Mrinalini Vasudevan and Tapati Guha Thakurta are honouring the Bengali actress and director, Arundhati Devi, on her centenary year. This archival exhibition explores, through her life-story, a rich era of the film and cultural history of 20th century Bengal. It brings together a rare family archive of photographs, alongside various private collections of film memorabilia of her time.
A budding writer, a talented radio artist, a thinking actress, a strong-willed director and producer, Arundhati Devi wore many hats in the course of a rich life and career from 1924-1990. However, she never saw herself as a star. Even though the title of our centenary tribute may then seem ironic, it speaks to her radiant spirit that helped her chart new territories. She carved out her own space in largely male-dominated landscapes, bringing worth to the fields of art and entertainment that were often still associated with only commercial leanings and not respectability.
The wealth of this archive has had to constantly fight the challenges of losses. A large number of her films no longer survive. The ones that remain are often of poor quality. Arundhati left behind no autobiography and gave only a limited number of interviews. Many of the people she closely engaged with have also passed on. Moreover, film scholarship in Bengal and India has left her and the stories of many others out of its annals. Against the lapses of public histories, small familial, personal and institutional collections have held the candles of remembrance. It is with their support that we hope to help older generations recall and newer generations discover the star that was and is Arundhati.

Visuals: Animikh and Sandipan

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