Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Legendary musician Annapurna Devi was the widow of renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar. It is said that even George Harrison of The Beatles sought special permission just to hear her practice. Yet, in the mid-1950s, she made a profound decision – to stop performing altogether to protect her marriage to the world-famous sitarist Ravi Shankar, who had grown uneasy with the growing acclaim she was receiving. Her disciple, Nityanand Haldipur, cuts through the myths to tell the story of a matchless guru in a documentary film directed by Nirmal Chander.
6-A Akash Ganga,” an award-winning film about Annapurna Devi, will show on Saturday, October 25 at Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, and on Sunday, October 26 at Hollywood Blvd. Cinema, 1001 75th St., Woodridge. The documentary is presented by Mandala South Asian Performing Arts in partnership with India Development Service.
The film was awarded Best Documentary at the 2024 Jagran Film Festival, Best Film at Film Southasia 2024, Best Indian Documentary Film at the 2024 Mumbai International Film Festival, and feature documentary runner-up at the 2025 South Asian Film Festival of Montreal.
Nirmal Chander has worked for the last three decades as an editor, director, and producer, winning multiple awards. His films have been telecast on BBC Online and Indian TV channels. His documentary “Moti Bagh” was an Oscar entry from India in 2019.
“6-A Akash Ganga”
2 pm, Saturday, October 25
Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago,
11 am, Sunday, October 26
Hollywood Blvd. Cinema,
1001 75th St. #153, Woodridge
For more information, go to: mandalaarts.org.