Explore India in VHS

Most Indian productions are in Bengali or Hindi with English subtitles; all other productions are in English.

The Adversary (a.k.a. Pratidwandi and Siddhartha in the City). The pressures of finding a job unhinge college graduate Siddhartha (Dhritiman Chatterjee). Written, directed and scored by Satyajit Ray. 1970. 110 min. VH1/ADVE-0004.

The Apu Trilogy. Writer/director/composer Satyajit Ray's moving trilogy was inspired by the writing of Bibhuti Bhusan Banenrjee. Pather Panchali: Song of the Little Road (1955-113 min.) introduces young Apu (Subir Bannerjee) and his family (Kanu, Karuna and Runki Bannerjee, Uma Das Gupta), living in poverty in rural India. In Aparajito: The Unvanquished (1956-113 min.), Apu (Pinaki Sen Gupta) and his family (Kanu & Karuna Bannerjee) move to the big city of Benares; teenaged Apu (Smaran Ghosal) pursues his education. In Apur Sansar: The World of Apu (1959-106 min.), Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) agrees to marry abandoned bride Aparna (Sharmila Tagore), and begins a new life as a husband and father. Ravi Shankar composed the music for all three films. VH1/PATH-0003, VH1/APAR-0002 and VH1/APUR-0001.

Autobiography of a Princess. Princess Madhur Jaffrey reminisces with professor James Mason in James Ivory's film. 1975. 59 min. VH1/AUTO-0002.

Bandit Queen. Young Phoolan (Seema Biswas) escapes from an oppressive marriage and joins a pack of ruthless bandits in Shekhar Kapur's fact-based expose of sexism in Indian society. 1994. 119 min. VH1/BAND-0002.

Beats of the Heart: There'll Always Be Stars in the Sky: The Indian Music Phenomenon. A program by Jeremy Marre. 1983. 51 min. VH2/BEAT-0010.

Bhaji on the Beach. Gurinder Chada's movie joins three generations of British women, all of Indian descent, on a bus trip to a seaside resort. 1993. 101 min. VH1/BHAJ-0001.

Biography: Mother Teresa: A Life of Devotion. VH3/BIOG-0037.

Bombay Talkie. Englishwoman Jennifer Kendal takes two Indian lovers in James Ivory's film. 1970. 111 min. VH1/BOMB-0001.

The Charge of the Light Brigade. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland star in Michael Curtiz' adventure film. 1936. 115 min. VH1/CHAR-0009.

Charulata: The Lonely Wife. Madhabi Mukherjee learns about the possibilities of true love when her husband's cousin moves in. Satyajit Ray scripted (from a Ranindranath Tagore story), directed and scored. 1964. 117 min. VH1/CHAR-0002.

Chutney Popcorn. Reena, a lesbian Indian-American, shocks her family and her lover when she agrees to act as a surrogate mother for her married sister. Actress Nisha Ganatra also scripted, directed and produced. 1999. 92 min. (plus 6 minutes of extras). In English. VH1/CHUT-0001 or -0002.

Cotton Mary. Ismail Merchant tells the story of an Indian nurse who longs to join the British upperclass. Greta Schacchi, Madhur Jaffrey, Sakina Jaffrey, and James Wilby star. 1999. 124 min. VH1/COTT-0001.

Courtesans of Bombay. Ismail Merchant speaks with cabaret performers. 1985. 74 min. VH6/COUR-0001.

Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Ratri). Four men leave crowded Calcutta for a brief holiday and the opportunity for romance. This film from writer/director/composer Satyajit Ray stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Shubhendu Chatterjee, and Robi Ghosh. 1970. 120 min. VH1/DAYS-0003.

Devi: The Goddess. Chhabi Biswas convinces daughter-in-law Sharmila Tagore that she is the reincarnation of the goddess Kali. Writer/director Satyajit Ray's film features music by Ravi Shankar. Soumitra Chatterjee and Karuna Bannerjee also star. 1960. 93 min. VH1/DEVI-0003.

Distant Thunder (Ashani Sanket). Soumitra Chatterjee, Babita, Sandhya Roy, and Ramesh Mukherjee star in writer/director/composer Satyajit Ray's film about a drought-ravaged Bengali village. 1973. 101 min. VH1/DIST-0002.

Earth. In 1947 India, 8-year-old Lenny sees her nanny Shanta falling in love with charismatic Hassan. Deepa Mehta scripted and directed. Letterboxed. Subtitled. 1998. 101 min. VH1/EART-0004.

