Bougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya cinematographer and screenwriter Apurba Kishore Bir. This film is a testament to Hindi cinema's versatility and uniqueness. It asks you to question the thin line between control and cannibalism, appreciation and objectification, and so much more. It is one of the earliest Hindi films to examine the subject of cannibalism and the objectification of the Indigenous people of Odisha, India. Hailing from Odisha, there can be no better storyteller than Bir himself, who carefully braids patriarchy, native elitism, and the rise of postcolonial capitalist machinery through the theme of cannibalistic consumption. 

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Ankita and Azhar continue their love for Ketan Mehta and Smita Patil by discussing Mehta's Gujarati language debut film Bhavni Bhavai (1980). The film depicts the caste atrocities of India through the lives of Dalits. It uses the popular theater form of Bhavai to bring forth a scathing critique of casteism. Bhavni Bhavai was Ketan Mehta's debut film and received critical acclaim. Mehta won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

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Note: the release of this episode was delayed due to academic work commitments and Ankita's never-ending cold!

In this episode, Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin share their love for the trailblazing 1987 Hindi film Mirch Masala directed by the Gujarati filmmaker Ketan Mehta. The film is about Sonabai/Sonbai, a spirited woman who works at a local pepper factory with other women. A subedar working for the British Raj wants her and is not shy to use force. Sonabai runs and hides in her factory while the ageing Muslim security guard, Abu Miyan vows to protect her at any cost when the other men of her village won't.  One of the finest anticolonial feminist films from the 80s starring the iconic Smita Patil as the protagonist. We now have an email address for our listeners! Please reach out to us at [email protected]

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Join hosts Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin as they discuss Khwaja Ahmed Abbas's iconic film Dharti Ke Laal (English: Children of the Earth, 1946). The film is a fictionalized depiction of the aftermath of British orchestrated Bengal famine of 1943 in which millions of Bengalis were starved to death to feed Winston Churchill's imperial interests. One of the early films of Indian social-realist film movement, Dharti Ke Laal was immensely popular in the Soviet Union, opening doors for the widespread distribution of Indian films. The famous Marxist Indian actor Balraj Sahni stars as one of the main characters.

As always please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review! Happy listening!