The film gave students of ENG3070 a welcome opportunity to watch a film of historical significance with regard to contemporary Indian representations of gender and sexuality (a major area of critical discussion for the module).

The film which was based on a Hindi novel by K.P. Saxena received a poor reception on release and was considered lost for over 40 years until a print was found at the archives of the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art in Berlin in 2019. We were struck by the honesty and insight of the film’s portrayal of its central character, a lonely truck driver in India torn by his love for a ‘fallen’ woman and a male friend. We discussed the symbolism of the film, its depiction of sexuality, and its contemporary feel despite the initially poor reception.

Many thanks to the Education Fund for supporting this event.