M. Rao and Mahesh Aney
Cinematographers
“way ahead when it came to experimentation”
scroll.in
“exposed to the best films of the world”
scroll.in
Naseeruddin Shah
Actor (Acting, 1975)
“who introduced him to new ways of thinking about acting.”
scroll.in