Elephant Boy. Sabu longs to become an elephant hunter in Robert Flaherty & Zoltan Korda's adventure. 1937. 80 min. VH1/ELEP-0001.

The Far Pavilions. Peter Duffel's miniseries, about a British officer (Ben Cross) and the Indian woman (Amy Irving) he loves, also stars Omar Sharif, John Gielgud, Christopher Lee, Rossano Brazzi, and Saeed Jaffrey. 1984. 321 min. VH2/FARP-0001 through -0004. The complete series is squeezed onto one cassette on VH2/FARP-0005.

Fire. Radha (Shabana Azmi) is trapped in a loveless arranged marriage to a celibate guru (Kilbushan Kharbanda). A newfound passion for her sister-in-law Sita (Nandita Das) puts her life in danger. A film by Deepa Mehta. Letterboxed. In English. 1996. 104 min. VH1/FIRE-0007.

Forest of Bliss. Journey to Benares, a city where every human activity is centered around the holy Ganges River. Filmmaker Robert Gardner eschews narration, offering instead a mesmerizing mosaic of sights and sounds. 1985. 90 min. VH6/FORE-0002.

Gandhi. Ben Kingsley plays the title role in Richard Attenborough's biographical epic. 1982. 188 min. VH1/GAND-0001.

Great Palaces of the World: Volume I: Oriental Splendor includes the Red Fort, the Taj Mahal, and the palaces of Jodhpur. A Discovery Channel production. 1995. 100 min. VH7/GREA-0009.

Great Railway Journeys of the World: India. Ride from Bombay to Cochin in Gerry Troyna's travelogue. 1987. 60 min. VH7/GREA-0002.

Great Tales in Asian Art. Perry Miller Adato's tape includes retellings of The Ramayana and Gita Govinda. 1995. 82 min. VH2/GREA-0010.

Gunga Din. Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Sam Jaffee star in George Stevens' version of the Rudyard Kipling poem. 1939. 117 min. VH1/GUNG-0001.

Heat and Dust. Julie Christie goes to India to learn the truth about her mysterious aunt, Greta Scacchi, who left her husband for prince Shashi Kapoor. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala adapted her own novel for director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. 1982. 130 min. VH1/HEAT-0003.

The Home and the World (Ghare-Baire). Sheltered wife Swatilekha Chatterjee falls in love with Soumitra Chatterjee, a classmate of her husband, Victor Bannerjee. Director/composer Satyajit Ray also scripted, from Rabindranath Tagore's novel. 1984. 130 min. VH1/HOME-0001.

The Householder. A hot-headed woman marries a poor, fumbling, but not unattractive husband. This was the first collaboration between director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. 1962. 101 min. VH1/HOUS-0015.

Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures. A Maharaja's visitors all lust after his collection of exquisite miniature paintings. Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Victor Bannerjee, Saeed Jaffrey, Aparna Sen star in this film from director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. 1978. 89 min. VH1/HULL-0001.

India Cabaret. Mira Nair's documentary explores the "respectable" and "corrupt" stereotypes which typify women in contemporary Indian culture. 1986. 60 min. VH6/INDI-0001.

Jalsaghar: The Music Room. Aristocrat Chhabi Biswas pawns all his possessions to put on a lavish concert. Director Satyajit Ray also scripted. 1958. 100 min. VH1/JALS-0001.

Jana Aranya: The Middleman. College graduate Somnath (Pradip Mukherjee) lands a job as a shady "middleman." Director Satyajit Ray also scripted and scored. 1975. 131 min. VH1/JANA-0001.

The Jewel in the Crown. This miniseries about life in colonial India stars Tim Piggott-Smith, Peggy Ashcroft, Rosemary Leach, and Charles Dance. Christopher Morahan and Jim O'Brien directed this Paul Scott adaptation. 1984. 12 ½ hr. VH2/JEWE-0001 through -0008.

A Journey Within a Journey. The death of her father brings writer/director Chitra Neogy back to her home town of Kerala in southern India for this meditation on life, death and the gods. 1996. 90 min. VH6/JOUR-0009.

Kamala and Raji. Michael Camerini, Cheryl Groff & Shireen Huq visit two women's rights workers. 1990. 46 min. VH6/KAMA-0001.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. Indian villagers wager that they can beat the British in a cricket match in Ashutosh Gowariker's Oscar-nominated epic. 2001. 225 min. VH1/LAGA-0001.

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy. Tom Clegg's miniseries stars Nicol Williamson as the man who guided India to independence. Janet Suzman, Ian Richardson, Sam Dastor, and Madhur Jaffrey co-star. 1985. 306 min. VH2/LORD-0003 through -0008.

