Kalpana

Kalpana

Directed by Uday Shankar • 1948 • India
Starring Amala Uday Shankar, Lakshmi Kanta, Birendra Banerjee

The only film by the visionary dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar is a utopian dream of cultural renewal and a celebration of Indian dance in all its variety. Unfolding as an epic film within a film, KALPANA tells the story of a dancer (the director himself) who is determined to open a cultural center and breathe new life into India’s traditional artistic forms. Meanwhile, the visible adoration between him and his lead dancer arouses the jealousy of his enterprising companion. A riot of ecstatic imagery—including swirling surrealist dance spectacles—is interwoven with anticolonial, anticapitalist commentary, making for a radical, proto-Bollywood work that is one of the most influential films in Indian cinema.

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Kalpana
  • Kalpana

    Directed by Uday Shankar • 1948 • India
    Starring Amala Uday Shankar, Lakshmi Kanta, Birendra Banerjee

    The only film by the visionary dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar is a utopian dream of cultural renewal and a celebration of Indian dance in all its variety. Unfolding as an epic film within...

Extras

  • Martin Scorsese on KALPANA

    The following short video featuring Martin Scorsese, founder of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, was produced in 2022.

  • Kumar Shahani and Suresh Chabria on KALPANA

    The following program on Uday Shankar’s KALPANA features interviews with filmmaker Kumar Shahani and Indian film historian Suresh Chabria. It was produced in 2022.