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Neighbourhood of Ill Repute (Badnam Basti) (PG*) + Introduction 

Rewriting the Rules

,Cinema 3
A man and a woman embrace in the dark, both look happy.

Originally believed lost and only recently rediscovered in 2019, this pioneering film was India’s first queer film. 

The rewriting of the traditional rules that had underpinned Indian cinema for a number of decades was characterized by its taboo breaking, particularly around gender and sexuality. One of the most notable examples is Prem Kapoor’s Badnam Basti.  

Adapted from a novel by contemporary Indian writer Kamleshwar, it revolves around a complex love triangle between two men and a woman. The story defied norms, subtly addressing the characters’ bisexuality, a progressive theme that had to be smuggled into the narrative so to subvert the strict censorship laws of the time.  

Badnam Basti emerged at a time of profound political turmoil and cultural change, reflecting a shift towards modernity in Indian cinema, and pointed to the iconoclasm of Parallel Cinema and its ground-breaking unconventional representations. 

Tagged with: Cinema Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970 Art & design

India 1971 Dir Prem Kapoor 108 min Hindi with English subtitles Digital presentation  

Video introduction by curator Shai Heredia.
 

Introduction

Shai Heredia is a filmmaker, curator, and founding director of Experimenta, the moving image art biennial of India. She has curated film programs and exhibitions worldwide and was the programmer of the 65th Robert Flaherty Seminar. Heredia has co-directed I Am Micro (2012) and An Old Dog’s Diary (2015) which have exhibited at prestigious film festivals and art venues internationally.  Heredia is currently the co-curator of Forum Expanded, Berlinale.  

Both films have been critically acclaimed and won awards including a National Film Award and a BFI London Film Festival award. Heredia has contributed to journals such as The Moving Image Review and Art Journal and PUBLIC, and was the co- editor of the Loud Mess issue of NANG magazine. Her latest book One Film at a Time has been published by Arsenal Institut for Film and Video Art.

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Cinema 3

Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue. 

Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.