Pradip Kurbah: We're losing our sense of community
About the last six residents—Ms Helen, Complete, Maia, Friday, Promise and Livingstone—of a remote village in Meghalaya, the film captures their lives through meditative visuals, shot in each of the four seasons. The vast expanse of landscape is evocative of their isolation. Little profundities are strewn all over the dialogue—about how all good things seem to end too soon, how every exit is an entrance to something new, about looking for happiness not in what you have lost but what you still have. The Elysian Field is a film to be experienced and felt than explained.
Kurbah's debut feature Ri: Homeland of Uncertainty (2013), dealt with militancy in Meghalaya; Onataah: Of the Earth (2016) was about a young woman coming to terms with rape and starting life afresh and Market (2019) focused on everyday life of people in Shillong's bustling Iewduh market. His fourth feature, The Elysian Field, is quite simply the most original and outstanding Indian film I have seen so far in 2025. It had its world premiere at the 47th Moscow International Film Festival where it won three major awards last week—Best Film, Best Director and the NETPAC award for Best Film. Excerpts from a conversation with Kurbah soon after his return from the festival.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Piloo Vidyarthi breaks silence on her decision to retain ex-husband Ashish Vidyarthi's surname, opens up on his current wife Rupali Barua: 'The Indian system is complicated'
In 2023, veteran actor Ashish Vidyarthi made headlines as he announced his second marriage at age 61 to Assam-based fashion entrepreneur Rupali Barua. As the internet buzzed with reactions and interviews, one voice remained noticeably quiet—his former wife, Piloo Vidyarthi. Now, two years since their amicable separation after 22 years of marriage, Piloo has finally broken her silence on why she still uses Ashish's surname. She opened up on her decision to retain the 'Vidyarthi' surname, and where she stands on love today. Her Instagram bio still reads "Piloo Vidyarthi" and addressing the curiousity around it, she explained during a chat with News18 Showsha, 'The Indian system is complicated. There are so many things you need to consider before altering your name or surname. I am still struggling to change my address on my Aadhar card. If you marry again, the surname change becomes easier. ' For Piloo, the name holds weight, tied to her personal history and not something she feels pressured to discard. 'I don't find a powerful reason to change it. Neither Ashish has a problem with it nor I. Actually, what do I have to prove by changing my surname? It has worked for me.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is this legal? Access all TV channels without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Piloo also spoke about Ashish's current wife Rupali, with grace and composure. 'Rupali is now writing Barua,' she said, noting the full-circle moment as Rupali adopted her maiden name after marriage. 'I write Vidyarthi and she never has any issue with it. She is also a very simple person.' She didn't shy away from offering her take on contemporary relationships, calling many marriages 'pretentious and dishonest.' With admirable candour, she described how she and Ashish parted ways with mutual understanding. 'He found a person he deserves. A clean soul,' she said, warmly acknowledging his new chapter. 'It's over and I've moved on.' When asked whether she had emotionally moved on as well, her response was clear. She added, 'Yes, I have. I don't feel a lack of anything. I don't miss any luxury. But sure, there are small things, like not having a partner.' Still, remarriage isn't on her radar. 'I'm open to love if at all, but not remarriage at this point in time.' She also weighed in on the world of digital dating with a touch of humor: 'It doesn't work for me. I can't meet people like that.' Yet she hasn't closed the door completely. 'If a connection happens naturally, I'm open to it.' On work front, Piloo was recently seen in two projects - 'Sarzameen' alongside Kajol, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Ibrahim Ali Khan. She was also seen in 'Mandala Murders' with Vaani Kapoor.
Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Bruno Mars To Headline First-Ever India Tour This November: A Landmark Moment For India's Global Music Scene
VMPL New Delhi [India], August 2: India is about to experience a musical event of historic proportions. For the very first time, global pop superstar and multiple Grammy Award-winner Bruno Mars is bringing his full-scale international live production to India. The tour -- titled the "Cosmic Vibe India Tour" -- will see Mars light up stages across four major cities, culminating in a show that promises to reshape how India is seen on the global live entertainment map. Presented by Gujarat-based SR Entertainment, this tour isn't just a concert series -- it's a cultural milestone. It symbolizes India's growing might as a destination for world-class international performances, and reflects the collective rise of Indian fans, cities, and infrastructure into the global music arena. A First for India. A First for Bruno. A First for the Northeast. This marks Bruno Mars' debut tour in India, something that fans across the country have long hoped for. Known for his unparalleled showmanship, genre-defying sound, and energy-packed performances, Mars will perform in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and for the first time ever, Guwahati -- bringing the Northeast into the spotlight as India's next big cultural capital. "Bruno Mars' arrival is not just a show -- it's a turning point," says Rakesh Mehta, Founder & CEO of SR Entertainment. "India has always had the audience. Now, it has the stage. And we're making sure this tour reflects that -- with pride, scale, and integrity." OFFICIAL TOUR DATES & VENUES - November 21 - Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - November 22 - Mumbai, DY Patil Stadium - November 28 - Bengaluru, NICE Grounds - November 29 - Guwahati, ACA Stadium GUWAHATI: THE NEW EPICENTER OF ENTERTAINMENT Perhaps the most emotionally resonant chapter of this tour is unfolding in Guwahati, where Bruno Mars will become the first global pop megastar to perform in the Northeast at this scale. Hosted at ACA Stadium, this concert is