The Maker of Filmmakers
How exactly does one shape an actor like Shabana Azmi or Jaya Bachchan? Or hone the raw talent of a director like Adoor Gopalakrishnan? Or train the sensibilites of a cinematographer like K.K. Mahajan? I was fascinated – indeed obsessed – with these questions, even more so as my father, Jagat Murari, was the man who ‘made’ scores upon scores of outstanding filmmakers at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Did he have a secret formula, I wondered?
The Last Delivery
The Last Delivery by Rakesh Kaul, Vice-Chairman of the Indo-American Arts Council, shortlisted for the prestigious Bridport Short Story Prize 2025, traces a mailman’s final journey from the gray streets of Chicago to the sacred ghats of Kashi. Haunted by loss, hunted by death, he carries one last message – to himself.