Arsenal on Location

Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst (Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art), Germany in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Pune and the Pune International Film Festival presents a programme with screenings and conversations.

Indian cinema plays an important role in Arsenal's program since the early days of the institution. The archive reflects this history, as many of the films shown in the cinema have found their way into the collection over the decades, including film prints that are now considered rare or unique. In recent years, Arsenal has digitally restored some Indian titles and made them accessible again. Returning films to their country of production plays an important role.Arsenal on Locationoffers the opportunity to present a selection of restorations to the public in collaboration with the Goethe-Institutes in India and Sri Lanka, which have often supported these projects. The events are being presented at seven locations in November and December.

For the Pune edition, Arsenal highlights two seminal works of Indian cinema: Badnaam Basti (1971, 83 min) and Ghashiram Kotwal (1977, 107 min). Both films have been carefully restored and offer nuanced windows into the social, aesthetic, and political tensions of their time.

DETAILS ABOUT THE FILMS AND SCREENING SCHEDULE

BADNAAM BASTI (DIR: PREM KAPOOR, 1971, 83 MINS.)
SCREENING ON THURSDAY, 27.11.2025, 18:30
NFAI-NFDC Main Auditorium
Law College Road Pune

BADNAAM BASTI (1971) is the debut film of director Prem Kapoor. The discovery of the unique 35mm print in the Arsenal archive a few years ago sparked international interest in this film, long believed to be lost—due in no small part to its portrayal of a queer love triangle. The restoration was carried out in cooperation with the Film Heritage Foundation (Mumbai) and the National Film Archive of India (NFDC–NFAI, Pune), where the incomplete original picture and sound negatives are held. By incorporating the 35mm print from the Arsenal archive, a long version of the film could be reconstructed.

GHASHIRAM KOTWAL (1976, 107 MINS.) 
Yukt Film Cooperative – Directed by K. Hariharan, Mani Kaul, Saeed Akhtar Mirza & Kamal Swaroop
TALK & SCREENING ON FRIDAY, 28.11.2025, 18:30 onwards
NFAI-NFDC Main Auditorium
Law College Road Pune

The second film in the program is GHASHIRAM KOTWAL which was screened in the 1978 Berlinale Forum. A 35mm print with German subtitles subsequently remained with Arsenal for distribution purposes. To this day, it is considered the only accessible print and served as the basis for the restoration carried out in 2013. The film is based on the still-popular play of the same name and recounts the rise and fall of the Peshwa regime in western India. IT blends documentary observation with the dynamic forms of folk theatre. In its restored version, the film once again unfolds its powerful allegory of power structures, corruption, and civic responsibility.

The screenings will be accompanied by a conversation in which Markus Ruff from Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art will speak with filmmaker K. Hariharan, one of the directors of Ghashiram Kotwal, about the restored works and their cultural-historical significance. 

Core members from the crew shall share their experiences and stories.