Sathyu Sambhrama: celebrating the life and times of an icon

Best known for his film Garm Hawa, Mr Sathyu is an iconic filmmaker who ushered in a new wave of parallel cinema in India

Renowned film and theatre director Mysore Srinivasa Sathyu, popularly known as MS Sathyu, will be turning 93 on July 6. To mark his birthday, and honour his immense contribution to the world of art and cinema and the influence it has had on generations of artistes, WeBhinna, Bengaluru is organising ‘Sathyu Sambhrama’, a week-long celebration of the creative genius of Mr. Sathyu.

Best known for his film Garm Hawa (1973), a post-partition classic, Mr. Sathyu is considered an icon alongside filmmakers like Mrinal Sen, Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak who ushered in a new wave of parallel cinema in India. A patron of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), his body of work includes nine plays, eight feature films, three telefilms and four teleserials. Mr. Sathyu is also a recipient of the Padma Shri (1975).

Beginning July 4, WeBhinna’s line-up of programmes will reminisce some of Mr. Sathyu’s best works in a career spanning over six decades. The retrospective will feature two plays and two films directed by him as well as a documentary on his life and work directed by Masood Akhtar.

The plays that will be staged are Vaarasudaara and Gul-e-Bakawali. The films to be screened include Chitegoo Chinte (1978) and Bara (1982), an adaptation of UR Ananthamurthy’s short story, which won the Best Film and Best director awards at both the Karnataka State Film Awards as well as the Filmfare awards.

While senior theatre practitioners and contemporaries of Sathyu will share their experiences working with him, the event will also provide an opportunity for the present generation of film and theatre enthusiasts to learn about Mr. Sathyu’s illustrious career as a theatre-person, filmmaker and art director. Film director KM Chaitanya will also lead a discussion on MS Sathyu and the theatre movement in India with students of theatre.

The event is happening between July 4-10 at ADA Rangamandira, JC Road, Bengaluru and is open and free for all. For more details, contact 9739614139/9632542600.