How India's Finest Filmmakers Were Made - Book Talk
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
5:15 pm
- Venue
- SOAS, University of London
- Room
- Wolfson Lecture Theatre (Paul Webley Wing)
About this event
Radha Chadha’s latest book, The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever is both a biography and a cultural history; an intimate meticulously researched account of her father Jagat Murari, the visionary who built the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and created generations of outstanding talent, including Shabana Azmi, Jaya Bachchan, Subhash Ghai, Mani Kaul, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and many more legends of Indian Cinema. The event will include a rare screening of iconic FTII student films, seldom shown outside India.
At this event, Radha Chadha will be in conversation with the BBC broadcaster Haroon Rashid, offering an intimate look at the life and impact of Jagat Murari. Murari’s remarkable journey began in post-war America, where – while still a young film student – he absorbed lessons from none other than Orson Welles during the filming of Macbeth in 1947. Returning to a newly independent India, he became a celebrated documentary filmmaker, and then went on to create the national film school, FTII, that would train future generations of Indian storytellers.
Engaging, historical, and cinematic, the evening will shine a spotlight on the artists and ideas that helped transform Indian filmmaking from its earliest post-independence years through the rise of the Indian New Wave and beyond.
The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever will be available for sale, and the author will sign books after the event.
About the Speakers
Radha Chadha is an author, columnist and one of Asia’s foremost experts on marketing and consumer insights. Her book The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury was a bestseller, and is the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. After two decades at top advertising agencies — Ogilvy, JWT, Grey and Bates Asia — she founded her own brand consultancy in Hong Kong. For over a decade, Radha also wrote a widely read column for Mint, one of India’s leading business newspapers. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. She now lives in Dubai.
Radha grew up on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where her father, Jagat Murari, shaped a generation of filmmakers. Her latest book, The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever, is a portrait of that pivotal time, when India’s cinematic legacy was transformed.
Haroon Rashid is a British broadcaster who hosts a lively weekday afternoon show on BBC Asian Network. Here he plays the biggest tunes loved by British Asian audiences and chats with some of their favourite stars. Known for his warm on-air presence, sharp entertainment knowledge and deep connection with South Asian culture, Haroon has built a career centred on storytelling, representation and celebrating the creative worlds he grew up loving.
Over the years, Haroon has sat down for in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in entertainment — from Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Riz Ahmed and Daljit Dosanjh — bringing out thoughtful, often revealing conversations that go beyond the headlines. His interviews have garnered millions of views online.
Beyond radio, Haroon has hosted major cultural events around the world, including Eid on the Square at Trafalgar Square, Mirchifest in The Hague, and concerts featuring powerhouse performers like Zain Zohaib, the Nooran Sisters and Satinder Sartaaj.
Image credit: Composite photo from book and cover of The Maker of Filmmakers (Penguin Random House).
Book Cover
