Kalpana - 1948

A dance drama conceived, scripted, directed and acted by Uday Shankar, Kalpana released in the year 1948 is a fine blend of real and surreal. A writer goes to a film producer with a story in the hope of selling the idea for a film. As he is explaining it to the producer, the scenes from his movie come to life as well as passages from his own life.

Produced by Gemini Studios the movie also featured Uday Shankar’s wife Amala Shankar, Lakshmi Kanta, Padmini and Usha Kiran, in other major roles. The original prints of the film were lost and it was digitally restored in 2012 by World cinema Foundation. It was the first Indian film to feature a dancer as the protagonist. The film was shot entirely as a dance ballet and fantasy.