Shiraz: A Romance of India with Anoushka Shankar will tour four Indian cities

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SHIRAZ- A ROMANCE OF INDIA
SHIRAZ- A ROMANCE OF INDIA
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Shiraz: A Romance of India with Anoushka Shankar will tour four Indian cities, following the restoration world premiere as the BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala with specially-commissioned live film score performed by multi Grammy® -nominated composer and musician Anoushka Shankar

Kolkata, 2 November 2017:

British Council and British Film Institute (BFI) in partnership with Sangit Kala Mandir will be screening a rare Indian silent film Shiraz with a special live score provided by global sitarist Anoushka Shankar. The screening of Shiraz in Kolkata is in a unique collaboration with Sangit Kala Mandir, as a part of the UK-India year of the culture, 2017. The first screening of Shiraz happened in Hyderabad and following Kolkata, screenings will happen in Delhi and Mumbai.

Sangit Kala Mandir, a platform to promote music, art, culture and other forms of performing expressions, was founded by renowned industrialist Mr Basant Kumar Birla in 1945. The name implies ‘Temple of Music and Art’. Sangit Kala Mandir has presented several international performances in its journey of 72 years. In its long association with the British Council, it has presented many acclaimed shows in the past including Macbeth, Comedy of errors, Whose Life Is It Anyway, Candida, Faith Healer, Julius Caesar, Let the Donkey Go and Jane Eyre amongst others, performed by renowned theatre groups from the UK.

The British Council and the British Film Institute (BFI) have announced that, following the 61st BFI London Film Festival world premiere of the restored Shiraz: A Romance of India, screened at the Barbican on 14 October the film will tour four Indian cities as part of the UK/India 2017 Year of Culture, a year-long celebration of the long-standing relationship between India and the UK, which has seen a vast programme of cultural exchange and activity take place in cities across both countries throughout 2017 which has included an extensive 8 month programme of classic and contemporary Indian Cinema at BFI Southbank.

A world leader in film restoration, the BFI holds the original negative material of Shiraz in the Archive. Franz Osten’s sumptuous Indian silent classic has been meticulously remastered by the conservation team at the BFI National Archive. Screening at the BFI LFF as the Archive Gala, the film will then visit Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai in India from 1 November to 5 November, accompanied by live performance of a specially commissioned score by Grammy® -nominated leading contemporary Indian composer and sitar player, Anoushka Shankar and an orchestral ensemble.

Shiraz tells the love story of the 17th century princess who inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal. For the modern viewer the appeal of Shiraz is the extreme rarity of a sophisticated silent feature film made outside the major producing nations of the West, the gorgeous settings and costumes and the glories of the spectacular fort at Agra and of course the iconic Taj Mahal, a central character here in its own right. Two infamous kisses that take place in the film will definitely surprise modern audiences and are really quite extraordinary for Indian Cinema of the period. Shiraz was adapted from Niranjan Pal’s play, the first Indian playwright to have his work performed in the West End.

Deeply rooted in the Indian Classical music tradition, Anoushka Shankar studied exclusively from the age of nine under her father and guru, the late Ravi Shankar, and made her professional debut as a classical sitarist at the age of thirteen. By the age of 20 she had made three classical recordings and received her first Grammy® nomination, thereby becoming the first Indian female and youngest-ever nominee in the World Music category.

Through her bold and collaborative approach as a composer, Anoushka has encouraged cross-cultural dialogue whilst demonstrating the versatility of the sitar across musical genres. As a result, Anoushka has created a vital body of work with a prominent roster of artists such as Sting, M.I.A, Herbie Hancock, Pepe Habichuela, Karsh Kale, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Joshua Bell.

Following the Indian tour Shiraz will screen around the UK in January 2018 and be released on Blu-ray by BFI.

On bringing Shiraz back to audiences in India, Robin Baker, Head Curator, BFI says, “These gala performances of Shiraz are the culmination of the thousands of hours it has taken the BFI National Archive to restore and transform a silent film classic, ensuring that it is safely preserved for future generations. Very few Indian silent films survive, which makes Shiraz all the more important and precious. It seems particularly fitting that in this UK-India Year of Culture 2017 we celebrate with a film that brought together talent from India and the UK 90 years ago – while the new score brings the film right up to date thanks to the genius of Anoushka Shankar”

Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director, British Council East and Northeast India said, “For over 100 years films have connected the UK and India. With the British Film Institute and Anoushka Shankar we are bringing together a landmark of Indian cinema, featuring one of the most famous on-screen kisses, and an iconic musician. The screening of Shiraz with Anoushka’s live performance is a highlight of the British Council’s programme for the UK-India Year of Culture, a programme that will celebrate the UK and India’s relationship, connect with young people in both countries and inspire them to build a relationship for the next 70 years. I am specially thankful to Sangit Kala Mandir for supporting this landmark event in Kolkata”.

Briony Hanson, British Council Director Film adds, “For audiences anywhere, the chance to see Shiraz in a form as close to how it was originally made is exciting; to enjoy a new score by Anoushka Shankar who is doing so much to introduce a new generation to sitar music, makes it doubly so; but to have the opportunity to present both film and composer to new audiences across India for the first time is unbeatable, and makes a perfect highlight for our UK/India 2017 Year of Culture”.

Report & Image By Indrajit Mitra

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Editor Desk

Antara Tripathy M.Sc., B.Ed. by qualification and bring 15 years of media reporting experience.. Coverred many illustarted events like, G20, ICC,MCCI,British High Commission, Bangladesh etc. She took over from the founder Editor of IBG NEWS Suman Munshi (15/Mar/2012- 09/Aug/2018 and October 2020 to 13 June 2023).
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