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{{Short description|Indian scholar and film critic (1936–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aruna Vasudev
| image = Aruna_Vasudev01.jpg
| caption = Vasudev in 2010
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|11|1|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|9|5|1936|11|1|df=y}}
| death_place =
| spouse = Sunil Roy (died 1993)
| children = One
}}

'''Aruna Vasudev''' (1 November 1936<ref>[https://fipresci.org/news/aruna-vasudev/ Aruna Vasudev, 1936 – 2024]</ref> – 5 September 2024) was an Indian critic, author, editor, painter, and maker of documentaries who was considered an eminent scholar on [[Asian cinema]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Lifetime Achievement Awards - Aruna Vasudev and Adoor Gopalakrishnan|url=http://www.iffcolombo.com/lifetime-achievement-awards-aruna-vasudev-and-adoor-gopalakrishnan-iffcolombo-2015/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306235213/http://www.iffcolombo.com/lifetime-achievement-awards-aruna-vasudev-and-adoor-gopalakrishnan-iffcolombo-2015/|archive-date=6 March 2019|access-date=22 November 2017|website=IFFCOLOMBO 2015 - International Film Festival of Colombo 2015|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=39699306&privcapId=27146001&previousCapId=109888&previousTitle=IDEAglobal,%20Ltd.|title=Aruna Vasudev: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref> and was described as the "mother of Asian Cinema".<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=http://www.asianage.com/india/aruna-vasudev-gets-4-lifetime-awards-1-year-847|title=Aruna Vasudev gets 4 lifetime awards in 1 year|date=22 January 2016|work=asianage.com/|access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
A younger sister of [[Uma Vasudeva]], she was born in 1936. After marrying Sunil Kumar Roy, an Indian diplomat, she chose to retain her maiden name.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.vervemagazine.in/people/verve-power-women-2016-aruna-vasudev|title=Power Moment: Aruna Vasudev|date=7 July 2016|work=Verve Magazine|access-date=22 November 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>

His Excellency Sunil Roy died in New York from cancer in 1993, having previously served as Indian Ambassador to Poland, then Mexico, and High Commissioner to Nigeria.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/01/obituaries/sunil-k-roy-indian-diplomat-73.html www.nytimes.com]</ref>

In the early 1960s, she attended film classes in New York where her father was working and created a number of short documentaries after her return to India. She received a doctorate from the [[University of Paris]] on cinema and censorship.<ref>[https://in.ambafrance.org/Aruna-Vasudev-conferred-Officier-de-l-Ordre-des-Arts-et-des-Lettres www.in.ambafrance.org]</ref> Her PhD thesis was published as a book titled ''Liberty and Licence in the Indian Cinema'' in 1979.<ref name=":3" />

== Career ==
Vasudev recently served as director of Osian's-Connoisseurs of Art Private Limited.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.osians.co.in/ |title=www.osians.co.in |access-date=30 December 2022 |archive-date=30 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230145048/http://www.osians.co.in/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She was also one of the Trustees of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust in India.<ref>[https://psbt.org/ www.psbt.org]</ref>

She started as a greenhorn helping in the makeup rooms of Doordarsan in 1960.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1050716/asp/weekend/story_4976326.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070101093738/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050716/asp/weekend/story_4976326.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 January 2007|title=The Telegraph - Calcutta : Weekend|website=www.telegraphindia.com|access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref>

She launched ''[[Cinemaya]]'' in 1988 as a publication that showcases filmmakers from Asia. In 1991, she founded the internationally renowned [[Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema|NETPAC]] as an organisation to forward the cause of Asian films.<ref name=":1" />

From 1990, she was the President or Jury Member of international film festivals including [[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival|Karlovy Vary]], [[Locarno Festival|Locarno]], [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]] (Camera d'Or), [[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival|Las Palmas]], [[Busan International Film Festival|Pusan]], [[Singapore International Film Festival|Singapore]], [[Fajr International Film Festival|Fajr]] ([[Tehran]]), and [[International Antalya Film Festival|Antalya]].

==Death==
On 5 September 2024, it was announced that Vasudev had died at the age of 87.<ref>{{cite news |title=Film scholar Aruna Vasudev, 'Mother of Asian Cinema', passes away at 88 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/film-scholar-aruna-vasudev-mother-of-asian-cinema-passes-away-at-88/article68608690.ece |access-date=5 September 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=5 September 2024}}</ref>

== Honours and awards ==
===Honours===
Appointed Cavaliere [[Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity|della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana]] in 2004,<ref>[https://presidenti.quirinale.it/Elementi/187633 www.presidenti.quirinale.it]</ref> in 2019 Vasudev was honoured by the French Government as Officier [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|des Arts et des Lettres]],<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041018/nation.htm#11 www.tribuneindia.com]</ref> the highest accolades from two major film-producing countries, Italy and France.<ref name=":1" />

===Awards===
In 1997, Vasudev won the Korean Cinema Award at the [[Busan International Film Festival|Pusan International Film Festival]].

In 2006, Vasudev received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the [[Cinemanila International Film Festival]].

In 2015, Vasudev was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2nd edition of the International Film Festival of Colombo<ref>[https://ceyiff.com/ www.ceyiff.com]</ref> for her contributions towards putting Asian cinema on the international map.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/adoor-gopalakrishnan-aruna-vasudev-to-be-honoured-at-colombo-film-festival/article7810543.ece|title=Adoor, Aruna Vasudev to be honoured at Colombo Film festival|last=Ramakrishnan|first=T.|date=27 October 2015|work=The Hindu|access-date=22 November 2017|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> At the [[Hawaii International Film Festival]] the same year, Vasudev won a Vision in Film Award.

The Tripoli Film Festival<ref>[http://www.tripoli-filmfestival.org/ www.tripoli-filmfestival.org]</ref> has named its prize for Best Writing on Cinema as the “Aruna Vasudev Award”.<ref name=":4" />

== Media ==

=== Film ===
In 2021, a documentary titled ''Aruna Vasudev: Mother of Asian Cinema'' was released by filmmaker Supriya Suri. The film explores the legacy created by Vasudev's work and the impact it made on Asian cinema <ref>{{Cite web |title=Aruna Vasudev: Mother of Asian Cinema (Supriya Suri) India |url=https://imagineindiafestival.com/2022/03/30/aruna-vasudev-mother-of-asian-cinema-suriya-suri-india/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |website=Imagine India International Film Festival}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Aruna Vasudev: Mother of Asian Cinema |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12747822/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |website=IMDb}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb name|4033792}}
*[http://www.cinemaya.net/ Cinemaya official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306235422/http://www.cinemaya.net/ |date=6 March 2019 }}
*[http://www.netpacasia.org/About 25 years of NETPAC]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasudev, Aruna}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian editors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]

Aruna Vasudev - Revision history

RowenaProctor6 at 01:39, 29 January 2026