Riding a Stallion called Dream(2010)

Riding a Stallion called Dream(2010)

Director:Girish Kasaravalli
Country:India
Runtime:110min

A masterpiece by director Girish Kasaravalli, who has given life to the story based on the work of writer Amaresh Nugadoni (`Savari') in his unique narration and presentation of script. One feature of the narration is the number of flashbacks told with different angles, and combining the future. Kasaravalli, with an excellent grip over the sequences, makes you part of the story from the beginning to end.
The story revolves around Irya (Biradar), the grave digger of the village, who has the ability to foresee events in his dreams. When he sees Siddha, his master and messenger of death, in his dream, he believes that the ailing septuagenarian Gowda of the village is dead and prepares a grave for him. But Mathadaiah ( Sadashiva Brahmavar), the caretaker of the house, denies any death as he has his own reasons to hide it. Irya is confused and cannot believe that his dream has gone wrong.

Rudri (Umashree), Irya's wife, in her dream sees Siddha visiting the village. The whole village is excited as he is believed to bring good luck. Even this dream fails to come true. Irya and his wife are devastated and wonder how, all of a sudden, their dreams have started failing. Without dreams, their life become even more unbearable. How does Irya survive without dreams?

Kumar Talkies (1999)

Kumar Talkies (1999)

Director: Pankaj Rishi Kumar
Country: India
Runtime:76 min

There is only one cinema in Kalpi, a small town in northern India. Not much more than a dilapidated shed in the poorest section of town, the theater, Kumar Talkies, doesn't have any hits or flops - supply and demand doesn't apply here. Every day a few people come to see the film, irrespective of what it is.

KUMAR TALKIES juxtaposes the reality of Kalpi, where poverty affects all facets of life, with the world of rebellion and romance on the silver screen. The imaginary images of the impossible being made possible have become part of the collective consciousness in Kalpi. Cinema has become a vehicle that simultaneously conveys the urban imagination to the townspeople, while existing as a medium in which people expect their personal, local experiences to be captured and displayed. Kalpi takes shape in interviews with the townspeople and footage of their interactions with the film crew. In cinema-verité the village comes to life: quarrels for the best seats, conversations after the film, political debates in the bazaar.

KUMAR TALKIES looks at how, even in Kalpi, emerging information technologies widen the horizon of knowledge, but in so doing undermine and replace existing modes, both traditional and modern. There is one satellite dish for the whole town. The operator must balance the tastes of the townspeople, giving adequate airtime to each desired type of programming.

KUMAR TALKIES also explores not only the meaning of cinema and technology in Kalpi, but also the status of film in India, especially the relationship between Bollywood and its audience. It is also about the Kumar family's relationship with cinema. It was filmmaker Pankaj Rishi Kumar's father who thirty years ago renovated an old factory he had inherited, creating Kumar Talkies.