WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF PKP In this special episode, PKP went live at the Calgary International Film Festival! Lead Programmer Brenda Lieberman sat down with Ankur and Raeesa to chat about the festival, the two Indian films -- Dug Dug and Last Picture Show.This episode of PKP was recorded on site at the Calgary International Film Festival. Now in its 22nd year, CIFF brings the best of Alberta, Canadian, and world cinema to Calgary each fall. Sign up for the CIFF newsletter at www.ciffcalgary.ca/newsletter, or follow @ciffcalgary on all platforms to be sure you don’t miss out on any of the exciting upcoming events

Parde Ke Peeche (PKP) Podcast

EP 18: LIVE AT CIFF with Brenda Lieberman

WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF PKP!. On this month&apos;s episode we explore the mysterious genre: Indian Film Noir. Though hard to define, either as a genre, a style, or just a vibe, we try to understand what makes a Film Noir by discussing three films: BAAZI (1951), ARTICLE 15 (2019), & RAAT AKELI HAI (2020). 

Indian Film Noir

WELCOME BACK TO ANOTHER EPISODE OF PKP! This month, hosts Raeesa and Ankur catch up with the last three Indian films they watched during the lockdown. Tune into see what they had to say about the Netflix originals &apos;PAGLAIT&apos;, &apos;AJEEB DAASTANS&apos;, and Malayalam film &apos;ESTHEPAAN&apos;.

Pandemic Watches

One of the greatest hallmarks of Indian cinema is the use of song and dance to convey story and emotion,  but it is quite different and much more popular than the musicals found in Hollywood. In fact, India’s “filmi music” industry accounts for around 72% of all music sales in India. So where did it come from and why is it so popular? Hosts Ankur and Raeesa explore the history behind playback singing in India and what influenced the music in the films. They also take a special look at famous Indian film composer and musician AR Rahman and how he is able to move effortlessly between all the different regional cinemas.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa: The Music of The Cinema

Coined by film historian Amrit Gangar, “cinema of Prayōga” is a conceptual framework used to describe experimental and avant-garde Indian cinema, and to locate it within an ancient history of pre-modern tradition of innovation -- of prayoga. In this episode, PKP turns the lens onto India’s experimental film scene: how it differs from North American experimental cinema, how it flourished under the Nehruvian socialist years due to figures like Dadasaheb Phalke and the Film Division Institute (FDI), the role of media arts, and how the “prayog spirit” is currently being kept alive in India through the Experimenta International Festival of Moving Image Art.  Show Notes & Resources: Raja Harischandra (Dadasaheb Phalke, 1913): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zevm0Zjc-k&t=405s Film Division Institute Experimental Film Playlist (many filmmakers and films mentioned in this episode can be viewed for free here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VojoKoHH4sA&list=PLZN9KGi5w_41GXjwlSVhCgdnTzZ4FijFR Experimenta International Festival of the Moving Image Art: http://experimenta.in/  

Cinema of Prayoga: Indian Experimental & Avant-Garde Cinema

Hosts Raeesa and Ankur sit down with Calgary-based filmmaker Amair Javaid to discuss his new short film Hafiz (2020), which was selected to be part of the Coalition of South Asian Film Festivals. They also discuss Amair’s filmmaking journey, cultural responsibility & representation, identity, and other topics around being a filmmaker in the Canadian-Desi diaspora. Films discussed: Hafiz (2020)Charsi (tbd)Mogul Mowgli (2019)The Tiger Hunter (2016)

Diasporic Identity & Filmmaking: A Conversation with Amair Javaid

WELCOME BACK to another episode of Parde Ke Peeche! This month we have a special episode for our listeners! We reached out to the Calgary-based South Asian Youth Mental Health (SAYMH), to discuss the depiction of alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder, in Bollywood. Films mentioned include Devdas, Dev-D, Aashiqui 2, and Kabir Singh. Thank you so much to Anmol Hajraw & Raveen Virk for joining our discussion, and providing our listeners with invaluable information on the subject. Links to studies mentioned: Portrayal of Alcohol Consumption in Movies and Drinking Initiation in Low-Risk Adolescents: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035596/Portrayal of alcohol in Bollywood movies: A mixed methods study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7197829/?fbclid=IwAR10RrmfQmf92KK3my6GEkDqg60sF31WXAJZ89q76e_kR0IpRMUuCtqnOJY

