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

Radha Chadha’s new book, The Maker of Filmmakers, explores how Jagat Murari shaped generations of India’s finest cinema talent at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). This special session brings the book’s themes to life through film, conversation, and insight into FTII’s remarkable legacy.

The evening opens with a curated montage of early FTII student films, featuring first works by Jaya Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and others. Radha Chadha will then speak about Jagat Murari’s pioneering role in building FTII and nurturing filmmakers who went on to transform Indian cinema—from the New Wave to regional film movements and beyond.

This will be followed by a conversation between Radha, Girish Kasaravalli, Talmiz Ahmad and GS Bhaskar.

The programme concludes with a full screening of Suman (1970), starring a young Jaya Bachchan.

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 became a bestseller and the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. With two decades of experience at top advertising agencies, including JWT, Ogilvy, Grey and Bates Asia, she has helped shape the strategies of major global brands. In 2000, she founded her own brand consultancy based in Hong Kong, focusing on Asia’s evolving consumer landscape. 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, guided a generation of film-makers. She now lives in Dubai with her husband.

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.

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 served as Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia twice (2000-03; 2010-11); Oman (2003-04), and the UAE (2007-10).

After retirement from foreign service in 2011, he worked in the corporate sector in Dubai for four years. He is now a full-time academic and holds the Ram Sathe Chair 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.

GS Bhaskar
Cinematographer
Gauribidanur Suryanarayan Bhaskar familiarly known as G.S. Bhaskar is an Indian cinematographer. His work is predominantly seen in films belonging to the Indian languages, Kannada and Hindi. He is a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers.

Known for his prominent work as a second camera assistant in the magnum opus Gandhi (1980), Bhaskar is a recipient of the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Cinematographer him thrice for Nagamandala (1997), Koormavatara (2011) and Mohandas (2019).

Bhaskar has also served as a member of the Jury on Indian National Film Awards.