Nandan

NANDAN "A cultural complex with multiple film theatres and the Satyajit Ray Film Archieve."

Situated on the southeast corner of the Maidan, the Rabindra Sadan is the seat of Bengali culture where cultural programmes & exhibitions are held regularly. The Nandan theatre hall behind Rabindra Sadan, is Calcutta's prime place for cine culture. It is a cultural centre for film enthusiasts and professionals. It was largely patronized by the late Satyajit Ray who inaugurated Nandan and designed its emblem. Its three motion picture theatres have the best screening facilities in Calcutta. One of the halls is used largely by film clubs to screen art films and parallel movies for their members. It is situated adjacent to the Academy of Fine Arts Complex.
Kolkata being the cultural capital of India has a vibrant cine culture of its own. People of Kolkata appreciate good, meaningful cinema. In fact, the Bengali Film industry now popularly referred to as "Tollywood" was one of the first regional film industry of India. The Bengali film industry's contribution to Indian cinema as a whole is immense. Kolkata in the past had film directors of the stature of the great Oscar award winner Satyajit Ray. Other distinguished film directors who have won global recognition through their thought provoking films are Mrinal Sen, Ritwick Ghatak, Aparna Sen and in recent times Rituparno and Gautam Ghosh.
On 2nd September, 1985, Nandan was opened to the public as a fitting tribute to Kolkata's discerning cinematic public.

Nandan is always buzzing with activity and in its heydays, Nandan was patronized by film maestro Satyajit Ray. Film enthusiasts will find the Satyajit Ray Archive at Nandan to be a great source of information on the great man of Indian cinema. The archive provides fascinating insights in to the mind of this maverick film director. On display at the archive are some of Rays' most memorable films, scripts and commentaries made by him, when he was alive.
While at Nandan, make it a point to drop in at the Bangla Academy, which is located at the end of the Nandan campus. It showcases short fiction films that represent rare experimental works from different corners of the world.

In the recent past, renowned film directors like Antonio Urano, Hannah Fischer, Luis Alberto Restrepo, Roland Reber, Zoltan Paul, Amir Sahab Razavian and others of their ilk have showcased their path breaking films at Nandan.

Workshops and seminars on films are de rigueur at Nandan. Make it a point to watch the film on Satyajit Ray, which has been directed by renowned film director Gautam Ghosh as a tribute to the great maestro's contribution to world cinema.

A visit to Nandan is a great way to feel the pulse of this vibrant city and to get a sense of the cultural waves that are brewing in this captivating city.

Nearest International Airport : Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Time required for sight seeing : 2 hours