The World is Family

Until recently, it was rare to see homegrown works of non-fiction from India. A vital exception has been the work of acclaimed documentarian Anand Patwardhan, whose explorations of social and political life have earned him both festival awards and government bans. The World is Family is his most personal film. Over intimate conversations filmed across three decades, Patwardhan creates an intimate and affectionate snapshot of his late parents. Through their remarkable journeys in life, he captures the history of the nation—the struggle for freedom, the euphoria of independence, and the subsequent horrors of Partition, all the way down to the divisiveness and fundamentalism gaining ground in contemporary India. The result is a precious piece of oral history to hold on to at a time when recorded history in India is itself under threat, being rewritten or erased. For audiences encountering Patwardhan for the first time, this is a warm introduction to a major figure in Indian cinema.