Dec 09 2025 to Dec 09 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

What does it take to shape a filmmaker? How do you ‘make’ a Jaya Bachchan or an Adoor Gopalakrishnan? 

Radha Chadha’s new book The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever takes us through the life and legacy of her father Jagat Murari, and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII produced top talent: Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha, Girish Kasaravalli, Mani Kaul, and many other cinema legends. His alumni became the big names of Bollywood, spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kickstarted regional language cinema, and helped usher television into the country.

It’s this extraordinary creative legacy that leads to the book’s tantalizing question: Did Jagat Murari have a secret formula? In conversation with author Radha Chadha, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, legendary filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, and iconic cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar, this session will delve into how Jagat Murari and FTII shaped generations of filmmakers – and how their work transformed Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today. Both Radha and Talmiz grew up at FTII, where their fathers served as Principal and Vice Principal.

The session will include a montage of student film clips of iconic FTII alumni Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Subhash Ghai, Mani Kaul, and others, as also an excerpt from Girish Kasaravalli’s award-winning student film Avsesh. A Q&A with the audience will be followed by book signings by the author.

About BIC Elsewhere:

While the majority of our events find a home at our premises in Domlur, BIC Elsewhere represents our commitment to bringing conversations, arts, and culture directly to diverse audiences. Through this initiative, we collaborate with various venues, extending the reach of our events beyond our own space. These partnerships not only breathe life into our gatherings but also play a crucial role in cultivating an environment for the flourishing of arts and culture in the city.

In collaboration with:

Speakers

Radha Chadha
Author
Radha Chadha is an author, columnist, speaker and one of Asia’s foremost experts on marketing and consumer insights. Her book The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury was a bestseller, and is the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. After two decades at top advertising agencies—Ogilvy, JWT, Grey and Bates Asia—she founded her own brand consultancy in Hong Kong. For over a decade, Radha also wrote a widely read column for Mint, one of India’s leading business newspapers. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.

Radha grew up on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where her father, Jagat Murari, shaped a generation of filmmakers. Her latest book, The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever, is a portrait of that pivotal time, when India’s cinematic legacy was transformed.

Girish Kasaravalli
Filmmaker
Girish Kasaravalli is an Indian film director and pioneer of Auteur Cinema in Kannada. A gold medalist from FTII Pune, his student film Avashesh won the National Film Award for Best Short Film.

Kasaravalli made his directorial debut in 1977 with Ghatashraddha, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. His other award-winning films include Tabarana Kathe (1986), Taayi Saheba (1997) and Dweepa (2002) – all winning the Golden Lotus for Best Film.

Known for his neorealist, minimalist style and portrayal of rural Karnataka life, Kasaravalli has garnered 14 National Film Awards. His films explore complex social themes with simple narratives and naturalistic performances.

Other notable works include Akramana (1979), Mooru Darigalu (1981), Naayi Neralu (2006), Gulabi Talkies (2008) and Koormavatara (2011). In 2011, he was honored with the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. Retrospectives of his films have been held at prestigious festivals like Rotterdam.

GS Bhaskar
Cinematographer
G.S. Bhaskar is an acclaimed Indian cinematographer, celebrated for his work across Kannada and Hindi cinema. A three-time recipient of the Karnataka State Film Award for best cinematography, Bhaskar is widely respected for his craft, mentorship, and his enduring contribution to Indian cinema. His notable works include Disha (1991), Nagamandala (1996), Koormavatara (2011), and Mohandas (2019).

A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he worked on Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning film, Gandhi , and has had long-standing collaborations with renowned film-makers such as Girish Kasaravalli, M.S. Sathyu, Sai Paranjpye, and Nagesh Kukunoor. He has also served as a member of the Jury on Indian National Film Awards. Over the years, Bhaskar has produced striking works spanning documentaries, feature films, and television.

Talmiz Ahmad
Diplomat, Professor & Author
Talmiz Ahmad joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1974. Early in his career, he was posted in a number of West Asian countries such as Kuwait, Iraq and Yemen and later, between 1987–90, he was Consul General in Jeddah. He has also done postings in New York, London and Pretoria. He served as Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia twice (2000–3; 2010–11); Oman (2003–4), and the UAE (2007–10).

After retirement from foreign service in 2011, the Saudi government conferred on him the King Abdulaziz Medal First Class for his contribution to Indo-Saudi relations. He is now a full-time academic. He is a Distinguished Professor in International Studies, Symbiosis International University, Pune. He has published four books: Reform in the Arab World: External Influences and Regional Debates (2005); Children of Abraham at War: The Clash of Messianic Militarisms (2010), The Islamist Challenge in West Asia: Doctrinal and Political Competitions after the Arab Spring (2013), and West Asia at War: Repression, Resistance and Great Power Games. He writes regularly in the Indian and West Asian media and lectures on the politics and economics of West Asia, Eurasia and the Indian Ocean, political Islam and energy security.

Following his exposure to world cinema at the Film Institute in Pune, when his father was briefly the Vice Principal and Head of Direction, he retains a deep and abiding affection for the art and craft of cinema and its great exponents and artists.