"The Immortals" (2015) was selected for the National Competition Section at the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) 2016 and won the Special Jury Award that was presented to Shivendra Singh Dungarpur at the closing ceremony on 3 February 2016.
It is a visual exploration of physical artifacts, personal spaces and living memories where the image speaks for itself, recreating the impression of each artist whilst telling the story of Indian cinema.
The film depicts the paradox of India's relationship with cinema: the romance and the power, the neglect and the worship.
Saigal’s harmonium fallen silent like his voice; the homes of Satyajit Ray and Baburao Painter where films like Pather Panchali and Savkari Pash took shape; a hundred-year-old cinematographer sifting through letters from Jean Renoir speaking of a deep and abiding friendship; the whirring of the only surviving black and white lab at AVM Studios; the quest for Anthony Gonsalves .
each image a reminder of how much we have lost, yet evoking memories that live on in spaces, objects and reminiscences of people.