Film critic-author Aruna Vasudev dies at 88

Aruna Vasudev

Eminent film critic, curator and author Aruna Vasudev, regarded as the 'mother of Asian cinema', died on Thursday morning at a hospital here due to age-related illness, her close friend Neerja Sarin said. She was 88. Vasudev had been undergoing treatment at a multi-speciality hospital for the past three weeks. "She was not keeping well for some time. She had Alzheimer's and was suffering from other old age-related health issues as well. She died at the hospital this morning," Sarin told PTI. Vasudev was married to the late diplomat Sunil Roy Chowdhury. She is survived by her graphic designer-daughter Yamini Roy Chowdhury, wife of politician Varun Gandhi. The last rites will be held at the Lodhi Road crematorium at 3 pm. From her humble origins in pre-independent India and to the corridors of the cinematic universe, Vasudev wore many hats throughout her life as a critic, author, editor, painter, documentary maker, trustee, member of several panels and above all, the torch bearer of Asian cinema.

The Delhi-based scholar was the founder-editor of "Cinemaya: The Asian Film Quarterly". She is also credited with founding the internationally-renowned Netpac over three decades ago, a worldwide organisation to forward the cause of Asian films. Social media was flooded with messages of condolences for Vasudev. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi said she is "saddened" to hear about Vasudev's passing. "She was the pioneer for making Asian films a genre to be talked about as a separate identity of its own. There are many laurels to her credit but I will always remember her for her warmth and radiant smile. Her observations were always insightful and I enjoyed being with her a lot. My condolences to her family. RIP dear dearest Aruna," Azmi wrote on Instagram. Thank you for the movies, Aruna Vasudev, said film critic and author Namrata Joshi. "Growing up 80s-90s Delhi, world cinema specially from Asia & the Arab world first came home to us because of the ceaseless untiring efforts of Aruna and Latika Padgaonkar through their Cinefan film festival and Cinemaya magazine," Joshi wrote on X.

"Rest in Peace, Aruna Ma'am... Thank you for curating one of the best film festivals of Delhi. A lot of us were introduced to some of the finest world cinema because of you. #arunavasudev," posted filmmaker Sania Hashmi. She was also the founder-director of Cinefan, the Cinemaya Festival of Asian Cinema in 1999, touted to be one of the first festivals in the world that focused purely on Asian cinema. Besides, she has also served as a jury member of several prestigious international film festivals, including Cannes and Locarno. In fact, the Tripoli film festival, Lebanon has instituted the 'Aruna Vasudev Award' for the best creation of cinema as a tribute to her. Vasudev has also directed or produced around 20 documentaries, and edited or co-edited several books, including a translation from French into English of Jean-Claude Carriere's "In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook". "Aruna Vasudev: Mother of Asian Cinema", a documentary by Supriya Suri on the life and times of the scholar, was released in 2021.

It brings together her journey as a film critic, programmer and cinema activist. Besides, she served as a board member of Alliance Française de Delhi, a leading Indo-French cultural centre for French language and cultural immersion. Vasudev studied at the Paris-based Institut des hautes etudes cinematographiques (Institute for Advanced Film Studies) and later obtained a PhD in cinema from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and has had a long association with France. Her contribution to cinema and arts was praised by the government of France, which felicitated her with some of the highest French cultural honours, including the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2019 and Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2002.

Neville Tuli, the founder of Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (TRIS), condoled the demise of his friend Vasudev, whom he described as the "epitome of a confident individuality rooted in a deep knowledge and appreciation for creativity, cinema, scholarship and genuine compassion". "She carried her knowledge and leadership lightly, for it was a living energy, where her theory and practice had seamlessly fused into a daily ritual of frenetic creative thoughts, activities, and ways to communicate and support the building of a cinematic culture and awareness among one and all. "Her thoughts were rooted in that rare desire to nurture the young & independent minded film enthusiasts who wanted to make cinema their life. Naturally, she did not suffer fools or mediocrity gladly," Tuli told PTI.

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