As part of the Foire Saint Germain, spend the night listening to Indian music and poetry, with a Bollywood film as a bonus!

photo of the Arlequin cinema by blabsurb used under cc licence


We’ve mentioned the Foire Saint Germain before, but this related event looks especially interesting. In a cinema once owned by Jacques Tati, on the night of Friday 20th June 2008 you’ll be able to experience Indian culture close up until dawn the next day, with live musicians, readings and a special showing of Bollywood classic Pakeezah. Here’s the programme:

11pm – midnight: music with Shaoni Mitra (vocals) and Debasish Ghosh (harmonium)
Midnight – 12.30am: poetry with Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Udayan Vajpeyi
12.30 – 1.30am: music with Sugata Nag (sitar)
1.30 – 2.30 am: music with Soumitrajit Chatterjee (tabla) and Debasish Ghosh (harmonium)
2.30 – 3.00am: break
3am – 3.30am: poetry with Tishani Doshi, Mandakantra Sen and Anjum Hasan
3.30 – 4.30am: music with Tushar Dutta (vocals)
4.30 – 6am: music with Debojyoti Bose (sarod)

Whilst the music and poetry is going on in one room, the cinema will also be showing Pakeezah by Kamal Amrohi, a bollywood film classic from the 1970s concerning a prostitute with a pure heart and grand dreams. You can see it a first time between midnight and 2.15am or at the second showing between 3 and 5.15am. You can also buy Indian food during the entire night. Yum!

The India Night is on Friday 20th June at the Arlequin Cinema, 76 rue de Rennes, 6th arrondissement Paris. Métro Saint-Sulpice (line 4). Tickets are 20 euros in advance or 25 euros on the door, available by e-mail (achambrillon@wanadoo.fr) or on the Fnac.com site.

Bigger map here