An acclaimed player of the tabla—an Indian percussion instrument known to be the mother of all percussion instruments—will give a talk today, Thursday, at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, on the impact of a mid-1970s Bollywood film considered by many as one of the most revolutionary films in Indian film history.
Robin Sukhadia, a fine arts graduate from the World Music program at the California Institute of the Arts, will discuss the film Sholay, which launched the career of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as well as the movie’s visionary music composer, Rahul Dev Burman.
Titled "Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood and Sholay: The Rise of Indian Cinema," the lecture is free of cost and is part of the Center for the Arts' Third Thursday Film Screening series.
Sukhadia’s lecture, at 8 p.m., will include clips from the film, with a special emphasis on Burman’s music, a fascinating fusion of western and classical Indian sounds that helped create the atmosphere for the “Curry Western” film that Sholay is.
The lecture will be followed by a Bollywood-centered electronic/tabla set by Sukhadia’s band, SADUBAS (The Sadhus of Bass).
Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood and Sholay: The Rise of Indian Cinema, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Thursday, May 23, 2225 Colorado Blvd.
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