{"id":107881,"date":"2025-11-25T19:48:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T14:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=107881"},"modified":"2025-11-25T19:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T14:18:57","slug":"cinema-memory-and-legacy-converge-as-curtains-lift-on-maa-uma-padma-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=107881","title":{"rendered":"Cinema, memory and legacy converge as curtains lift on \u2018Maa, Uma, Padma\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Goa Khabar : The spirit of cinematic remembrance filled the press conference hall at IFFI today as filmmaker and IIT Bombay professor Mazhar Kamran unveiled his new book, \u2018Maa, Uma, Padma: The Epic Cinema of Ritwik\u00a0<\/em>Ghatak.\u2019 The event opened on a solemn note, with dignitaries offering condolences on the passing of veteran actor Dharmendra, before shifting into a warm and insightful conversation honouring one of India\u2019s most influential filmmakers, Ritwik Ghatak.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The book was formally released by Bhupendra Kainthola, Principal Director General, Directorate of Publication Division (DPD), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Celebrated filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani joined the conference, lending both camaraderie and gravitas to the occasion.<\/p>\n

Kainthola elaborated on why DPD chose to publish \u2018Maa, Uma, Padma\u2019. He recalled the announcement made at WAVES Summit 2025, where the year was dedicated to commemorating five legendary film personalities marking their centenaries, Ghatak being among them. \u201cDPD publishes books that are accessible and affordable to all. Kamran was happy to work with the vision, and everything aligned,\u201d he shared. He also highlighted that the book\u2019s cover was designed by Kamran\u2019s own students from IIT Bombay, a creative collaboration that delighted the author.<\/p>\n

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Kamran spoke with palpable emotion about witnessing his words take shape in the form of a book. He said he wrote every word out of conviction, accepting that readers may agree with him at times and diverge at others. Reflecting on Ghatak\u2019s position in Indian cinema, Kamran noted that although he is celebrated today, Ghatak lived on the margins, often struggling to get his films made despite the power of his vision. \u201cWhenever we think of Indian cinema in time, one of Ghatak\u2019s films will always be there,\u201d claimed Kamran.<\/p>\n

Kamran also addressed a misconception about Ghatak\u2019s lack of formal film school training. \u201cHe learned rigorously,\u201d Kamran said, citing Ghatak\u2019s early writing, his collaborations with greats of his time, and his deep engagement with works of Eisenstein and Stanislavski. He recalled that Ghatak even taught briefly at FTII, a reminder that cinematic learning takes many forms.<\/p>\n

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The conversation soon moved to DPD\u2019s broader initiative to promote books on Indian cinema. Kainthola shared that 12 books have been brought out in recent years, including the recent volume on Phalke Award winners\u00a0<\/strong>and an upcoming compilation of articles from FTII\u2019s Lensight journal, now being published in Hindi to widen accessibility. He also announced five more works underway, touching names such as Lakshmikant-Pyarelal and Lata Mangeshkar.<\/p>\n

The discussion eventually flowed into Ghatak\u2019s recurring feminine presence: the Maa, Uma, and Padma of Kamran\u2019s title. He described Ghatak\u2019s understanding of motherhood as the most profound embodiment of the feminine, intertwined with the river Padma, an eternal symbol in his cinema.<\/p>\n

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The conference, woven with reflection, admiration, and rediscovery, stood as both a tribute to Ritwik Ghatak\u2019s artistic legacy and a celebration of Kamran\u2019s deeply researched, heartfelt work. \u2018Maa, Uma, Padma\u2019 promises to enrich the discourse on Indian cinema, accessible, insightful, and driven by a passion equal to its subject.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goa Khabar : The spirit of cinematic remembrance filled the press conference hall at IFFI today as filmmaker and IIT Bombay professor Mazhar Kamran unveiled his new book, \u2018Maa, Uma, Padma: The Epic Cinema of Ritwik\u00a0Ghatak.\u2019 The event opened on a solemn note, with dignitaries offering condolences on the passing of veteran actor Dharmendra, before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25169,"featured_media":107882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,155],"tags":[3794],"class_list":["post-107881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-6","category-155","tag-featured"],"read":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107883,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107881\/revisions\/107883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/107882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}