Kumar Shahani

Early life Shahani was born on 7 December 1940, in Larkana, Sindh (now in Pakistan). he moved to France to further his studies at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) and assisted Robert Bresson on Une Femme Douce.

Career After returning to India, Shahani made his first feature film Maya Darpan in 1972. He received funding twelve years later to make his next full-length feature film, Tarang, in 1984. His other landmark films included the 1989 film Khayal Gatha and the 1990 film Kasba. He also made the short films Rails for the World, Fire in the Belly, Our Universe and Var Var Vari, the documentary Bhavantarana and Char Adhyay. His films won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film in 1972, 1990 and 1991. Maya Darpan won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 1972. His films often appeared at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Khayal Gatha won the FIPRESCI Prize at Rotterdam in 1990. He received the Prince Claus Award in 1998. Shahani was also involved with India's archiving and restoration initiative, the Film Heritage Foundation.

Influences Shahani considered Roberto Rossellini and Robert Bresson as major influences on his work and those from whom he learned the most. When comparing the two, he stated: He was survived by his wife and daughters Uttara and Rewati and his partner Rimli Bhattacharya.

Filmography Sources: Year !! Film !! Notes

(English and Gujarati). b/w, 35mm, 22 min. Documentary for Directorate of Films, Gujarat, India. 35mm, 20 min. Technicolor, Documentary made for Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) 16mm, 10 min. Kodachrome, Short film made in collaboration with the psychoanalyst Udayan Patel. (Hindi) 35mm, 100 min. Feature. NFDC. Winner Filmfare Award – Best Film (Critics) (English). b/w, 35mm, Documentary made for Films Division, India.

1983 A Memoir of the Future (English). 35mm (incomplete). Film made on the work of British psychoanalyst W.R. Bion 1983 Rules of the Game 35mm, Documentary (censored but not released), made for Films Division. (Hindi). 35mm, Cinemascope, Feature produced by NFDC. National Film Award – Special Jury Award (Certificate) (Hindi). b/w, 35mm, 29 min, produced by the Film & Television Institute of India 1988 A Ship Aground (English). 16mm, Short film.

National Award (1972, 1984, 1991) Filmfare Critics Awards – Best Film (1972, 1990, 1991) The International Film Festival of Rotterdam – FIPRESCI Award (1990) Prince Claus Award (1998)