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Mani Kaul

Mani Kaul’s first film Uski Roti (1969), “a cinematic exploration of narrative space and volume,” defined much of New Indian Cinema’s formal vocabulary. His films have emphasized the tradition of ‘elaboration’ of figures over the more accepted models of structured construction. Much of his work has been fed by the two major sources of Indian classical music (Dhrupad) and of Indian art and aesthetics, particularly in the films Dhrupad and Siddeshwari and in films on art such as Mati Manas (Mind of Clay). But just as importantly, his approach to cinema has been enriched by a completely modern international sensibility and the influence of modern writers and painters. His films, other than the ones mentioned above, include Satah Se Uthta Aadmi, Nazar, Idiot, and Naukar Ki Kameez. Kaul’s films have been shown at many film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, New York, Rotterdam, London and Moscow. Retrospectives of his films have been held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Rotterdam, Pesaro and Mumbai International Film Festivals. Kaul also teaches the austere Indian classical music called Dhrupad that he learnt for years from the great Rudra Veena master Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and the vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar.