The World is Family by Anand Patwardhan

The World is Family (2018) Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, a Sanskrit phrase meaning “the world is family” is a universalist idea that competes with dominant, exclusivist Hindu notions of caste. Anand grew up in a milieu that questioned the latter. The family’s elders had fought for India’s Independence but rarely spoken about it. ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’, words enshrined in India’s Constitution, were subconsciously internalized.

As his parents aged, Anand began to film with whatever equipment was at hand. Soon birthdays and family gatherings gave way to oral history. Revisiting home movie footage a decade after his parents had passed, was a revelation. Today self-confessed supremacists whose ideology once inspired the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, are in power. As they rewrite India’s history, memories of the past have become more precious than mere personal nostalgia.

About Anand Patwardhan: A Retrospective

Anand Patwardhan is one of India’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, known for over five decades of fearless, politically engaged cinema. His films are both chronicles of resistance and cinematic interventions that confront the silences of official history, and have inspired generations of activists and filmmakers worldwide.

About Cinema House

Cinema House, a collective film viewing series, creates opportunities to celebrate independent films. Every month, our black box theatre transforms into a single-screen theatre dedicated to independent, regional, and contemporary world cinema accompanied by conversations with cast, crew, and audiences.