S. N. S. Sastry

Films Division India began in 1948 with the purpose of recording and documenting the history of the newly formed nation. The primary medium of this visual history would be through the creation of documentary-style films. S. N. S. Sastry joined Films Division India as a newsreel cameraman in the early 1950s. Over time, he eventually went on to become a director. Through his distinctly experimental films, he eventually became known as one of the key figures of documentary and short film practice in India. Under FIlms Division India, S. N. S. Sastry made state-sponsored films, however, he drifted away from other government filmmakers in that he developed this nervous, explosive, humorous style of films. His films were known to catch the audience's attention by juxtaposing serious topics with nuanced, ironic, and even dark humor. Even during the period of the Emergency, when state-sponsored films were heavy-handed propaganda, Sastry used images and sounds in ways that evaded fixed meaning...