How Long Is “Prapancha Pash”?

Much to the delight of silent film fans, the BFI recently rescued this rare movie from the archives and restored it to its former glory. British Asian musician Nitin Sawhney introduces tonight's feature, and explains how he came to write a new score for this forgotten film. A Throw of Dice is an exotic, mythical tale set in ancient India, aimed at the world market; Directed by German filmmaker Franz Osten, the film boasts all the spectacle of a Cecil B De Mille epic, featuring palaces, pageantry, 10,000 extras, 1,000 horses and 50 elephants, and shows how close Indian cinema was, in production style and flair, to Hollywood of the same period. The simple tale centres around evil King Sohat (Himansu Rai), who attempts to kill the ruler of the neighbouring region, King Ranjit (Charu Roy), during a Royal hunt. But the injured man is saved and nursed back to health by Kanwa (Sarada Gupta), a hermit who lives in the forest with his beautiful daughter Sunita (Seta Devi).