RAVI SHANKAR: BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

“A WELL-JUDGED INTRODUCTION TO A GREAT ARTIST…KIDEL CAPTURES HIS ALMOST SAINTLY QUALITY OF DEDICATION AS WELL AS HIS HUMANITY AND HUMOUR…THE FILM IS GORGEOUS, FULL OF BEAUTIFULLY-COMPOSED IMAGERY WHICH NEVER DESCENDS INTO PRECIOUSNESS”

-The Gramophone

Made when Shankar turned 80, he looks back at his long life, starting in his brother’s dance troupe at age 9, apprenticing himself for seven years to a stern master, and later becoming an international star and ambassador of his culture.  The film is particularly rich in archive from the different periods in his life and offers unique insight into the essence of Indian classical music, Shankar’s work as a composer for the films of Satyajit Ray, his encounter with the Beatles and return to his roots after tasting the life of the rock star. At the heart of his music, there is a quest for the spirit, which we see him transmit to his students in Delhi and his daughter Anoushka.

CREDITS

Written and Directed by Mark Kidel

Produced by Jane Weiner and Marie Balducchi

Camera by Mark Kidel, Olivier Guéneau, Alistair Cameron

Edited by Andrew Findlay

Research by Anne Maregiano

An Agat Films (Paris), JP Weiner Productions (NYC) and ARTE France production

2001

Running time: 90 minutes