Vijaya Mulay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vijaya Mulay
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Mulay in 2010
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| Born | 16 May 1921 |
| Died | 19 May 2019 (aged 98) |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker, film historian |
| Relatives | Suhasini Mulay (daughter), Atul Gurtu (son-in-law) |
Vijaya Mulay (born May 16, 1921 – died May 19, 2019) was a talented Indian woman. She was a documentary filmmaker, meaning she made films about real-life events. She was also a film historian, someone who studies the history of movies. Besides that, she was a writer, an educationist (someone who works in education), and a researcher.
People in the film world often called her Akka, which means elder sister. She was good friends with famous filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Louis Malle. These friendships helped her understand Indian cinema in a special way. Her work has influenced how filmmakers, both Indian and foreign, see India.
Vijaya Mulay was the mother of Suhasini Mulay, a well-known actor. Her son-in-law, Atul Gurtu, is a physicist. Vijaya Mulay is best remembered for her animated film Ek Anek Aur Ekta. This film won a National Film Award for being the Best Educational Film.
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Vijaya Mulay's Life and Career
Vijaya Mulay was born in Mumbai, India.
Early Life and Education
In 1940, Vijaya moved to Patna, Bihar, with her husband. Mumbai was a big, modern city, but Patna seemed very different back then. Even so, Patna University allowed women to study privately. So, Vijaya enrolled to get her bachelor's degree.
She started loving movies during this time. On Sundays, English films were shown at half price in local theaters called Bioscopes. Watching these films helped her understand how movies were made and told stories.
Studying in the United Kingdom
In 1946, Vijaya won a scholarship from the government. This allowed her to go to the University of Leeds in the UK. There, she studied for her master's degree in Education.
While in the UK, Vijaya realized something important. The everyday British people were not like the "Burra Saabs" (Great Masters) she had seen in India. She had gone to Britain with some dislike for the British. She was ready to be offended. But she soon found that ordinary English people were very different from the powerful British officials she knew from home.
She also learned a lot about films there. She saw many classic and experimental movies. She joined the university film society. What started as a fun hobby became a serious passion for her.
Leading Film Societies in India
Vijaya returned to Patna in 1949. She worked actively in the local film society. In 1954, she moved to New Delhi. The Indian government appointed her as an Education Officer.
She also found time to start the Delhi Film Society. In 1959, eight film societies joined together. They formed the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI). The famous director Satyajit Ray was its first president. Vijaya Mulay and film critic Chidanand Das Gupta were joint secretaries.
After Satyajit Ray passed away, Vijaya became the President of the FFSI.
Working with Film Censors and Louis Malle
In 1962, Vijaya was sent to Mumbai. She worked at the Central Board of Film Certification. This board decides which films are suitable for public viewing.
For five years, she was a presiding officer. She watched many Indian and foreign films. This job helped her understand how people's opinions could affect their judgment of a film. She saw many movies she would normally not have watched.
In 1966, Vijaya moved to Calcutta. The next year, French filmmaker Louis Malle visited the city. At first, Malle did not like Vijaya because she was a film censor. But this dislike soon turned into a close friendship. Their friendship lasted until Louis Malle's death in 1995.
Both Satyajit Ray and Louis Malle helped Vijaya make her first film. It was called 'The Tidal Bore'. This film was about a huge wave of water, like a wall, that comes up the Hooghly River from the Bay of Bengal. Malle sent film stock from France. Ray narrated the film.
The Indian government chose 'The Tidal Bore' for the Mannheim Film Festival. Later, the Film Federation of India showed the film in theaters across the country.
Educational Films and Technology
In 1975, the US loaned India its ATS-6 satellite. This satellite could broadcast video and audio. UNICEF hired Vijaya to create educational programs for children aged 6 to 9.
Vijaya was then asked to lead the Center for Educational Technology (CET). Her job was to make educational films. These films were broadcast to over 2400 villages in rural areas. They were made in four different languages.
Her 1974 animated film, Ek Anek Aur Ekta, is very famous. Vijaya Mulay wrote and directed it. It was produced by the Center for Educational Technology. Many generations of Indians have enjoyed this film.
Her work at CET and NCERT helped her continue research. She studied how media could be used for development and education.
After she retired, Vijaya studied distance education in Indian universities. She collected information from 23 universities. This work was completed in 1983.
For the next three years, Vijaya worked at the University Grants Commission. She was in charge of a program called Countrywide Classroom. This program provided education for college students.
Writing About India in Films
Vijaya Mulay read some letters from Louis Malle. She realized how much India had changed him. Other filmmakers, like Jean Renoir and Roberto Rossellini, had similar experiences. This made her curious. She wanted to find out what about India interested and inspired non-Indians, especially filmmakers.
Her book, From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond: India in International Cinema, was published in 2008.
In her book, she wrote that her project was like the Ganga river. It started small but grew bigger as more ideas joined it. She saw her study as a personal journey. She wanted to understand what India meant to different people at different times, as shown in films.
Awards and Achievements
Vijaya Mulay received many honors for her work:
- In 2002, the Government of India gave her the V. Shantaram Award for Lifetime Achievement. This was for her work in documentaries.
- She received the Vikram Sarabhai Life Time Achievement award in 1999. This was for her work in educational communication.
- She was the President of the Federation of Film Societies of India.
- In 1975, she led the Indian Educational Technology Mission to the USA.
- In 1962, she was a Member Secretary for the Education commission for Goa.
- She helped create a special program called SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment). This program trained over 48,000 primary school teachers using television. It was a groundbreaking program in educational technology.
- Many of her films won National awards. They also won awards at International Film Festivals in places like Delhi, New York, and Teheran.
