Jagran Film Fest celebrates Bimal Roy's works

Bimal Roy, the Silent Master of Indian Cinema piloted the golden age of cinema in the 1940′s. A socially committed director, his films had the power to inspire and move audiences. The 5th edition of Jagran Film Festival, Mumbai will host a Retrospective of Bimal Roy’s Cinema.  The director and his work are being remembered  at the Jagran Film Festival. His films Sujata, Do Bigha Zameen, Madhumati, Devdas and Bandini will be screened at the festival.

One of the most acclaimed Hindi film directors of all time; he was famous for his romantic-realist melodramas that took on important social issues while still being entertaining. Bimal Roy passed away at the age of 55 on 7th January 1966, leaving behind an unmatched and unequaled cinematic legacy.

The movies to be screened are:

Do Bigha Zameen: The film is known for its socialist theme, and is an important film in the early parallel cinema of India and is rightly considered a trend setter. The film made a strong universal impact for its humane portrayal of Indian peasantry. It is considered one of the 10 best Indian films of all time. Do Bigha Zameen has the additional distinction of being one of the first Indian films to win awards and accolades: in China, UK, Karlovi Vary, Cannes, USSR, Venice and Melbourne.

Sujata: Mainly a film for its own time and place, this melodrama by director Bimal Roy attacks the caste prejudices that still remain strong in Indian four decades after this film was released. Sujata is an untouchable who is left completely destitute and alone when all her parents and siblings die in a plague. She is taken into the home of a wealthy family out of kindness, but that act alone is not enough to overcome the family's entrenched views on untouchables.

Devdas: Devdas was India's entry in the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The story concentrates on a wealthy young boy who falls in love with a low-born girl. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that the girl has more strength of character than the boy. It is this, rather than the cultural gap between them, that dooms the romance of the two principals. At 95 minutes, Devdas is unusually short for an Indian film, which proved to be an advantage when it was distributed to the U.S.

Madhumati: On a stormy night, Devendra (Dilip Kumar), an engineer, drives down a hill road with his friend to fetch his wife and child from the railway station. A landslide blocks their path and the friends take shelter in an old mansion off the road. Devendra finds the house uncannily familiar. In the large front room, he finds an old portrait which he recognizes. His friend and the old caretaker join him and Devendra, amidst flashes of memory from another life, sits down to tell his story while the storm rages outside.

Bandini: The movie tells the story of a woman prisoner serving life imprisonment for murder, Kalyani, the all suffering, selfless, sacrificing and strong yet weak Indian woman. She must make a choice between two very different men, Devendra (Dharmendra), the loving prison doctor, and Bikash (Ashok Kumar), a man from her past.

Alongside the screening of Bimal Roy cinema, the festival will also showcase an exciting line up of films in diverse genres from every corner of the world. The festival will feature films under several sections: Cinema of the Uprising, First World War Movies, International Competition, Indian Showcase and Country Focus (Cyprus).