The Bangalore International Centre hosted a special evening at Sabha, bringing together renowned FTII alumni, accompanied by a rare screening of student films featuring Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha, and many more.
BANGALORE, India, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Girish Kasaravalli, the legendary filmmaker and FTII alum, joined author Radha Chadha, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, and cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar to discuss the book ‘The Maker of Filmmakers’ at Sabha, at an event hosted by the Bangalore International Centre.
Radha Chadha, whose latest book ‘The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever’ was published by Penguin India, chronicles the life of her father, Jagat Murari – the man who built the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and played a pivotal role in shaping a generation of iconic Indian filmmakers.
The event, titled ‘Adoor, Jaya, Shabana, Girish… How India’s Finest Filmmakers Were Made’, featured a discussion with acclaimed filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar, and Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad. The conversation traced the extraordinary creative legacies of FTII’s alumni, illustrating how the Institute shaped India’s biggest filmmaking talent. The session explored the book’s central question: What does it take to shape a filmmaker? How do you ‘make’ a Jaya Bachchan or an Adoor Gopalakrishnan?
The evening featured a montage of rare student film clips, showcasing FTII alumni Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Subhash Ghai, Mani Kaul, and others during their student years. Radha Chadha reflected, “Over the years, their impact on Indian cinema has been quite astounding. Not only did they make a mark in Bollywood – they upped its standards – but they also triggered the New Wave, and we had this whole movement of art cinema.”
“The ambience there brings out the filmmaker in you,” said Girish Kasaravalli, recalling his time at FTII and the influences that shaped his work. “I must really congratulate Radha for writing such a brilliant book. I learnt a lot about the setting up of FTII, and NFAI, and later DFF. I was really amazed at the way Jagat Murari ji connected with the students.”
G.S. Bhaskar spoke warmly about Jagat Murari, saying, “I was fortunate to interact with Murari saheb personally… What André Bazin did to French cinema and New Wave, Murari saheb did to Indian New Wave cinema through his work.” He also shared insights into the art of filmmaking and reflected on his long-standing creative synergy with Girish Kasaravalli.
Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad brought a unique perspective to the evening, recalling his exposure to world cinema during his father’s tenure at FTII, calling it an “extraordinary engagement”. “I pay tribute to Radha,” he said about the book. “It’s a masterpiece. Not only has she documented everything, like a researcher who sits in the archives and pulls out documents from another era, she also interviewed over a hundred people.”
The evening featured a special screening of an excerpt from Girish Kasaravalli’s student diploma film Avsesh (1975), which won the National Award for Best Experimental Film in 1976. The film drew applause, and gave the audience a glimpse of Kasaravalli’s artistic and visual mastery, that defined FTII’s golden years.
It was this spirit that Radha spoke to when she said of her father, “That’s why I’ve called it ‘The Maker of Filmmakers’ – his quest was not just about the art and craft, but about that human being, and how to help him find that unique voice, and how to give him the courage to then use that voice to make a better world.”
In revisiting these stories and films, the evening at Sabha reaffirmed the legacy of FTII and the filmmakers shaped by Jagat Murari. Radha Chadha’s book stands as a testament to this legacy, preserving the vision of the man who helped make Indian cinema the global powerhouse it is today.
About the Book
When Jagat Murari, a young film student in post-war America, found himself at the feet of one of cinema’s true giants—Orson Welles—during the making of Macbeth in 1947, the lessons he absorbed on that set shaped not only his future but the future of Indian cinema. Returning to a newly independent India, Jagat went on to build the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from the ground up.
In The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha offers an intimate and meticulously researched portrait of her father—a celebrated documentary filmmaker—and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII turned out top talent—Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha and Mani Kaul, and other cinema legends. His alumni became the leading names of Bollywood and beyond. They spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kick-started regional language cinema and helped usher television into the country.
How did Jagat go about ‘making’ such extraordinary filmmakers? What was his secret formula? A gripping story of ambition, adversity and artistic brilliance—richly illustrated with rare photographs—The Maker of Filmmakers paints a vivid picture of how one man’s vision and determination helped turn Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today.
About the Author, Radha Chadha
Radha Chadha is an author, columnist, speaker and one of Asia’s foremost experts on marketing and consumer insights. Her book The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury was a bestseller, and is the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. After two decades at top advertising agencies—Ogilvy, JWT, Grey and Bates Asia—she founded her own brand consultancy in Hong Kong. For over a decade, Radha also wrote a widely read column for Mint, one of India’s leading business newspapers. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.
Radha grew up on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where her father, Jagat Murari, shaped a generation of filmmakers.
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