Mani Kaul

Early life and background Born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in a Kashmiri family, Kaul first joined FTII, Pune as a yearbook photographer and later shifted to the acting course, where noted film director Ritwik Ghatak was a teacher, graduating in 1966.

He was a nephew of the actor-director Mahesh Kaul, who made films like Raj Kapoor starrer Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968). It marked a drastic departure from earlier Indian cinema technique, form and narrative. It was one of the early formal experimental films in Indian cinema.

Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1971), his next film, was based on a play by Mohan Rakesh.

Duvidha, his third film, was his first in colour. It grew out of a short story by Vijaydan Detha and tells the story of a merchant's son, who returns with his new bride. When he departs on a business trip, a ghost falls in love with the wife. It was widely shown across Europe. He was awarded the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1974.

Kaul was one of the co-founders of the Yukt Film Co-operative (Union of Kinematograph Technicians) in 1976, leading to avant-garde films. Critics

He was a visiting lecturer at Harvard University for the 2000–2001 school year.

Death Mani Kaul died on 6 July 2011 at his home in Gurgaon, near Delhi, after prolonged battle with cancer. He is survived by two sons and two daughters. "As a film director, he discussed the status of women (Uski Roti, Duvidha), crafted visually seductive documentaries (Arrival, Before My Eyes, A Desert of a Thousand Lines) and went through a spell of interpreting Fyodor Dostoevsky's masterworks. The Russian writer's short story A Gentle Creature inspired Nazar, shot in low, chiaroscuro lighting."

Filmmaker Sameer Wadhwa, in his obituary of Mani Kaul published in Hindustan Times writes: "Mani Kaul had perfected the art of deeply moving his audience cerebrally by meticulous philosophical exposition. His films effortlessly employed temporality to create a deep spatial landscape in which human emotions oscillated with an incendiary provocation. This cinematic gesture was so subtle that if one were not attentive the meaning would be lost."

Filmography Yatrik (1966) - Student diploma film Uski Roti (1969) Sara Aakash (1969) - as actor Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1971) Duvidha (1973) Puppeteers of Rajasthan (Documentary) (1974) A Historical Sketch of Indian Women (Documentary) (1975) Ghashiram Kotwal (1976) Chitrakathi (Documentary) (1977) Arrival (Documentary) (1980) Satah Se Uthata Admi (1980) Dhrupad (1982) Mati Manas (Documentary) (1984) A Desert of a Thousand Lines (Documentary) (1986) Before My Eyes (Documentary)(1989) Siddheshwari (Documentary) (1989) Nazar (1991) Idiot (1992) The Cloud Door (1995) Naukar Ki Kameez (The Servant's Shirt) (1999) Bojh (Burden) (2000) Ik Ben Geen Ander (I Am No Other) (Netherlands) (2002) A Monkey's Raincoat (Netherlands) (2005) Signature Film (for Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema) (2006)

Awards

National Film Awards 1974: Best Direction: Duvidha 1989: Best Documentary Film: Siddheshwari

Filmfare Awards Mani Kaul won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie four times.

1971: Uski Roti (1970) 1972: Ashad Ka Ek Din (1971) 1974: Duvidha (1973) 1993: Idiot (1992)