The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is set to celebrate Indian cinema with a special screening series titled Emotion in Colour: A Kaleidoscope of Indian Cinema from March 7 to April 19. This showcase, featuring 12 iconic Indian films, follows closely on the heels of the Oscars on March 2 and marks a historic first for Indian cinema at the prestigious venue.
The selection has been curated by filmmaker and preservationist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founding director of the Film Heritage Foundation. The series highlights the role of colour in Indian cinema and the country’s cultural diversity. According to Dungarpur, Indian cinema is often misunderstood in the West, despite its six major film industries producing over 2,000 films annually in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali, alongside many other languages and dialects.
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Which films will be screened?
The screenings will cover a wide spectrum of Indian cinema, from period dramas and social commentaries to Bollywood classics and avant-garde films. The selected films include:
- Mother India (March 8) – The first Indian film nominated for an International Feature Film Oscar, portraying the resilience of a rural woman.
- Manthan (March 10) – A dramatization of India’s dairy cooperative movement, crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers.
- Amar Akbar Anthony (March 10) – A blockbuster combining action, comedy, and melodrama in a tale of three brothers separated in childhood.
- Ishanou (March 11) – A Manipuri film blending mythology and realism through the journey of a woman drawn to a mystical sect.
- Kummatty (March 14) – A Malayalam classic directed by G Aravindan exploring folklore and magical realism.
- Mirch Masala (March 18) – A feminist story about a woman’s defiance against oppression in colonial India.
- Devdas (March 22) – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Shah Rukh Khan-Aishwaria Rai-starrer cinema.
- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (March 30) – One of Bollywood’s most enduring romantic films.
- Jodhaa Akbar (March 31) – A historical epic on the love story between Emperor Akbar and Princess Jodhaa.
- Kanchenjungha (April 5) – Satyajit Ray’s first original screenplay and his first film in colour.
- Maya Darpan (April 8) – A landmark film from the Parallel Cinema movement, exploring a woman’s quest for freedom.
- Iruvar (April 20) – Mohanlal-starrer political drama inspired by Tamil Nadu’s cinematic and political history.
Why is this is a recognition for Indian cinema?
This event marks a rare recognition of Indian cinema by the Academy Museum, offering global audiences an opportunity to experience its rich storytelling traditions. The films, spanning multiple languages and genres, highlight India’s complex social fabric, historical narratives, and artistic innovations.
As part of the exhibition Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema, a costume worn by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Jodhaa Akbar will also be on display until July 13.
