Vasantsena
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A silent film adaptation of an ancient Sanskrit play about a courtesan and a merchant whose romance is complicated by social class and a corrupt royal official. It was made in 1930 in South India and used regional temples as backdrops.
periodstagedearnestdatedslow-movingcontemplative
What happens
Vasantsena, also known as Mricchakatik or The Toy Cart, was a 1930 Indian silent film directed by Mohan Bhavnani. Also produced by Bhavnani under the banner of Indian Art Productions, the film was an adaptation of Shudraka's Sanskrit-language play Mṛcchakatika. The cast of Vasantsena included Enakshi Rama Rao, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Nalini Tarkhud, and Jaikishan Nanda. According to film historian B. D. Garga, the participation of members of the educated classes as actors and actresses in Vasantsena helped break down prejudice against acting as a profession among educated Indians. Vasantsena was filmed in South India, with K. V. Machwe serving as cinematographer and the regional temples being used as a backdrop for the drama. Released in 1930, it was the first Indian film to have Kannada-intertitles, according to the Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Vasantsena (1930)- Bajirao Mastani
Vasantha Sena (1967)
Naveena Satharam (1935)
Nala and Damayanti (1920)
Balidan (1927)- Durgesh Nandini
Ravrambha (2023)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.