OLL CREDIT COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Office use only
School BoS
Literatures, Languages &Cultures
Date of Meeting
20th April 2011
SCQF level
7
Credit points
10
Contact teaching (hrs) 22
Proposed by
Martine Pierquin (Office of Lifelong Learning)
1. Course title:
AUTEURS OF INDIAN CINEMA
2. Tutor name(s):
Piyush Roy
3. Tutor qualifications:
MSc (with Distinction) Film Studies
MA (with Distinction) International Journalism
PGDACM (Post-graduate Diploma in Advertising & Communications Management),
BA (Hons.) Economics
Mumbai-based senior journalist, writer and film critic with 10 years of work
experience in reporting on films, music and television
4. Rationale
This is the first Open Studies course to focus on Indian cinema’s auteur directors.
2011-2012 marks the centenary year of Indian cinema. It’s been 100 years since
filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke made the first Indian feature film, a silent mythological
costume drama titled Raja Harishchandra (King Harishchandra, 1913).
Through the works of 10 filmmakers – V Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Satyajit
Ray, Raj Kapoor, Shyam Benegal, Gulzar, Adoor Gopalkrishnan, Aparna Sen and
Mani Ratnam – the course will introduce students to path breaking, influential art
house and popular Indian filmmakers from its most influential regional language
cinemas and Bollywood. It will simultaneously traverse a journey of highlight movie
moments from Indian cinema’s talkie era (1930s) to the present. The course will
effectively complement courses in world cinema and auteur appreciation studies.
5. Course aims & objectives
Aim(s)
 To develop a critical understanding of critically acclaimed Indian auteur cinema
through an analysis of the works of its most influential and path breaking
filmmakers and other relatively lesser known directors.
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Objectives
 To appreciate film as an art form
 To familiarise students with key Indian film directors

To explore the socio-cultural, political and regional resonances in the work of
specific auteurs
6. Intended learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:




Critically appreciate Indian auteur cinema and its historical developements
Identify narrative diversities within Indian cinema
Recognise the influence within Indian cinema of important global cinema
movements (realism, neo-realism, expressionism, etc.)
Discuss the importance Indian directors, no matter how aesthetically diverse,
place on music and lyrics
7. Transferable skills
Art appreciation skills; critical thinking and participation in class discussion
8. Contents
Week 1: V Shantaram (Hindi & Marathi cinema)
Praised by Charlie Chaplin for his iconic social tragedy, the Marathi film Manoos
(Man, 1939), V Shantaram made his first film in 1927, beginning an illustrious career
of 50 plus films as a filmmaker, director and actor spanning six decades up to the
1980s. Starting as an actor in the films of the silent era, he was one of the first Indian
filmmakers to realise and exploit the use of the film medium as an instrument of
social change.
Week 2: Bimal Roy (Hindi cinema)
One of the most acclaimed Hindi film directors of all time, Bimal Roy’s romanticrealist melodramas successfully balanced art house cinema’s realism imperatives with
the please all demands of commercial cinema to pioneer Indian cinema’s own brand
of neo-realism in the 1950s-60s. Constantly tackling social issues while still
remaining entertaining, his films stood out for their strong women characters.
Week 3: Guru Dutt (Hindi cinema)
Often referred to as India’s Orson Welles, he is perhaps the only director from
Bollywood’s golden era of cinema (1950s-1960s) whose every film is considered a
classic today. His Pyaasa (The Thirsting, 1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper
Flowers, 1959) have become a must see in most ‘Greatest Films of All Time’ listings
(Time 2005, 2002 Sight & Sound Critics’ & Directors’ Poll).
Week 4: Satyajit Ray (Bengali & Hindi cinema)
A fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, graphic designer and film critic, Ray directed
37 films, after his spectacular debut with the Apu Trilogy in the 1950s. Reverberating
with humanism and universality, Ray’s work has been celebrated for its unique mix of
deceptive simplicity and deep underlying complexity.
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Week 5: Raj Kapoor (Hindi cinema)
Bollywood’s most flamboyant story teller, Raj Kapoor remains Indian cinema’s
greatest and most admired showman for his grandiose socialistic critiques, cinematic
experiments and seminal involvement in the music making of his films that are still
remembered for their soulful melodies.
