On 19 -21 March; 6 am to 6 am; 48 hours
Film: Naach Bhikhari Naach
Director/directors: Shilpi Gulati and Jainendra Dost
Duration: 70 min
Language: Bhojpuri, Hindi with English Subtitled
Year of production: 2019
Synopsis: Naach is a form of traditional folk theatre from Bihar, India. In this tradition, male artists often cross dress as women on stage and are referred to as ‘laundas’. The most legendary name in this tradition is Bhikhari Thakur’s— who was an actor, playwright, and a social reformer popularly known as the ‘Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.’ The film follows the last four Naach performers to have worked him. As they share a lifetime of memories, they immerse us into the world where we begin to see a glimpse of budhau – the old man, himself.
Festivals and awards: Winner of Awards at Boston, Delhi, and Jakarta and screened at over fifteen festivals, including at Burlington, New York, Goa, Kathmandu, Kolkata, Moscow, and Seoul.
About the filmmakers :
Shilpi Gulati
Shilpi is a filmmaker, theatre artist, and educator. She locates her practice at the intersections of documentary and performance where she largely engages with community-based media practices, feminist histories, and intergenerational memory. She is a two-time recipient of the President's National Film Award in India for her documentaries Qissa-e Parsi: The Parsi Story (2014) and Taala the Kunjee: Lock and Key (2018) which along with her other works have been widely screened. A Fulbright scholar, Shilpi is currently pursuing her doctoral research at Jawaharlal Nehru University and teaching documentary theory and practice at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai.
Jainendra Dost
Jainendra's work examines the social and political realities of Launda Naach and Bhikhari Thakur's folk theatre in Bihar. His theoretical inquiry closely ties into his experience as a theatre practitioner over two decades of experience. Jainendra is the Director of Bhikhari Thakur Repertory Training and Research Centre, Chhapra, and a Lecturer at the District Institute of Education and Training in Gaya.
