Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute)

This daring and progressive account of a complex love triangle broke all manner of taboos to emerge as India’s first queer film and an icon of Parallel Cinema.

Prem Kapoor’s film skilfully navigates the turbulent conditions under which it was made, subtly incorporating bisexuality in such a way that it bypassed India’s strict cultural censorship. It’s the story of the interlocking relationship between truck driver and ex-bandit Sarnam (Nitin Sethi), Bansari (Nandiat Thakur), a beautiful woman Sarnam saved from being raped, and Shivraj (Amar Kakkad), who works in a temple and is later hired by Sarnam.

Adapted from Kamleshwar Prasad Saxena’s 1957 novel, the movie’s transgressive approach was a direct reaction to wider political turmoil. It remains an emblem of Parallel Cinema, focusing on then-unconventional representations and relationships with a keen eye.

The film was thought lost for many years but was accidentally rediscovered in 2019 in the archive of Berlin’s Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art.

The screening will feature a pre-recorded introduction by Dr Omar Ahmed: Freelance Film Scholar & International Curator of South Asian Cinema and Founder of The Cloud Door.

Screening as part of our SAHM film season