Indian Movie & Culture Night

121 North Pleasant Street,Amherst MA 01002

09 July, 2022

Description

Indian movie night presented by Vidhi Salla, a cultural arts curator, featuring the 1957 film Pyaasa, Indian handicrafts and food. This is our first, curated movie event aiming to provide audiences with wholesome entertainment and exposure to authentic world culture. There is often a well-researched cultural introduction explaining the background of the film, sharing anecdotes, and historical references wherever possible. Often these are wider cultural events and may include handicrafts and food. This evening we present Pyaasa (Hindi pronunciation: [pjɑːsɑː]; transl. Thirsty), a classical 1957 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt. Co-starring himself alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker, it focuses on the disillusioned poet Vijay (Dutt) whose works are underestimated by publishers, and panned for writing on social issues rather than romantic topics. The film follows his encounters with the golden-hearted prostitute Gulabo (Waheeda Rehman) and his former girlfriend Meena (Sinha), how the former helps him to get his poetry published, the success of his works, and his romantic relationship with Gulabo. The role of Vijay was initially offered to Dilip Kumar which he declined owing to the impact of doing intense films on his health. Later, in an interview, he also said that he found the character of Vijay in Pyaasa similar to that of Devdas. Guru Dutt, later accepted the role himself and the film went on to become one of the most commercially successful movies of the year. The evening will be curated by Vidhi Salla, a cultural arts curator, radio show host, emcee and voiceover artist based in Vermont, USA. Her internationally streaming show, Vidhi’s Bollywood Jukebox, has received accolades and recognition from audiences all over the world. Originally from Mumbai, India, Vidhi was featured in local newspapers of the US (The Commons, Brattleboro Reformer) and India (Mid-Day) for her educational, theme-based radio show as well as her dedication towards continued broadcasting. Vidhi splits her time between Mumbai, India and Vermont. While in Mumbai, she records her shows from her home studio to be broadcast in Vermont. Vidhi is the founder of Vidhiism, a unique curation outfit through which Vidhi hosts Indian movie-watching experiences for overseas audiences. Prior to every screening, Vidhi presents a thoroughly researched cultural introduction to the film. Also part of the screening are Vidhiism Handicrafts, handmade Indian goods sourced by Vidhi directly from the makers. Adding to the authentic Indian experience of the events will be Indian food, snacks that Vidhi has prepared.