I just watched probably the most progressive and influential Hindi film ever made. Released shortly after the partition of India and filmed during the tumultuous period of the country's division, it's surreal how much of its relevance still resonates today. This is the film that Satyajit Ray reportedly watched over 15 times-an all-time favorite of filmmakers like Scorsese, Coppola, and Kurosawa. Eventually, Martin Scorsese took it upon himself to restore the film, making it part of his World Cinema Project series in the Criterion Collection.
It's hard to overstate how profoundly this film influenced every movie that followed, from its cinematography and editing to its dance sequences, choreography, and dreamlike sequences. The way it portrays dreams is so surreal that nearly every iconic dream sequence since has drawn from it. It's impact on world cinema and filmmakers is still felt, and makes you think how progressive, intelligent films and filmmakers were in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Written and directed by Uday Shankar, the only film the legendary dancer had made. On the surface, it's a film-within-a-film, where the producer is fixated on box office success and profits, while the filmmaker yearns to create something truly artistic-a narrative that remains relevant and true today. I'll now always recommend this film to anyone. I've never seen a dance film, or any film for that matter, be so authentic and impactful. The way it has endured the test of time is a true reflection of reality-a time where nothing has truly changed.
