In the first episode of season 2, PKP hosts Ankur and Raeesa explore the rich and vast history of documentary cinema in India, from pre-Independence to current times. Follow along as they uncover the historical events, themes, and political pressures that have shaped the Indian documentary landscape, as well as notable figures in the genre such as Anand Patwardhadwan, Nishtha Jain, the Films Division, and Vinod Chopra.

Sources:

• An Encounter With Faces (Vinod Chopra): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Po-KB3FGU
• Filming Reality: The Independent Documentary Movement in India (Shoma Chatterji, 2015)
• IDA: https://www.documentary.org/feature/bollywood-long-rich-history-documentary-india
• India’s Leading Documentary Filmmaker Has A Warning (NY Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/magazine/india-documentary-anand-patwardhan.html
• ‘All of My Work Is Endangered’: Anand Patwardhan on the Future of Documentary Films in India (ArtReview): https://artreview.com/all-of-my-work-is-endangered-anand-patwardhan-on-the-future-of-documentary-films-in-india/