expected to draw fans from across Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, and even Bangladesh. "This is history," said Maya Baruah, regional cultural advisor. "We've waited decades for the world to look our way -- and now Bruno Mars is leading that moment. With Post Malone scheduled to follow in December, Guwahati is not just included; it's leading." WHY THIS TOUR IS A DEFINING MOMENT FOR INDIA The Cosmic Vibe India Tour represents a seismic shift in India's relationship with global music culture. Never before has an international artist of this magnitude launched a multi-city tour that includes both metro hubs and emerging regions. It signals that India is no longer on the fringes -- it's a front-row country for global tours. Tour Highlights: - Full international band, choreography, staging, and visuals - Cities selected to reflect both urban metros and underserved regions - Fan-first pricing, premium access zones like Golden Circle, Lounge, and Fanpit - Local collaboration with governments and venues to ensure top-tier security and experience WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS SAYING Industry insiders and rival promoters alike are praising SR Entertainment for redefining the live event model in India. "What SR is doing with Bruno Mars is a model for the future. No bots. No black-market drama. Just pure fan focus," said Siddharth Jain, ex-VP of a leading ticketing platform. A CELEBRATION OF INDIA'S NEW ERA IN MUSIC With India rapidly becoming one of the most important music markets globally, this tour is the culmination of years of effort, passion, and vision. It's not just a proud moment for SR Entertainment, but for the entire Indian music and event ecosystem -- from regional planners to national promoters, from fans in Shillong to those in South Mumbai. "India deserves this," said a fan on social media. "We've streamed, we've waited, we've believed. And now the moment is finally ours." TICKET DETAILS - ICICI Pre-Sale is Now LIVE at Use code ICICIBRUNO to get 5% OFF on ICICI Bank Debit and Credit Cards - General Public Sale Opens: August 4, 2025 - No Tickets on BookMyShow, Insider, or District -- only available through SR Entertainment's official website Fighting Black Marketing With Innovation & Integrity SR Entertainment has taken the bold and unprecedented step of not partnering with traditional ticketing giants like BookMyShow, Insider, or District app -- a deliberate move to eliminate black marketing and ticket scalping that plagued previous mega-events like Coldplay and Travis Scott. Instead, SR has developed its own secure ticketing infrastructure to ensure that fans -- not resellers or bots -- get the front seat to Bruno Mars. Key Features of SR's Exclusive Ticketing System: Unique QR Code for each ticket Soft ID verification at venue gates Strict limits per booking to prevent hoarding No resale or transferability - what you buy is yours to use "This is about protecting fans and restoring dignity to the live music experience," said an SR Entertainment spokesperson. "We owe it to the artists, the audience, and the culture." BOOK YOUR SEATS BEFORE THEY'RE GONE - ICICI Pre-Sale: LIVE NOW -- Use ICICIBRUNO for 5% OFF
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
Artist Mehak Garg explores intimate domestic spaces in debut solo show
New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) In artist Mehak Garg's world, men lie leisurely on sofas almost becoming one with it in texture and colour, and women share a seemingly dull afternoon in a room overlooking a quiet street – all exuding a faint yet comforting sense of days strewn across one's life that could be yesterday, today, or even tomorrow. 'Fragile Creases Whisper Softly", presented by Gallery Dotwalk and curated by Lakshmi Nivas Collective at Bikaner House, brings together Garg's immersive large scale oil paintings along with a selection of smaller works that feature a domestic space and its inhabitants that feel familiar in each frame. The Faridabad-based artist drew from her experiences and memories to conjure rooms, staircases, and scenes of domesticity that are relatable to most, if not all. 'All the works are connected to each other and the feelings they carry are also connected to each other. So the idea was when you go into a space and interact with it you feel this sense of nostalgia and also the memories that you feel you have lived," Garg told PTI. The exhibition features an array of paintings of people inside a house, not in any particular activities, sharing a quiet existence and, at times, the looks of somebody lost in thought. The structure of the house in her paintings, Garg said, comes from her own life and does not belong to one particular building. 'These rooms I have created from my memory of all the places I have seen and lived in. They are mixed spaces from different sites and since it's a domestic space whoever sees it feels they have seen it somewhere," the 25-year-old said. The choice of soft pastel colours also comes from the same philosophy of creating a 'pause in time". 'The selection of colours is very deliberate because I wanted to create a very peaceful, a very subtle and calm feeling. Sort of when it's a pause in time, when you are trying to introspect, that sort of feeling I was trying to communicate with these colours," she said. With intimacy at the heart of Garg's paintings, the exhibition welcomes the viewer to a world that is not different from their own. Curators Namrata Neog and Sunoj D of Lakshmi Nivas Collective said that it is one of the most powerful aspects of Garg's works that one finds themselves in 'the silence of one's thought" looking at these paintings. 'The boundaries between inside and outside blur and the home becomes an archaeological site to explore, where do the people in the images find solace, silence, daydream or heal after distress, banality, labor or conflict. While pondering, the viewers slip into their own memories of homes, sites of intimacy – distant or present," they said. The show will feature a curator's walkthrough and a public talk on Sunday between Garg and sociologist Shivani Rajput. After coming to a close at Bikaner House on August 6, the exhibition will continue at Gallery Dotwalk in Gurugram from August 16 till September 15. PTI MAH RB view comments First Published: August 02, 2025, 18:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
