The 1970s were a paradoxical period in Indian history. On the one hand, it was a time of immense political and civic disorder: India had been through wars with China and Pakistan in the 1960s and the optimism of post-Independence nation-building was dying down; the Bangladeshi war of liberation happened in 1971; the economy was stagnating, social unrest was growing, and the Prime Minister declared an official state of Emergency in 1975. On the other hand, prompted perhaps by this turbulent context, this was simultaneously a transformative period for Hindi cinema. Combining the popular and the political, there emerged new and daring forms of writing, storytelling, music, style and stardom, creating a legacy that endures even today.

The Swinging 70s: Stars, Style and Substance in Hindi cinema, a volume of essays co-edited by Nirupama Kotru and Shantanu Ray Chaudhari pays tribute to this legacy. With contributions by film critics, film enthusiasts, actors, writers, and filmmakers, the essays present a comprehensive understanding of Hindi cinema in the 1970s and the history of India that it represents.

Asia Society India Centre, Avid Learning and The Royal Opera House Mumbai celebrate this anthology and the glorious period of the seventies with an evening of music and conversation on 7th August, in Mumbai. The programme includes a moderated conversation featuring co-editor Nirupama Kotru, a senior civil servant and avid film buff; comedian, writer, lyricist and filmmaker Varun Grover; and National Award-winning filmmaker and writer Sriram Raghavan. The evening will begin with a musical medley by Neha Karode. 

This programme is part of Asia Society India’s Library Series, which includes discussions, interviews and features on books and authors who offer new ways of understanding the world around us – across fiction, non-fiction and analysis.

SPEAKERS

An avid film buff who is also a senior civil servant, Nirupama Kotru found her avocation unite with her vocation in 2012 when she was posted as Director (Films) in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. She spent more than three years managing film units such as the NFDC and the Films Division, handling challenging policy matters such as censorship and archiving, driving initiatives such single-window clearance for film shootings, besides promoting Indian cinema at film festivals abroad and at home, through initiatives such as National Film awards and IFFI, Goa. After this stint, she kept her passion alive by writing articles on films and film music.Until recently, as Joint Secretary, Culture, she nurtured the national academies of music, dance, theatre and art, and helped reinvent leading national museums. She actively participates in cultural and literary festivals where she promotes film, theatre and literature.

Varun Grover is a screen-writer (Masaan, Sacred Games), National Award winning lyricist (Gangs of Wasseypur, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Ankhon Dekhi, Fan, Udta Punjab), stand-up comedian, and short-story writer (short story collection Paper Chor graphic novel Biksu) based in Mumbai. His debut film as a director, All India Rank, released in theatres in 2024 and is currently available on Netflix globally.  

Sriram Raghavan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, his diploma film, The Eight Column Affair, won the National award for best short fiction film of the year 1988. Sriram is credited with introducing the neo-noir thriller to Indian audiences. In his first film, Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Sriram explored the revenge thriller. A big fan of the conventions of the crime genre, like crisp dialogue, characters trapped in situations with flexible morality, Raghavan’s next film Johnny Gaddar (2007), was a study of a slow-burn implosion caused by greed and betrayal. Sriram’s next film, Agent Vinod (2012) was an ambitious spy thriller, that travelled continents. Here, Sriram doffs his hat to the 1977 film of the same name. 2015 saw Raghavan return to the screens with a chilling anti-revenge drama, Badlapur.

 His last film, Andhadhun, (2018) is a funny, thrilling yet macabre film which won several awards and was rated the top Indian film of 2018 by IMDB.  
His latest film Merry Christmas, is a bilingual in Hindi and Tamil and stars Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif. He is presently shooting Ikkis, a war drama starring Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat and Agastya Nanda. 

Rohini Ramnathan is an internationally acclaimed radio personality with almost 2 decades of on-air experience across two countries, India and Singapore. The first Indian to win two top honors at the Mediacorp Radio Awards in 2013, Rohini came back to India in 2016 to launch India's coolest retro station, Radio Nasha. Building digitalscapes for content and designing larger than life movie experiences have been her forte. She now leads Radio Nasha India and hosts India's biggest film show on Fever FM called Just Too Filmy.  

Rohini also hosts her own chat show, Bol Baby Bol on India's premiere film journalism channel Film Companion. When she isn't on the radio, you can find her acting in the movies (Gully Boy), or hosting Shahrukh Khan's birthday party or performing in the theatre in Mumbai. She has been awarded the first 'Queero' award from India's LGBTQi community for her undying championing towards the cause of equality in 2017. 

The evening will begin with a musical medley of songs from the 1970s by playback singer, Neha Karode

Neha Karode is a young singer based in Mumbai. She has done playbacks in movies like Bloody Daddy, Anek, Nikamma, Mismatched. She is known for her recreations of old Bollywood music, in collaboration with saregama. She has done multiple retro-themed performances with the Delhi-based band, The Copycats.