Kalpana, advertised as “the first all dance picture,” is just that, its story line a platform for dance, music, spectacle - and satire - by its creator, Uday Shankar. Shankar, brother of Ravi Shankar, was the renowned pioneer of Indian dance, of whom James Joyce wrote, “He moves on the stage like a semi-divine being. Believe me, there are still some beautiful things left in this poor old world.”
“When he decided to make a film based on Indian dance, the announcement was received with frank skepticism, if not actual derision. (Shankar satirizes this in his film, which begins with a meek writer presenting his script, Kalpana, to a producer. After over two hours of unparalleled beauty and rhythm, as well as social commentary, the producer summarily rejects the script as trash.).... The planning and completion of the film took four years.... Uday Shankar...personally trained each bit-player to dance.... Kalpana shows an amazing grasp of the cinematic form. Uday Shankar's accurate compositions and use of movement within them are breathtakingly original....
“The film ran 25 weeks in Calcutta, but failed elsewhere...(called) too esoteric, too abstract.... The film affected Uday Shankar deeply - his career never regained its former glory. But today...Kalpana stands out as an extraordinary achievement, a unique celebration of the dance form in the history of a cinema forever bursting into song and dance.” --“Film India: Looking Back,” Museum of Modern Art