Tag: Cinema | Page 2 | Varta Trust

The photograph is an image from the 2009 film ‘Eden Is West’ (‘Eden à l'ouest’) directed by Greek-French filmmaker Costa Gavras. It is a long shot of a medium-sized motorized boat full of people standing or sitting on the edges, presumably undocumented immigrants. As the boat crosses a calm sea, it leaves behind a wake in the water. In the background the sky is aglow with the sun setting behind distant mountains. The entire scene is one of melancholy. The film ‘Eden Is West’ is a drama centred around the undocumented immigrants living in the European Union. The image has been used in a representational sense here. Photo courtesy: Google Images

No Eden anywhere?

By Sayan Bhattacharya

When I was asked to write the 'Varta' editorial for this month, I was in a fix. How does one write about yet another year ending and another beginning?

This graphic is a collage created with key illustrations used in the articles in this month’s issue of ‘Varta’ (November 2017). The long descriptions of each of the illustrations can be found in the respective articles, that is, ‘Cinema, Commerce and Causes', ‘Government Letdown on Transgender and Intersex Rights Legislation’, ‘PIL in Calcutta High Court to Push for Transgender Rights’, and ‘Voicing Out Stasis in Transgender Lives’. The collage is enclosed in a thought cloud, which is placed on a background with brown colour. Collage credit: Pawan Dhall

Vartanama Nov '17

Down, but not out!

By Pawan Dhall

Three of the articles in this issue of 'Varta' talk about the continued hardships faced by transgender and intersex people in India. All jab us in the eye at how far...

This graphic consists of pencil sketches on paper in caricature form of the faces of key actors from the films discussed in the accompanying article. The sketches are presented in two rows, one above the other. In the first row are Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan; in the second Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpai. The background is made up of handwritten repeat text consisting of the names of the films – ‘Aligarh’, ‘Dangal’, ‘Dear Zindagi’, ‘Kahaani 2’, and ‘Pink’. The text is in all capitals but in small point size, and seems to form an intricate pattern on which the sketches of the faces are placed. Graphic credit: Shubhrajit Roy

Cinemascope, Insight

Cinema, commerce and causes

By Nitin Karani

Campaigns to highlight different human rights issues are just past, ongoing or round the corner. Last year saw a spate of Bollywood films on many of these issues. How true...

The photograph shows a collage of a few newspaper and magazine articles on queer issues. Two of the prominent ones are headlined ‘LGBT Andolan Je Bhabe Mool Strotay’ (Growth of LGBT Movement) and ‘Who Said it Was Simple’. The first written by Pawan Dhall was published in the newspaper ‘Ei Samay’ in December 2012, and the second by Sthira Bhattacharya was published in the ‘Kindle’ online magazine in July 2013. Visuals in the articles include a photograph of participants in a queer pride walk in Kolkata, and another one of an individual clapping their hands like often Hijras and other transgender persons do (such clapping is termed as ‘thikri’ in Bengali and often signifies assertion and protest). Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Commentary, From the Archives Aug '17

Memories in media outings (part 4)

By Pawan Dhall

In 'Kolkata’s Queer Movement: A Recollection of Media Outings – Mid-1984 to Mid-2013' Pawan Dhall remembers his personal queer-story over the years (concluding part)

Travel Travel, Vartanama Jan '17

Art in museums, films, ropes and charpoys

By Pawan Dhall

I think I’m passing through a happy hours phase. No, not for guzzling beer or cheap Internet services; rather this is about being invigorated by the arts in all their...

Clickhappy! Dec '16

Cinema, erotic poetry, music and moves

By Pawan Dhall, Prosenjit Pal

Prosenjit Pal and Pawan Dhall were at the ‘Hang Out with KRPF’, a queer evening of arts and adda graciously hosted by Alliance Française du Bengale, Kolkata on December 2, 2016...

Tagged Under: Cinema

No Eden anywhere?

Down, but not out!

Cinema, commerce and causes

Memories in media outings (part 4)

Art in museums, films, ropes and charpoys

Cinema, erotic poetry, music and moves

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