zkm
Medium Religion / Documentary Installations
 
patwardhan
Father, Son and Holy War (Part II), 1994

The two-part documentary film deals in its first part, Trial by Fire, with the traditional burning of widows (Sati) still practised in India in 1994, as well as with the violence between Hindus and Moslems in Bombay/Mumbai. The second part, Hero Pharmacy, takes as its topic the fixation with masculinity in India, in which Patwardhan discerns one of the causes of sectarian violence against "the Other." The warrior tradition of Maratha and Rajput or action-heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Macho Man serve as foci for identification, whilst non-violence is considered within religious fanaticism as a sign of impotence. Scenes of mass gatherings, of despotic speakers and fanatical listeners, images of excesses between Hindus and Moslems come together with interviews and statements to form a theory of religious violence.

Note: The second part of the film Father, Son and Holy War is shown in the exhibition in digitized version. The entire firm will be shown on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. and on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 7 p.m. in its original 16-mm version at the Kinemathek Karlsruhe [www.kinemathek-karlsruhe.de]

Anand Patwardhan, * 1950 in Mumbai (formerly Bombay, IND), lives and works in Mumbai (formerly Bombay, IND)

Anand Patwardhan, Father, Son and Holy War (Part II), 1994
16-mm film, digitalized (colour, sound)
60 min., loop
courtesy Anand Patwardhan