Alcoholism on the Screen

With the on-going Black Lives Matter protests erupting in America and across the world, an interesting response took place in Bollywood. While many of the stalwarts of Indian cinema showcased their solidarity with the protests, many fans were quick to highlight the hypocrisy underlying their support. Due to many of these film stars either promoting fair-skin products, or performing in roles with heavy brownface or blackface makeup, their solidarity was questioned, and the conversation regarding the role of skin-colour & race in Indian cinema, once again, came to the forefront. Hosts Raeesa Farooqi and Ankur Desai look at various examples of brownface and blackface in Indian cinema, and explore the intersection of colourism, casteism, and classism in Indian society at large. Films Mentioned: Bala (dir. Amar Kaushik, 2019)Super 30 (dir. Vikas Bahl, 2019)Gully Boy (dir. Zoya Akhtar, 2019)Udta Punjab (dir. Abhishek Caubey, 2016)Hadh Kar Di Aapne (dir. Manoj Agrawal, 2000)Fashion (dir. Madhur Bhandarkar, 2008)Sudani from Nigeria (dir. Zakariya Mohammed, 2018)Kumblangi Nights (dir. Madhu C. Narayanan, 2019)Song Clip:Chura Ke Dil Mera (from the film Main Khiladi Tu Anari)

Colourism in Indian Cinema

WELCOME BACK!We hope you are safe and healthy during the COVID-19 quarantine, and to make your social-distancing a little more bearable, we got a new episode of PKP for you!ANKUR & RAEESA once again take a look at the past and discuss a selection of films that were influential in their love, appreciation, and understanding of Indian cinema. Films including Hera Pheri, Omkara, Sarfarosh, Dil Chahta Hai, Dil Se..., and many more.  

Favourites From The Past

Raeesa and Ankur take a deep-dive through the film industry of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the second largest film industry in India after Bollywood. They explore the beginnings of Tamil Nadu's film industry, the classic film "Chandralekha", and the industry's relationship with Bollywood. 

Tamil Cinema

WELCOME BACK to a new episode of Parde Ke Peeche! The 2010s in Hindi cinema were marked by big changes such as the introduction of digital streaming, the #MeToo movement, and the election of Modi and the BJP Party. Amongst all the changes, there were some wonderful films to be released over the past 10 years. @raeesafarooqi & @grfx_asd end of their lists of TEN favourites from the 2010s in Hindi Cinema. Check out the first part before listening to this one. We hope you enjoy the episode, and please drop your favourite films from the decade in the comments below!

Top 10 Films of the '10s (Hindi Cinema) - Part Two

WELCOME BACK to a new episode of Parde Ke Peeche! The 2010s in Hindi cinema were marked by big changes such as the introduction of digital streaming, the #MeToo movement, and the election of Modi and the BJP Party. Amongst all the changes, there were some wonderful films to be released over the past 10 years. Raeesa and Ankur narrowed their TEN favourites from the 2010s in Hindi Cinema. This one is a longer discussion, so part 2 will be released next month! 

Top 10 Films of the '10s (Hindi Cinema)

(Note: This is the first-ever episode of PKP!) WELCOME TO PARDE KE PEECHE! Our podcast is dedicated to looking at the various cinemas of India, through a critical and academic lenses. In our very first episode we look at the fascinating relationship between the stage and screen in India, with a special focus on Bollywood/Hindi cinema. India being home to various theater forms, from regional folk theater, Parsi theater, and ancient Sanskrit theater, we explore how these forms were an influence on the Hindi cinema. 

Ep1: Theatre & Bollywood

WELCOME BACK to a new episode of Parde Ke Peeche! For the first episode of 2020 we decided to look back, and discuss our favourite Bollywood films from 2019. Even though Bollywood did not have the best of years, hosts Raeesa Farooqi & Ankur Desai narrowed their FIVE favourites from 2019, discussing why those films stood out from the rest, their likes & dislikes about each film, and what they would like to see from Bollywood in the coming year!

Top 5 Films of 2019 (Hindi Cinema)

Welcome back to a new episode of Parde Ke Peeche! So far, we have focused on the development & popularization of Hindi cinema in India. However, just as there is no one language in India, there is no ONE cinema in India.For today’s episode, we explore how Bengali Cinema culture, with its focus on social realism & consciousness, emerged during the same time as popular cinema and how the stalwarts of post-independence Bengali cinema broke conventions of popular Indian cinema.Opening Clip: Interview of Satyajit Ray with Kevin Thomas, LA Times, 1977. 

Cinema of West Bengal

Started by two film(i) nerds, Parde Ke Peeche (Behind the Curtains) is a monthly podcast that explores Indian cinema through a critical lens. Hosted by Raeesa Farooqi & Ankur Desai.

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Parde Ke Peeche (PKP) Podcast

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