Abstract
The polemic circumscribing the rise and regulation of new independent Indian cinema is a compelling example of vicissitudes in India's public sphere. This article locates a growing access to new independent Indian films through pirate spheres, reflected in the burgeoning popularity of BitTorrent websites, particularly among young, urban Indians, disenchanted by inaccessibility due to regulations and multiplex cinemas' expensive ticket-pricing system. It precipitates deeper discourses of ‘migrating’ cinema audiences, an ambivalent state of film and internet regulation, and civil resistance, exemplified in the recent Madras High Court volte face, unblocking banned BitTorrent websites. This article invokes interviews with independent filmmakers also utilising the paradigm of independent Bengali film Gandu (2010) – purportedly denied a release for its graphic sexual content, and yet widely accessed via BitTorrent and YouTube. Ultimately, this study examines the discursive ramifications of new independent Indian cinema in a metamorphosing Indian cinema sphere.
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