The British Council and the British Film Institute (BFI), following the 61st BFI London Film Festival world premiere of the restored Shiraz: A Romance of India, the film will tour four Indian cities,Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Mumbai, accompanied by live performance of a specially commissioned score by leading contemporary Indian composer and sitar player, Anoushka Shankar and an orchestral ensemble.
As part of year-long celebration of cultural exchange between India and the UK, Shiraz tells the love story of the 17th century princess who inspired the construction of the Taj Mahal. For the modern viewer, the appeal of Shiraz is the extreme rarity of a sophisticated silent feature film made outside the major producing nations of the West, the gorgeous settings and costumes and the glories of the spectacular fort at Agra and of course the iconic Taj Mahal, a central character here in its own right. Two infamous kisses that take place in the film will surprise modern audiences and are quite extraordinary for Indian Cinema of the period. Shiraz was adapted from Niranjan Pal’s play, the first Indian playwright to have his work performed in the West End.
On bringing Shiraz back to audiences in India, Robin Baker, BFI Head Curator says, “These gala performances of Shiraz are the culmination of the thousands of hours it has taken the BFI National Archive to restore and transform a silent film classic, ensuring that it is safely preserved for future generations. Very few Indian silent films survive, which makes Shiraz more important and precious thanks to the genius of Anoushka Shankar”.
