James R | On 01, Jun 2021

Channel 4’s annual Indian Film Season is back a little earlier this year with another stellar line-up of eight films – from network premieres to much-loved Bollywood classics. Broadcast across Film 4 and Channel 4, the line-up is available on All 4 after its transmission, along with a filmed introduction from the season curator Nasreen Kabir.

The season kicks off with a double-bill of films from the legendary Satyajit Ray to mark the director’s birth centenary.

Here’s the rundown and when you can watch them:

Mahanagar (1963) – 25th May

Set in Calcutta in the 1950s, Satyajit Ray directs this tale of a lower-middle class family who struggle to make ends meet. Realising the dire straits her family face, Arati (Madhabi Mukherjee) sets out to find a job – much to the annoyance of her very traditional Father-in-law. However, a change in circumstance means the entire family must accept Arati’s role as bread winner when her husband loses his own job.

Available on All 4 until 24th June 2021

Charulata (1964) – 26th May

It’s a tangled tale of romance when Charulata (Madhabi Mukherjee) finds herself feeling lonely in her marriage due to her husband Bhupati’s (Sailen Mukherjee) absorbent in politics and work – but when Bhupati’s younger cousin pays a visit, Charulata soon finds the companion she’s been longing for – but what happens when friendship turns to love?

Available on All 4 until 24th June 2021

Thappad (The Slap) – 28th May

Amrita leads a seemingly perfect life in a seemingly perfect, upper-middle class relationship – that is until her husband suddenly slaps her at a party in their home causing Amrita to question the future of their relationship. Anubhav Sinha’s drama is based on the 2008 novel by the same name.

Available on All 4 until 11th June 2021

Eeb Allay Ooo! – 2nd June

After his brother-in-law (Shashi Bhushan) finds down-on-his-luck Anjani (Shardul Bharadwaj) a job as a ‘monkey chaser’ – contracted to keep the large flow of primates away from the government buildings of New Delhi – Anjani quickly realises the challenge that comes with the job. The problem? He can’t master the set of cries required to scare away the monkeys, but Anjani finds his own surreal fix in this debut feature from documentary filmmaker Prateek Vats.

Available on All 4 until 2nd July 2021

Iewduh – 4th June

Albert Mawrie stars as Mike, an eternal optimist and lovelorn dreamer who maintains the public toilets in the alleys of the Bara Bazaar marketplace in Shillong. Mike finds himself intimately caught up in the lives of those around him in this tale of friendship and compassion.

Available on All 4 until 4th July 2021

Pinki Elli? – 9th June

This tense new thriller in the Kannada language comes packed with multiple twists and turns, as young mother Bindu (Akshatha Pandavapura) comes home to discover that not only has her 8 month old daughter gone missing – but so has the maid who was looking after her. Together with her estranged husband, Bindu sets off on a quest to find her daughter.

Available on All 4 until 9th July 2021

Good Newwz – 10th June

In this star-studded comedy, successful couple Varun (Akshay Kumar) and Deepti (Kareena Kapoor) seem to have it all, one is a car room CEO and the other is a celebrity journalist – but the one thing the pair want more than anything is a baby. Signing up for IVF treatment, the couple are soon shocked to discover Varun’s sperm has been given to a lady named Monika (Kiara Advani), meanwhile Deepti’s egg has been fertilised by none other than Monika’s husband…

Available on All 4 until 25th June 2021

Bombay (1995) – 16th June

This years’ season draws to a close with the critically acclaimed and much-loved classic, Bombay. Mani Ratnam’s drama still resonates as a powerful plea for religious tolerance, following two lovers (Arvind Swami and Manisha Koirala) who run away to Bombay after their fathers, one a Muslim – the other Hindu, clash over their marriage. Years later though, the couple find themselves torn apart when religious rioting erupts in the city.

Available on All 4 until 15th August 2021

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