Week 6: Shyam Benegal (Hindi, Urdu, Kannada & Marathi cinema)
A prolific Indian director and screenwriter, Benegal is credited for pioneering the
second wave of realism in Indian cinema in the 1970s, heralded by the success of his
four landmark ‘song less’ films – Ankur (1973), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976) and
Bhumika (1977).
Week 7: Gulzar (Hindi cinema)
Noted Indian poet and lyricist, (Academy award and Grammy winner for ‘Jai ho’ in
Slumdog Millionaire) filmmaker Gulzar is a pioneer in the ‘middle-of-the-road’ genre
of cinema that came into vogue in Indian cinema in the 1970s.
Week 8: Adoor Gopalkrishnan (Malayalam cinema)
Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s first film Swayamvaram (1972) pioneered the new wave
cinema movement in Kerala, revolutionising Malayalam cinema the way Ray’s
Pather Panchali did for Bengali cinema. Ever since Adoor’s every film has made to
major international festival screenings and honours making him the second most
globally feted Indian director after Ray.
Week 9: Aparna Sen (Bengali, English & Hindi cinema)
One of India’s few women directors to have carved a niche following, Aparna started
her film career as an actress in Satyajit Ray’s Sampatti. A great visual storyteller,
Aparna has made her mark outside the stereotypical expectations of a female
filmmaker.
Week 10: Mani Ratnam (Tamil & Hindi cinema)
Mani Ratnam is widely credited for having revolutionised the Tamil cinema industry
(India’s second largest film industry after Bollywood). Known for his eye for
technical details, Ratnam has introduced some of the best music directors (AR
Rahman), cinematographers, art directors, dialogue writers and editors working in
India cinema today.
Week 11: Unseen assessment & credit essay workshop.
9. Student intake
The course is aimed at students with an interest in world cinema in general and Indian
cinema in particular. No prior knowledge of world cinema or Indian film history is
required though references will be made to some of the founding tenets, narrative
styles and concepts of film criticism and theory.
10. Organisation of teaching
Combination of lectures, slide shows, viewing of film clips and class discussion.
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11. Assessment strategy
Two components:
Assessment 1: unseen classroom assessment in the final week of the course,
worth 25% of the total course mark
Assessment 2: 2000 word essay (seen assessment) submitted after the course
finishes, worth 75% of the total course mark.
12. Course Readings
Essential
Hogan, Patrick. 2008. Understanding Indian Movies: Culture, Cognition, and
Cinematic Imagination. Texas: University of Texas Press
Hood, John, W. 2000.The Essential Mystery: Major Filmmakers of Indian Art
Cinema. London: Sangam Books Ltd.
Recommended
Das Gupta, Chidananda. 2008. Seeing Is Believing. New Delhi: Viking
Cooper, Darius. 2000. The Cinema of Satyajit Ray. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press
Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey (Ed.). 1997. The Oxford History of World Cinema, New
York, Oxford University Press.
Desai, Jigna and Kumar Dudrah, Rajinder. 2008. Bollywood Reader. Maidenhead:
Open University Press
Dissanayake, Wimal and Sahai, Malti. 1998. Raj Kapoor’s Films Harmony of
Desires. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.,
Filmography
Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (The Immortal Story of Dr Kotnis, V Shantaram 1946)
Awara (The Vagabond, Raj Kapoor 1951)
Do Bigha Zameen (Two Acres Of Land, Bimal Roy 1953)
Do Ankhen Barah Haath (Two Eyes Twelve Hands, V Shantaram 1957)
Apu Trilogy (Satyajit Ray 1955-59)
Kaagaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers 1958)
Bandini (The Lady Prisoner, Bimal Roy, 1963)
Mera Naam Joker (My Name Is Joker, Raj Kapoor 1971)
Ankur (The Birth, Shyam Benegal 1973)
Swayamvaram (Marriage Ceremony, Adoor Gopalkrishnan 1972)
Mausam (Seasons, Gulzar 1975)
Bhumika (The Role, Shyam Benegal 1977)
36 Chowringhee Lane (Aparna Sen, 1981)
Ijaazat (Permission, Gulzar, 1987)
Mathilukal (The Walls, Adoor Gopalkrishnan 1989)
Roja, Bombay, Dil Se (Mani Ratnam 1991-98)
Mr and Mrs Iyer (Aparna Sen 2002)
The Japanese Wife (Aparna Sen, 2010)
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Web sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_Cinema
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood
http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Awards
http://www.webindia123.com/movie/moviespecial/directors/sathyjith1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_film_directors
Class handouts will be provided each week.
