by
Pankaj Rishi Kumar
Pankaj
Rishi Kumar has movies in his blood his
late father turned an old factory into the town
of Kalpi's only cinema, Kumar Talkies. Kumar junior
went on to a film-editing career, working with
such notable directors as Shekhar Kapoor on Bandit
Queen.
With
his debut, Kumar Talkies, the director returns
to his roots, offering a cinéma vérité
portrait of the townspeople's relationship to
their only picture show and an examination of
the consciousness-shaping role of local cinema
in a globalised and digitised world.
"The
question... was simple: in what manner does cinema
survive, despite the forces that threaten its
demise?"
Natalie
Gravenor
