Retrospective : Sanjay Maharishi

6th Chennai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2018

Jointly organised by MARUPAKKAM & Goethe-Institut, Chennai

Retrospective : Sanjay Maharishi

Sanjay Maharishi is a director, producer, cinematographer, and editor and has been making documentary films since 1991. His exploratory films reflect his wide range of interests from ancient traditions of water engineering, to those around education, crafts, arts and theatre. His film on the eminent theatre director, Habib Tanveer, (My Name is Habib, My Village is Theatre) has been widely screened in India and around the world, including the Kathmandu Film Festival and the Prithvi Festival in Mumbai.

For the past few years he has collaborated with the National School of Drama, New Delhi, to produce a series of films on Contemporary Directors, theatre processes and traditional urban theatre. The first three parts of this series were screened at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, NSD's annual theatre festival, New Delhi, 2009. In 2002-03 he initiated 'Travelling Documentary' a mobile documentary screening programme in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers. He works closely with children and young adults in workshops to produce films in various genres. Sanjay lives and works from Delhi.

The Films:

Circus Theatre

Dir: Sanjay Maharashi; 50 min

In 2010 theatre director Abhilash Pillai brought a group of his students from the National School of Drama to work with circus artists in Irindjalkuda in Kerala. The film documents the challenges faced by both theatre people on one hand who have never performed in a ring and circus artists who do not know basic norms of theatre like blocking or story telling. An exciting time for all.

Remains of a Dream

Dir: Sanjay Maharishi & Sreekala Sivasankaran; 70 min

The film moves between the past and present Cochin Jewish life through memoirs, interviews of local communities, writers and scholars and places that tell the stories of presence and absence of Jews in Kerala today.

Making of King Lear

Dir: Sanjay Maharishi; 50 min

The well known Uzbek theatre director Ovlyakuli Khodjakuli interprets Shakespeare's King Lear in his distinct style and brings out yet another adaptation of this fabulous play. Nature plays a big part in his narration as does memories of a peaceful childhood.

Kahinoor

Dir: Sanjay Maharishi; 10 min

Kahinoor is a short film that introduces the travelling theatre of Assam, a unique form, hardly seen anywhere in its expanse and reach. About a hundred and fifty people travel in trucks, buses and cars on a predefined itinerary for a year from village to village. Assam does not have too many film halls and the travelling theatre provides for popular entertainment, just as films do in other parts of the country.

Nautanki

Dir: Sanjay Maharishi; 10 min

This short film introduces to the viewer, a unique style of northern India called Nautanki or Swang. The film, although short, traverses three centres known as the origins of Nautanki, namely Mathura, Vrindavan and Hathras.

Ajay

Dir: Sanjay Maharishi; 10 min

I met Ajay on the road in the Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. I was fascinated to see how he was looking after his small vegetable shop but his heart was in the guitar kept by his side.