Course feedback & evaluation
The following procedures are applied to all OLL credit courses:
 Course Organiser visits newly approved class at an early stage and provides
the tutor with feedback on delivery.
 Tutors are encouraged to discuss the course with students (collectively and
individually), and act appropriately on responses.
 Formal feedback is gathered from students via an online student survey.
Results of these are analysed and provided for Course Organisers who may
take appropriate action with the tutor.
LLC BoS 20 April 2011
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
COVER SHEET FOR A NEW OR REVISED COURSE
Section A
Course title
Course code
Auteurs of Indian Cinema
Teaching Unit (eg
School
Collaborating Body eg Department
Department)
Literatures, Languages or other Institution
Open Studies, Office of
and Cultures
Lifelog Learning
N/A
Replacement course
UG
PG
New course
Revised course
Yes No
()
()
()
()
()
If Replacement course, give
Name of Course
Code
details of course (s) which this
course replaces
No. SCQF credit
10
Level eg
Credit
points
SCQF 7
points
No.
No. of
Scheduled class hours - include day, start
Scheduled
Hours
weeks
and finish times and term
Teaching
per week
To be arranged by OLL
Contact Teaching
2
11
Other required
no
attendance
Course operational with effect
2011/12
from (date)
Any costs which may have to be met by students eg materials
N/A
Give details of any Prerequisite Course(s) no prerequisite
Name of Course (s)
N/A
Course Code (s)
Give details of programme(s) for which the course is mandatory
Programme Code(s)
Name of Programme (s)
N/A
Course(s) which cannot be taken with this course and counted towards a minimum qualifying curriculum
Name of Course (s)
Course Code (s)
Short description of course
Through the works of 10 filmmakers – V Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor, Shyam
Benegal, Gulzar, Adoor Gopalkrishnan, Aparna Sen and Mani Ratnam – the course will introduce students to path
breaking, influential art house and popular Indian filmmakers from its most influential regional language cinemas
and Bollywood. It will simultaneously traverse a journey of highlight movie moments from Indian cinema’s talkie
era (1930s) to the present. The course will effectively complement courses in world cinema and auteur appreciation
studies
LLC BoS 20 April 2011
URL for supporting course
documentation
n/a
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes




Critically appreciate Indian auteur cinema and its historical developements
Identify narrative diversities within Indian cinema
Recognise the influence within Indian cinema of important global cinema movements
(realism, neo-realism, expressionism, etc.)
Discuss the importance Indian directors, no matter how aesthetically diverse, place on music
and lyrics
Components of Assessment
Two components:
Assessment 1: unseen classroom assessment in the final week of the course, worth 25%
of the total course mark
Assessment 2: 2000 word essay (seen assessment) submitted after the course finishes,
worth 75% of the total course mark.
Approval Track
Approved by Teaching Unit or equivalent
body eg department
Approved by Board of Studies (or
equivalent body)
Noted/Approved by Faculty
Approved by UGSC/SPGSC
LLC BoS 20 April 2011
Date
Authorised signature
Registry Use
Name
Designation
Date received
Date record created
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
COVER SHEET FOR A NEW OR REVISED COURSE
Section B
ALL COURSES
Course organiser, if known. If not known, give interim contact
Name: Martine Pierquin
Tel:
651 11 82
Secretarial/administrative contact in Teaching Unit
Email: m.pierquin@ed.ac.uk
Name: as above
Tel:
Email:
If the course will appear in a departmental
website, please give the URL
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES ONLY
Year in which the course is normally taken in a structured Honours programme ()
1
1 or 2
2
2 or 3
3
3 or 4
4
4 or 5
5
Year in which the course is normally taken in a modular or non Honours programme ()
1
1 or 2
2
2 or 3
3
3 or 4
4
4 or 5
5
1 or 2 or 3
or 4 or 5
Are class exams required ? ()
Yes
No
No. of exam papers required (eg how many papers
No. exam papers
Duration
will each student be required to answer)
Class Exams
Degree Exams
When are the exams to be taken ()
May
June
June
Sept
1st attempt
Resit
Has a quota for the course been approved by Faculty? ()
Yes
No
If yes, what is the maximum number of students permitted?
LLC BoS 20 April 2011