May 12 2024 to May 12 2024 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

92 Minutes 36 Seconds | English & Telugu with English Subtitles | 2023 Asamana Anasuya (Incomparable Anasuya), is a documentary directed by Seetha Ratnakar as a tribute to her mother Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi. Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi was a musical prodigy who started giving concerts at the age of 7. Her first gramophone recording, Ayyo Koyyoda at age 8, ignited her lifelong love affair with folk music. She was a trailblazer who introduced folk songs on a concert platform when she was 11. Encouraged by the overwhelming response she started giving full length folk concerts along with her sister, Vinjamuri Seetha Devi. Popularly known as the Vinjamuri Sisters, they became a phenomenon that took the music world by storm. Anasuya started composing music for her uncle, Devulapalli Krishna Sastri when she was 9 and became a sought-after music composer. She was multi-talented and excelled in music of every genre but folk music remained her passion. She dedicated her life to popularising and propagating traditional and folk songs. She bequeathed an invaluable legacy to posterity by categorising her vast collection into 7 volumes and publishing them along with lyrics and music notations. At the age of 80, Anasuya became a writer and published 4 books including her autobiography Asamana Anasuya, at the age of 94. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

Speaker

Seetha Ratnakar Filmmaker

Seetha Ratnakar is a freelance filmmaker who started her career in media with Doordarshan. Many programmes of eminent dancers and musicians of India that she has directed have been preserved by the Doordarshan archives. After 37 creative years at DD she started exploring other genres of independent filmmaking. In 2014, her documentary, Cosmic Connection was awarded the Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest International Film Festival, Houston, USA. During the pandemic, she scripted and directed a short film Pillow Talk. She started work on the documentary about her mother 16 years ago but could digitise the archival material only in 2021. She has woven together a colourful tapestry of her mother’s life, highlighting her musical journey, interactions with contemporary poets and dignitaries and everything that is uniquely Anasuya. Asamana Anasuya has been nominated at the San Diego Independent Cinema Awards and JIFF, Jaipur International Film Festival, 2024.