439. We Need to Talk about Ritwik Ghatak

If he wasn’t feted in his time, Ritwik Ghatak most certainly is today.

Since his death in 1976, at just past fifty, Ghatak’s stature has only grown. His humanist cinema, his uncompromising vision, his deep engagement with the history and culture of the land, have made him one of the most indelible figures in Indian film history. With Meghe Dhaka Tara, Subarnarekha, Komal Gandhar, Ajantrik, and Titas Ekti Nodir Naam, Ghatak changed the very nature of Indian cinema. As a teacher at the Film and Television Institute of India, he shaped the next generation: Kumar Shahani, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul, Saeed Mirza, Ketan Mehta, Jahnu Barua.

Shamya Dasgupta, editor of Unmechanical: Ritwik Ghatak in 50 Fragments (Westland Books, 2026), joins writer and publisher Karthik Venkatesh to sit with the full contradiction of the man. Unflinching and even ruthless. Alcoholic and irresponsible. An irrepressible genius and a relentless innovator.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Shamya Dasgupta will be in conversation with Karthik Venkatesh. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2026.

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