Channel 4′s Dev Anand season

Channel 4’s begins a short Dev Anand season on Saturday with the film noir-style Baazi (The Gamble).

Baazi was the directorial debut of Guru Dutt, subsequently himself a noted actor, and stars Anand as a small-time gambler who struggles to make ends meet.

His sister has TB and is in the care of his sweetheart, Dr Rajni (Kalpana Kartik, whom Anand later married).

More Bollywood on Channel 4

The next films in Channel 4′s Autumn season of Indian films have been announced and will be Harud and Udaan.

They follow Love Aaj Kal and Love, Sex Aur Dhoka, which will be shown at the beginning of October, adding to what will hopefully be another long run of Channel 4′s Bollywood films.

In 2010′s Harud (Autumn), Rafiq and his family struggle to come to terms with the loss of his older brother Tauqir, a tourist photographer and one of the thousands of young men to have disappeared since the onset of the militant insurgency in Kashmir.

Channel 4 will have a 2011 Autumn Bollywood season

Better late than never. It turns out Channel 4 hasn’t cancelled its Autumn Bollywood season after all.

Instead, somewhat later than usual, the countdown to Channel 4′s main Bollywood season of the year can begin as today the UK television station revealed the first films it will show.

The run of Channel 4′s Bollywood films will kick off in October with Love Aaj Kal, staring Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.

Channel 4 cancels 2011 Bollywood season

Luck By Chance, one of the films shown in Channel 4's New Voices season last year

[Update: Channel 4 will have a 2011 Autumn Bollywood season]

UK fans of Indian cinema are going to have a quieter than usual autumn this year following Channel 4′s decision to scrap its traditional season of Bollywood films.

The station has long been British television’s biggest fan of South Asian films, screening around 20 each year, and it saves the bulk of them for its centrepiece autumn season.

The end of Hindi films on Channel 4 … for now

The Shyam Benegal mini-season that begins on Sunday  will mark the end of Channel 4′s current Autumn run of Hindi and Bollywood films.

It’s encompassed seasons dedicated to New Voices, Rishi Kapoor and Mani Kaul, all of which are detailed on my Bollywood on C4 page.

In their place the channel plans a two week season of the very best of world cinema, including Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days, and Water Lillies.

So it looks like that’s the end (for now at least) of those ‘Bollywood update’ posts that have kept me busy over the last two months and I’d better get watching more of the films to free up some space on my hard drive recorder.

On the one hand …

A Tangle Of Wires is not a television blog.

The case for: I’ve blogged on Bengali (language and culture), books, music, exercise and enough other miscellaneous subjects to merit the tangle my blog’s name refers to.

The case against: Look! Shashi Kapoor’s on the telly!!

More on Channel 4′s 2010 Autumn Bollywood season

Channel 4 is due to kick off its Autumn 2010 Bollywood film season in the early hours of Sunday morning with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

The second movie to be shown in the series is Firaaq, and you can read more about these two films here and more on Channel 4′s New Voices Autumn Bollywood season here.

The television magazines will carry details of these two films this week and they’ll be featured in the weekend newspapers’ listing on Saturday and Sunday. But, having something of an inside track on these things, I can reveal the next two films in the season.

By the way, that ‘Bollywood’ page …

Channel 4 screens around 20 Bollywood/South Asian films each year, usually in a few themed seasons.

The UK television channel sees this “substantial and long-term commitment to Asian-language cinema” as part of its public service role, explaining that its aim is to showcase “the latest Bollywood hits along with classic and contemporary arthouse fare”.

But, as anyone who’s tried will know, it’s not that easy to find out what the films were screened in past seasons or what the channel has lined up for future seasons.

Channel 4 looks to New Voices for Autumn Bollywood season

Channel 4 has lined up an Autumn Bollywood season that will focus on a new generation of Indian directors.

After last year’s Bollywood classics season, and then this May’s shorter  50th anniversary one, the channel plans to swing back up to date with its New Voices season.

BizAsia reports that the run of films is expected to begin in September – as per Channel 4′s usual scheduling – and will include the following films:

Indian railways on the BBC

Once again India’s railways have caught the attention of the BBC commissioning editors.

In recent years BBC Four has shown Monsoon Railway (2005), Bombay Railway (2007) and Indian Hill Railways (2010).