Film critic Aruna Vasudev no more, memorial to be held on Sep 8

The 88-year-old has been widely regarded as the “mother of Asian cinema"

by e4m Desk
Published: Sep 6, 2024 12:57 PM | 2 min read

Celebrated Indian film critic Aruna Vasudev passed away on September 5, 2024. The 88-year-old, regarded by many as the “mother of Asian cinema,” was undergoing treatment in the days before her death and was suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Vasudev’s last rites will be performed at 3 pm on Friday. A memorial will be held on September 8 at the Kamla Devi Auditorium, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi to celebrate the critic and her formidable achievements.

She is the founder-editor of Cinemaya: The Asian Film Quarterly and Cinefan.

Her zest for cinema began in the 1960s when she attended film classes in New York where her father was posted. Apart from being an iconic film critic, Vasudev was also an accomplished editor, painter and documentary maker.

She has a doctorate from the University of Paris in cinema and censorship.

In her accomplished life, Vasudev has been shown numerous national and international awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in Colombo.

She was a jury member in the 1989 Locarno Film Festival. She has edited or co-edited 13 books and one book she translated from French into English (Jean-Claude Carriere’s A la recherche du Mahabharata – In Search of the Mahabharata: Notes of Travels in India with Peter Brook 1982-1985) side by side with her work on the magazine.

Vasudev was the director of Osian's-Connoisseurs of Art Private Limited. She was also one of the Trustees of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust in India. She is the sister of Indian writer and columnist Uma Vasudev.