Winds From The East

"We don’t want to make films because until we have watched the entire filmography of Rossellini, Godard, Ray, Mani Kaul, Guru Dutt, and read Bazin, Sarris, Daney, Perkins, Rosenbaum, Robin Wood, , Adrian Martin...Harrytuttle how can we? " Ever since we began our crusade there are few question(suggestion) that are asked/told to us every now and then. Like:- 1) Why don't we go and make movies? 2) Is writing on films really a job? 4) There are no audience for art-films? Because everyone's life is so fucked that no one is really interested in watching another fucked up life on screen?. While the evidence is out there in the open, for all of us to see, in the no of flops we have ever year in this country. Yet the studios would not like to take a risk. And the flops are simply ignored. No wonder Bollywood is on a strike , but no one is ready to work on the basic backbone of changing things. 5) People before you have tried doing the same thing and nothing really happened...

Our second issue looked at the legacy and the cinema of Ritwik Ghatak which has continued to thrill and find new audiences across the world. The following Interview is from his book of essays( Cinema and I) that was later published in Rows and Rows of Fences . Both books are now out-of-print and it is a testament to the sad state of affairs of his legacy. I hope in times to come we can be instrumental in protecting, preserving and making his movies and writing accessible to a wider audiences. Here is an excerpt from the Interview, the full Interview can be read from the link specified below. ........................... Q. Mr. Ghatak, what inspired you to turn to film making? R.G. You could say that I strayed into films down a zigzag path. If may father had had his way I should have been an income-tax officer. I got the job but left it to join the C.P.I. if I had stuck to it I might have become a Commissioner or Accountant General by now. But now I am only a street dog! After quitti...

Ritwik Ghatak, in partition, not physically of willingness -the country departed Out of his outer consciousness - cosmic consciousness none of his mistakes, Reactions - natural reactions - reflections Ritwik Ghatak, refugee, unborn, unwanted, unbearable penetrative towards the Victorian hangover of the Tagorian corruption of thinking Life was more important to him than the words in praise of god, the god of Victorian Tagorian thinking. Hence, he was rejected from the Bengalian thinking Ritwik Ghatak - the name doesn't suit the hierarchic thinking of the Raynian Zamidarian thinking Perhaps, the long echo of the forgotten factors that becomes reminiscence of the 'death of the salesman' or otherwise the long columns and no more Chhabi Biswas, Cardiac arrest is common. The death of Ghatak is uncommon. Nay, Ritwik Ghatak I remember, a tall man his hands moving around my shoulders, catching me with the feeling of nearness, rather than imperial...