Anand Patwardhan


Anand Patwardhan is an Indian documentary filmmaker known for his socio-political, human rights-oriented films. Some of his films explore the rise of religious fundamentalism, sectarianism and casteism in India, while others investigate nuclear nationalism and unsustainable development. Notable films include Bombay: Our City , In Memory of Friends, In the Name of God , Father, Son, and Holy War, A Narmada Diary, War and Peace and Jai Bhim Comrade, which have won national and international awards. A secular rationalist, Anand Patwardhan is a vocal critic of Hindutva ideology.

Biography

Patwardhan was born on 18 February 1950, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He completed a B.A. in English literature at Mumbai University in 1970, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Brandeis University in 1972, and a Master of Arts in Communication Studies at McGill University in 1982.

Films

Virtually all of Patwardhan's documentary films have faced censorship from the Indian government, eventually being cleared after legal action. His film was shown on TV after a four-year court case, while Father, Son, and Holy War was adjudged in 2004 as one of 50 most memorable international documentaries of all time by DOX, Europe's leading documentary film magazine. Father, Son, and Holy War was shown on India's National Network, Doordarshan, only in the year 2006, 11 years after its making, after a prolonged court battle which lasted ten years and ended with the nation's Supreme Court ordering the network to telecast the film without any cuts.
The Central Board of Film Certification, refused to certify his next film, War and Peace, released in 2002. The board demanded 21 cuts before it would be certified. Patwardhan took the government to court, leading to the film being banned for over a year. However, after a court battle, Patwardhan won the right to screen his film without a single cut. As with his previous films, Patwardhan also successfully fought to force a reluctant national broadcaster, Doordarshan, to show this film on their national network. It was commercially released in multiplexes in 2005.
His 2011 documentary, Jai Bhim Comrade, was based on a police firing incident against Dalits at Ramabai Colony in Mumbai in 1997. The film, which took 14 years to complete, is considered by many to be a watershed in Patwardhan's long career. In 2013 the Sheffield International Film Festival honored Patwardhan with an Inspiration Award. In 2014 the Mumbai International Film Festival honored him with the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award.
Upon being asked in a BFI interview to deliver a message for future documentary filmmakers, Patwardhan famously replied, "No message really. Do it only if it burns when you don't."

Filmography

Academy

Websites on Anand Patwardhan's work