Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute), 27 September | Event in Belfast | AllEvents

Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute)

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

Highlights

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025 at 02:30 pm

20 University Square, BT7 1PA Belfast, United Kingdom

Advertisement

Date & Location

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025 at 02:30 pm (BST)

20 University Square, BT7 1PA Belfast

20-21 University Square, Belfast, BT7 1, United Kingdom

Save location for easier access

Only get lost while having fun, not on the road!

About the event

Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute)
This daring and progressive account of a complex love triangle broke all manner of taboos to emerge as India’s first queer film and an icon of Parallel Cinema.

Prem Kapoor’s film skilfully navigates the turbulent conditions under which it was made, subtly incorporating bisexuality in such a way that it bypassed India’s strict cultural censorship. It's the story of the interlocking relationship between truck driver and ex-bandit Sarnam (Nitin Sethi), Bansari (Nandiat Thakur), a beautiful woman Sarnam saved from being raped, and Shivraj (Amar Kakkad), who works in a temple and is later hired by Sarnam.

Adapted from Kamleshwar Prasad Saxena’s 1957 novel, the movie's transgressive approach was a direct reaction to wider political turmoil. The film was thought lost for many years but was accidentally rediscovered in 2019 in the archive of Berlin’s Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art. It’s now presented by Arsenal in an unvarnished digital transfer ahead of a full digital restoration, which is being supervised by Kapoor’s son Hariom.


You may also like the following events from Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast:

Also check out other Entertainment events in Belfast, Arts events in Belfast.

interested
Stay in the loop for updates and never miss a thing. Are you interested?
Yes
No

Ticket Info

Tickets for Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute) can be booked here.

Advertisement

Event Tags

Nearby Hotels

20 University Square, BT7 1PA Belfast, United Kingdom, 20-21 University Square, Belfast, BT7 1, United Kingdom
Reserve your spot

Host Details

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

1 Followers

Are you the host? Claim Event

Advertisement
Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute), 27 September | Event in Belfast | AllEvents
Cinema Rediscovered: Badnam Basti (Neighbourhood of Ill Repute)
Sat, 27 Sep, 2025 at 02:30 pm