Pankaj Butalia
| Pankaj Butalia | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 Ambala, Haryana |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Known for | Moksha, Karvaan |
Pankaj Butalia is an Indian documentary filmmaker. His 1993 film Moksha (also known by the English title Salvation), on the widows of Vrindavan, received four international awards. Several of his films have been screened extensively throughout the world. He has also directed a feature film Karvaan (1999), starring Naseeruddin Shah.
Butalia was born in Ambala, Haryana, in 1950, to Joginder Singh and Subhadra Butalia. Feminist author and publisher Urvashi Butalia is his sister. He studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and was a national level table tennis player. After obtaining his master's degree, he taught economics at Delhi University for many years before making his first film.
When still a student, Butalia co-founded the film society Celluloid. Subsequently, he became active in the Film Society movement at the national level, and held the post of secretary of the Federation of Film Societies of India for eight years. He was assigned the responsibility of organising the documentary section of the International Film Festival of India during 1986–88.
Butalia started his career as a filmmaker with When Hamlet went to Mizoram (1990), on the way Shakespeare's Hamlet has become part of popular culture in the North-Eastern Indian state of Mizoram. After its favourable critical reception he quit his teaching job to become a full-time filmmaker.
Butalia's second film Moksha (1993) (not to be confused with the 2001 feature film of the same name) was on the plight of Bengali widows in Vrindavan. Abandoned by their families, they are doomed to a life of penury. The film attracted considerable attention, winning four international awards. The review on the official website of the San Francisco Film Festival says: "Pankaj Butalia’s Salvation brings such individuality and clarity to its portrayal of the lives of Bengali widows that it achieves that all-too-rare balance between advocacy and cinema. Through a series of candid interviews, generous observational footage and a lush, poetic narration, the film makes the point that Indian society, right or wrong, simply does not have a place for these women." It adds: "Salvation is a testament to the power of human will and human dignity." Cinematographer Piyush Shah received the National Award for Best Cinematography for "documenting a tragic reality with all its moods and emotions".
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