BOLLYWOOD - The interface of the Indian collective consciousness

Popular/mainstream films in India have been the vehicle to communicate and comprehend social norms, attitudes and cultural behaviors to the masses. They shape as well as influence the society by playing the important role of being the interface of the collective consciousness. This Industry (popular Hindi cinema) remained unexplored in this part of the world, in spite of its connection with Germany during the formative years. This collaboration influenced the aesthetics and language that is Bollywood today. An exploration that will include understanding the gender positioning (the binary) in the Indian consciousness, and trace the in-between space for the Trans narratives. However relevant these narratives are in the twenty-first century; India has these depictions in the realm of the popular Hindi cinema rather recently.

Indian film industry is the world’s largest by number of films produced, along with the south Indian and the other regional film industries. The most widely known, amongst these, is the popular Hindi cinema, or commonly known as ‘Bollywood’. As theoritians describe the movie theatre as the school of the masses in India, Hindi films play a major role in being the interface to the collective consciousness of the subcontinant.

An exploration that will include understanding the gender positioning (the binary) in the Indian consciousness, and trace the in-between space for the Trans narratives. However relevant these narratives are in the twenty-first century; India has these depictions in the realm of the popular Hindi cinema rather recently. 

As a trans person I have been narrating the trans discourse, from the subcontinent, through films, paintings and seminars. One such seminar was at UDK in summer semester 2022. Looking through the lens of popular Hindi cinema helps understanding of the positioning of the transgender individuals in the collective consciousness. To be able to understand the stories of the in-between (the binary), one has to understand the positioning of the binary. Then gradually expand the discussion to understanding the trans people in India. The discourse would be translated into retelling of Bollywood songs. One of the popular Bollywood songs would be recreated, narrating the trans discourse. This could be in collaboration with the moving image department at UDK. Planning a flash mob at Alexanderplatz or Zoological Garten  Ubahn station telling the trans story from India could be another option.

Traditionally hand painted film hoardings remained an important part of the Indian city skylines till early 2000. Then a big industry, where many well-known artists worked as freelancer. Some of the southern states still celebrate this in a big way as a part of their cinema culture. This served as an interface between the audience and their cinema. We would discuss the unique language of the popular Hindi film hoardings. A style that became one of the most prominent expressions of modern India, rooted in European training of realistic painting. Using the visual language of the hoarding painting, we create an interface for the world of Bollywood in Berlin. A busy street corner will be the canvas where the participants would design and fabricate the interface/installation. That showcases the songs that tell the story of trans positioning in Indian society.

Schedule:

6-8 August - lectures and screening

9-11 August - self study

12-15 August workshop (presentation/installation)

Knowledge requirements:

Understanding of research methodology for films, and its cultural relevance.

Pradipta Ray is a trans filmmaker, painter animation artist and educationist based out of Mumbai. A fine art graduate from Govt. Art College, Kolkata, and an alumnus at National Institute of Design, Pradipta is a regular visiting faculty at her alma mater. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Arts UDK Berlin, and SRH Berlin School of Design and Communication, Berlin.
As a filmmaker, Pradipta has written and directed three short films; Raat Baki (2011), Eidi-The Gift (2014) and Guy Next Door (2015). Her first short film Raat Baki (The Night is Young) has been widely screened in various international film festivals and has also bagged the Riyadh Wadia Award for Best Emerging Filmmaker at the KASHISH- Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (2012). Her film Muhafiz (2021) has won awards for the best screenplay and award for the best Indian narrative short at KASHISH festival (2022). It also recieved jusy award at Mosaic Misaff Canada 2023, and was screened at the Bafta qualified IRIS Prize festival (2022). Pradipta had her first solo international exhibition of paintings in Berlin in September 2022. Her debut exhibition of paintings “Devi” at Café Tilla Ahmedabad, in 2019 was much widely appreciated. In 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown she designed and animated the title and stories for Daan Sthapana by Devdutt Pattanaik,  streaming on Sony LIV.
As a Pre-Production expert, Pradipta has designed looks for several feature films and TV commercials. This includes research (costume, environment, etc.) and style development and Visualizationvisualization.She has worked as a Production Designer for feature films like Love Wrinkle Free (2012) and ZOO (2018).  Pradipta is widely known for her work as the chief visualizer/ Storyboard Artist for Bollywood blockbusters such as Rang de Basanti, Heyy Babyy and Kambakth Ishq. She has directed and designed numerous animated promos for MTV, Star TV and AXN including pilots for Devlok, telling stories on Indian mythology in collaboration with Devdutt Pattanaik and Amar Chitra Katha.