The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs

press release: New Indian Cinema series

India | 2020 | DCP | 99 min. | Haryanvi and Hindi with English subtitles

Director: Pushpendra Singh; Cast: Shahnawaz Bhat, Sadakkit Bijran, Ranjit Khajuria

Against the mystical backdrop of Kashmir, the ferociously independent nomadic shepherdess Laila toys with the lust of a young nomadic ranger, and in the process realizes her desires and identity. Divided into seven parts and structured around poetic interludes, The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs takes its inspiration from an Indian folk tale and the works of the 14th Century Kashmiri mystic poet Lalleshwari. Director Pushpendra Singh makes the most out of the repetitive structure of folk tales, rendering this particular story with a feminist twist. “Singh shows a confident hand as he works with the material on multiple levels of narrative and symbolism, keeping it interesting and in focus throughout. His greatest strength, however, is Randhawa’s powerful portrayal of the shepherdess, a role that could launch a career” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Screenings mostly take place at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue. Once-a-month Sunday afternoon screenings take place at the Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Avenue. In accord with current UW Madison policies, masks are required for entry to our venues. All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions from September 3 through December 18.

NEW INDIAN CINEMA

Moving beyond behemoth Bollywood productions, India has recently been the source for a great many smaller scale movies that are receiving acclaim at film festivals and art houses in and outside of South Asia. In September and October, the Cinematheque will offer a showcase featuring three distinct new works of cinema from India: Arun Karthick’s Nasir is a Tamil-language film about an ordinary man whose life is upended through extreme cultural nationalism; Achal Mishra’s The Village House, a selection of the 2021 Wisconsin Film Festival, is a powerful and sublime multi-generational story of how the passage of time changes one family; and Pushpendra Singh’s The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs offers an update of a classic Indian folk tale with a feminist twist. These selections have been curated by assistant professor Darshana Sreedhar Mini of UW Madison’s Department of Communication Arts, and the Cinematheque’s Jim Healy. Presented with the support of UW Madison’s Center for South Asia. Special thanks to Sarah Beckham.