Film : War and peace (3 hours)

Director : Anand Patwardhan

Date : 1 June 2002, Saturday

Time : 5:30 p.m.

Venue : Future Focus
Opp. Hotel Chandrika
Cunningham Road,
Bangalore

The film will be followed by a discussion.

Synopsis : Patwardhan’s recent film examines the link
between war and violence and in doing so covers an
entire gamut of issues. The futility of war and the
obvious manufacturing of enemies and threats to
national security by governments is the focal issue in
the film. It effortlessly links the hysteria created
in India by politicians following the Pokhran blasts
with the Hiroshima disaster, with the horrendous
effects of uranium mining and with the closure of
cultural spaces for young people. There are stories of
protest and resistance which also find a place in the
film. War and Peace is shot in India, Pakistan, Japan
and the USA over a period of three years.


The current situation where the Indian government is
constantly talking of the need for taking a ‘strong’
position against Pakistan sponsored terrorism even if
it means resorting to war needs to be examined keeping
in mind the economics of war. The fiery speeches made
by the Indian and Pakistani governments to arouse
support for a war should be condemned immediately. The
heavy price people are forced to pay in order to
uphold national integrity has to be talked about along
with the violence of even contemplating a decision of
war. There is an urgent need to condemn this violence
even as we understand links between communal violence,
war and other forms of violence.


this is an open forum. feel free to circulate this as
widely as possible.

hope to see you there.
pedestrian pictures