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Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute) + introduction by Bidisha (15*)

Queer 70s

,Cinema 1
A black and white still from Badnam Basti, showing a man leaning out of a truck window speaking to another man.

Considered India’s first queer film, Prem Kapoor’s captivating melodrama revolves around a bisexual love triangle set in Uttar Pradesh.

Thought lost for four decades, and rediscovered in 2019 in a Berlin archive, Prem Kapoor’s intense melodrama follows Sarnam (Nitin Sethi), a truck driver with a criminal past who is attracted to Bansuri (Nandita Thakur), a woman he previously rescued from attack. He also begins to develop feelings for another man, Shivraj (Amar Kakkad), a relationship which grows increasingly intimate. Later, Sarnam declares his passion for Shivraj: 'I thirst for you'. 

Based on Kamleshwar Prasad Saxena’s 1957 novel, Kapoor’s depiction of bisexuality is subtle, by today’s standards, owing to contemporary censorship, but remains a powerful and ground-breaking film. The film was made at a key moment in Indian cinema history, as society was changing and directors focused on political and social issues. 

Tagged with: Cinema Queer 70s

In Hindi with English subtitles 

Exclusive programme notes by Dr Omar Ahmed will be written for this screening.

Film information
  • Release year   1971
  • Country   India
  • Director   Prem Kapoor
  • Runtime   1hr 48min
‘Kapoor’s film was a breakthrough at a moment of great political instability, when Indian cinema was beginning to shift and modernise, and nothing was sacred anymore‘
Dr Omar Ahmed

Biography

Bidisha  is a journalist, broadcaster and film and stills-maker. She works for the BBC, Sky News, Channel 5, CNN, The Guardian and The Observer. Her latest publication is The Future of Serious Art  (2020) and her short films include  An Impossible Poison  (2017) and the Aurora  series (2020-2023). 

Cinema 1

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