Mani Kaul is best known here for his 1969 film, A Day's Bread (Uski Roti). Kaul's latest film is presented tonight without English subtitles but with translation provided by Satti Khanna of the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies.
“Mani Kaul's film takes its title from a short story by the Hindi poet Muktibodh (1917-1964). The short story investigates the insecure prosperity of a young man who once lived like the many poor and unemployed people in India but who has now risen from that common level (that surface). By his title, Mani Kaul names the theme of this homage to Muktibodh, the theme of bearing in mind the circumstances of ordinary people. The film consists of excerpts from Muktibodh's poems and short stories collected together to indicate the relationship between a poet and the needless suffering he must witness. Through nearly discrete images succeeding one another and an acutely attentive mix of everyday sounds Mani Kaul re-creates that oppressiveness of contemporary life in India to which Muktibodh's great poetry penetrated.” --Satti Khanna