ABSTRACT

Censorship records show an apparent absence of Soviet films in Indian cinemas during the late years of British colonialism (1920s–40s). Apart from a few ‘apolitical’ feature films, Indian audiences hardly got any chance to watch important works of Soviet cinema until the late 1940s. Contrastingly, a number of writings that appeared in film journals from the 1930s–40s provide evidence for a growing interest in Soviet cinema among Indian film enthusiasts. This cluster of writings virtually hides the fact that Soviet masterpieces were yet to reach the Indian viewers. Many Indian films from the same period also offer instances of Soviet influence revealed through political symbolism, visual styles and techniques. Exploring various layers of archival and filmic materials, the article traces the routes through which the Soviet influence provided motivations to filmmakers and enthusiasts about the new explorations in Soviet cinema in the absence of the actual films on Indian screens.

摘要

审查记录显示，在英国殖民主义后期（1920 年代至 40 年代），印度电影院明显没有苏联电影。除了一些“非政治”故事片外，直到 1940 年代后期，印度观众几乎没有机会观看苏联电影的重要作品。相比之下，1930 年代至 40 年代出现在电影期刊上的一些著作证明印度电影爱好者对苏联电影越来越感兴趣。这组著作实际上隐藏了这样一个事实，即苏联的杰作尚未到达印度观众手中。同一时期的许多印度电影也通过政治象征、视觉风格和技巧展现了苏联影响的实例。探索不同层次的档案和电影材料，