Vijaya Mulay
| Vijaya Mulay | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 May 1921 |
| Other names | Akka |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker, film historian |
Vijaya Mulay (born 16 May 1921) is a documentary filmmaker, film historian, writer, educationist and researcher.
Her close friendships with Satyajit Ray, Louis Malle, Mrinal Sen and other film personalities have given her a unique perspective into Indian cinema and influenced her work. Her body of work has shaped how India is viewed by Indian and non-Indian filmmakers. She is the mother of National Award winning actor Suhasini Mulay and noted high energy physicist Atul Gurtu is her son-in-law. Vijaya Mulay is remembered for her animation film Ek Anek Aur Ekta which won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film.
Vijaya Mulay was born in Bombay, India.
In 1940, Vijaya accompanied her husband when he was transferred to Patna, Bihar. Compared to the cosmopolitan Bombay the pre-independence Patna seemed to her like a place from another universe. But Patna University allowed women to study privately and Vijaya enrolled for a bachelor's degree.
English films were shown half price on Sunday mornings at the city theatres known as Bioscopes. Vijaya began her love affair with the medium and started grasping the idiom of cinema.
In 1946 she won a state scholarship to study in University of Leeds, UK for master's degree in Education.
While there, Vijaya realised that the ordinary Britisher was hardly like the English "Burra Saabs" (Great Masters) back in India.
From an interview with Vijaya Mulay on her days in the UK – I had gone to Britain, with an anti-colonial distaste for the British people and with the sole purpose of studying for my degree. I was on my guard, ready to take offence at the slightest insult or remark derogatory to me or to India, whether imagined or real. But I soon found out that the ordinary English people were hardly like the 'Burra Sahibs' that one saw back home.
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