Amitabh Bachchan: Re-imagining stardom in popular culture
19 and 20 April: Film screenings and talk by Sunny Singh (London Metropolitan University), author of the book Amitabh Bachchan (2018).
Film screenings and talk by Sunny Singh (London Metropolitan University), author of the book Amitabh Bachchan (2018).
Please note: the film screening of Deewar on the Thursday 19 April has been canceled.
Organised by the International Institute for Asian Studies and in cooperation with Leiden University.
With in-depth analyses of key films and their wide-ranging social contexts, Singh offers a provocative and in-depth study of the superstar, his extensive career to date as well as the nature of Indian, Asian, and global stardom.
Source: Palgrave Macmillan
Programme
19 April 2018
17:00-19:00 Film screening of Deewar (1975)
CANCELED
20 April 2018
14:00-16:00 Film screening of Piku (2015)
17:00-19:00 Talk by Sunny Singh, followed by drinks.
Read the film synopses of Deewar and Piku: [collapsed title="film synopses "]Deewaar (The Wall) is a 1975 Indian crime drama film, written by Salim-Javed, directed by Yash Chopra, and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, Parveen Babi and Neetu Singh. Reflecting the tumultuous socio-political climate of 1970s India, Deewaar tells the story of a pair of impoverished brothers who, after their family is betrayed by the misplaced idealism of their father, struggle to survive in the slums of Bombay, and eventually find themselves on opposing sides of the law. The deewaar (wall) of the title is the wall that has sprung up between the two brothers, drawn apart by fate and circumstances in a time of socio-political turmoil. Bachchan's character Vijay was loosely inspired by the real-life Bombay underworld gangster Haji Mastan.
Piku is a comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar, starring Deepika Padukone as the titular protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, with Moushumi Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta portraying supporting roles. It tells the story of the short-tempered Piku Banerjee (Padukone), her grumpy, ageing father Bhashkor (Bachchan) and Rana Chaudhary (Khan), who is stuck between the father-daughter duo, as they embark on a journey from Delhi to Kolkata. The film is a reflection of changing urban lifestyles in India and the transforming nature of familial relationships in that context.[/collapsed]
Registration (required)
Please register by Tuesday 17 April via the webform provided below.