Six films based on Mahasweta Devi writings
[note: originally written for and published on wion, the author does not intend or claim ownership of the content, nor are they earnings from posting it on this non-profit platform. Re-posting it is meant for sharing purposes only]
When Gangor, an Italian-Indian co-production, was nominated for an award at the Rome Film Festival in 2010, Mahasweta Devi, on whose story the film was based, was already a prolific author with some 300 published works to her name.
She passed away on Thursday, July 28 at the age of 91 in Kolkata, India.
A social activist and author of multiple award-winning books, many focusing on the disenfranchised at a time when others were afraid to speak for them, her work also found way to the silver screen.
Here are some films based on her writings:
- Sunghursh — A 1968 feature film by H S Rawail (known for writing Laila Majnu) starring Dilip Kumar, who was nominated for a Filmfare award for this role.
- Behula — This 1989 film showcased the conflict between science and superstition through the characters of a research student from Haffkine Institute and a local witch doctor.
- Rudaali — A 1993 film, directed by Kalpana Lajmi and starring Dimple Kapadia, won three national awards including one Filmfare critics award for best performance.
- Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa — A 1998 film starring Jaya Bachchan was awarded the National Film Award for best feature film in Hindi and the Filmfare Special Jury Award.
- Maati Maay — A 2006 Marathi film based on her writing, Maati Maay (A Grave-keeper’s Tale) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Gangor — A 2010 multilingual film based on Bangla short story ‘Choli ke Peeche’ (Behind the Bodice) bagged various accolades around the globe.
Special thanks to her grandson Tathagata Bhattacharya for his contributions to this piece.
