IRUVAR (1997)

IMSAI ARASAN 23RD PULIKECEI (2006)

Mani Ratnam’s masterpiece about three important Tamil political figures, MG Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. The film starred Mohanlal, Prakash Raj and Aishwarya in lead roles. Set in the early years of British rule in India, director Chimbu Deven’s film about how a young man saves his kingdom from the British into censorship and promotion of empire films.

Himanshu Rai had taken his theatre group of high class Indians, Indian Players, to London. Experienced in theatre, Rai looked for film experience in Munich after failing to get support in UK.

The films were screened across Europe, Light of Asia even having a Royal Command Performance in Windsor, but while they were praised for their photography the consensus was that they were rather boring and overlong.

The films had different scores for release in different countries and original scores have been composed for the restored prints.

The new score for Shiraz is by

Anoushka Shankar, a fitting backdrop to the blend of East and West in this film. In the screenings planned across India, Shiraz may find new audiences and help stimulate interest in India’s rich and cosmopolitan film heritage.

Rachel Dwyer is a professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London. The writer is indebted to a PhD she recently supervised by Dr. Eleanor Halsall: The Indo-German beginnings of Bombay Talkies, 1925-1939.