EP#4 | Avijit Mukul Kishore : Documentaries, Film-archaeology, Indian Modernity | Part II

Mukul on the play of ethics and power dynamics that a documentary filmmaker must consider when wielding a camera…

“….So, it finally becomes this entire act of trying to say that, “Who am I to speak on behalf of somebody else? I can try to be honest about it and I can refer to a thing such as; If I’m looking at the North east [India], “What is my image of the north east? That people are doing a tribal dance all the time…which is the Bollywood image of a certain kind of “tribal”…I mean, for me it’s very very important to say that, I’m aware of the power that I have, wielding a camera and trying to on behalf of speak somebody else. Not for a moment thinking that, “I’m here to do you good.” No, That’s a problem!”

Avijit Mukul Kishore is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in Mumbai, working in documentary and inter-disciplinary film practices. He is involved in cinema pedagogy as a lecturer, and curates film programmes for prominent national cultural institutions. His films as director include 'Snapshots from a Family Album', 'Vertical City', 'To Let the World In', 'Electric Shadows' and 'Nostalgia for the Future'; and as cinematographer:, 'John and Jane', 'Seven Islands and a Metro,' 'I am Micro' and 'An Old Dog’s Diary'.

On this podcast, we discussed some of his work, specifically with regards to where we see the nature of his line of inquiry as a filmmaker. For instance, we spoke to Mukul about his film “Electric Shadows”, which explores a film festival in China where Indian films were screened; and reflects deeply on the impact of cinema on these two cultures, on the act of documentary film-making and the politics of history and memory. For Andy and I, and of course to those of you that are interested in architecture and cities, in the film, ‘Nostalgia for the Future’, Mukul’s commentary on Indian Modernism and especially the nation-building narratives of the time bring into focus the culture of conception within architecture and urban design in the country.

An alumni of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), in Pune, India , he has made films that explore various social realities while simultaneously exploring how those same realities get reflected in cinema. He is actively involved in cinema pedagogy and until recently was the co-curator of a national film archive.

Link to Avijit Mukul Kishore's films -

https://vimeo.com/avimuk

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Technical Support : Prashant Chavan