Mahanagar: The Big City. When housewife Madhabi Mukherjee takes a job, she is transformed by the freedom, respect and money she earns. A film by writer/director/composer Satyajit Ray. 1963. 131 min. VH1/MAHA-0001.

Mr. Attenborough and Mr. Gandhi. Jenny Barraclough visits director Richard Attenborough and actor Ben Kingsley on the set of Gandhi. 1984. 51 min. VH2/MRAT-0001.

Mississippi Masala. American Denzel Washington romances Indian immigrant Sarita Choudhury in Mira Nair's drama. 1992. 117 min. VH1/MISS-0006.

Mother Teresa. Richard Attenborough narrates Ann and Jeanette Petrie's documentary about the Nobel Peace Prize winner. 1986. 82 min. VH3/MOTH-0001.

National Geographic: The Great Indian Railway. Journey across India in William Livingston's splendid documentary. Letterboxed. 1995. 111 min. VH7/NATI-0006.

National Geographic: India's Killer Bees. These Indian honey bees have giant stingers and short tempers. Dieter Pochlatko and Walter Kohler directed. 1999. 50 min. VH5/NATI-0052.

National Geographic: Maneaters of India. A nature program by Alex Kirby. 1986. 80 min. VH5/NATI-0018.

A Passage to India. David Lean adapts E.M. Forster's novel about an Englishwoman in India. 1984. 163 min. VH1/PASS-0001.

The Rains Came. Lady Esketh (Myrna Loy) loves Hindu surgeon Major Rama (Tyrone Power) in Clarence Brown's movie. 1939. 103 min. VH1/RAIN-0005.

The River. Three girls develop crushes on a wounded American soldier. Directed by Jean Renoir. 1951. 99 min. VH1/RIVE-0002.

Salaam, Bombay! Mira Nair chronicles the struggles of a Hindi boy living on the streets of Bombay. 1988. 114 min. VH1/SALA-0001.

Satyajit Ray: Introspections. The filmmaker discusses his childhood, his interest in Indian and Western cinema, and his thoughts on life and death. A film by K. Bikram Singh. [1991]. 55 min. VH2/SATY-0001.

Shakespeare Wallah. Playboy Shashi Kapoor woos actress Felicity Kendal in James Ivory's film. Music by Satyajit Ray. 1965. 120 min. VH1/SHAK-0001.

So Far from India. An Indian man immigrates to NYC, leaving his family behind, in Mira Nair's film. 1983. 49 min. VH6/SOFA-0001.

Spices (Mirch Masala). When a courageous woman (Smita Patil) takes refuge from brutal tax collectors, her fellow villagers are reluctant to join her fight against tyranny. A film by Ketan Mehta. 1986. 98 min. VH1/SPIC-0001.

Staying On. Trevor Howard & Celia Johnson star in Irene Shubik's adaptation of a Paul Scott story. 1980. 87 min. VH1/STAY-0001.

The Stranger (Agantuk). A man suspects that his wife's uncle is really an imposter who has come to Calcutta to claim an inheritance. Director Satyajit Ray also scripted and scored. With Utpal Dutt, Deepanker De and Mamata Shankar. 1991. 120 min. VH1/STRA-0018.

Two Daughters. Satyajit Ray adapts two Rabindranath Tagore stories of awakening love, The Postmaster & The Conclusion. Anil Chatterjee, Chandana Bannerjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Aparna Das Gupta star. 1961. 115 min. VH1/TWOD-0001 or -0003.

Video Visits: India, Land of Spirit and Mystique. A travelogue by Chip Duncan. 1988. 55 min. VH7/VIDE-0010.

World Religions: Worlds of Faith. This series for young adults includes Richard Keefe's Hinduism: Elephant God (VH6/WORL-0018) and Stephen Bottomore's Sikhism: The Golden Temple (VH6/WORL-0025). 1996. 15 min. each.

To learn more about Indian cinema and the work of Satyajit Ray, read Erik Barnouw and S. Krishnaswamy's Indian Film (791.4309B), Darius Cooper's The Cinema of Satyajit Ray: Between Tradition and Modernity (791.4302 Ray C), Ben Nyce's Satyajit Ray: A Study of His Films (791.4302 Ray N), Satyajit Ray's My Years with Apu (791.4302 Ray) and Our Films, Their Films (791.43R), and Andrew Robinson's Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye (791.4302 Ray R). Books about Indian history are shelved under the call number 954; Indian travel books are shelved under the call number 915.4.

List compiled by Jonathan Guildroy, November 2002