India, Feb. 14 -- What can be said about the biography of an eminent administrator-academic characterised by exclusive primary archival research, extensive interviews, international fieldwork and proprietary access to personal correspondence and official records? Well, an admiring "Wow". Radha Chadha's The Maker of Filmmakers offers emotional yet deeply researched insight into the life and work of her father, the visionary Jagat Murari, best known for taking the reins of the Film Institute of India (then FII) from Gajanand Jagirdar and engineering it, in a continuous tenure of roughly 10 years and again a few years later, into one of the most respected film schools. The roll call of the alumni of that era - Adoor Gopalakrishnan, KK Mahajan, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Binod Pradhan, Renu Saluja, Saeed Mirza, Subhash Ghai, Asrani, Rehana Sultan, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Bhaduri, Danny, Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab, Mithun Chakraborty, Tom Alter, Naseeruddin Shah, Satish Shah and countless others - is testament to what Murari created, cultivated and nurtured. The biographical promise is two-fold: One, to chart and explore Murari's professional life, from his time as a young science enthusiast forced into earning a living as a deputy superintendent in the Central Excise Department, to his divergence into the then-unexplored field of cinematography, to him ultimately finding his calling in documentary films, academics, administration; and two, to elucidate his strength of character in working astutely within the confines of sarkari policies, subverting proverbial red tape. Chadha employs a popular narrative style, organising the material thematically but anchoring it to a standard chronological progression. This allows the reader to follow the developments of events and the introductions of numerous individuals easily. The book is divided into four major sections: Murari's Early Years, Founding Period of the Film Institute, Apex and Challenges of the FTII, and Later Life following his tenure. Chapter One is dedicated to Murari's formative years, detailing his upbringing and education in Patna, followed by specialised cinema studies at the University of Southern California, including a high-intensity internship under Orson Welles, observing the filming of Macbeth in 21 days flat. The chapter concludes with his return, marriage, over a decade of filmmaking with Films Division, and his pivotal professional transition to FII, Poona, in 1961. Here, one might note that an interesting aspect of Murari's career, the departure from collecting government revenue to cinema studies, was a historical disruption. The coveted Civil Services, an ambition of so many, eluded him as the exams had been suspended for some time. In 1945, the government of India was planning to send 1,000 students abroad for an "advanced course in technical and scientific subjects". During the interview, the only subject left was Cinematography. Murari had no other option. Chapter Two is the stuff of dreams, and offers essential primary data for the cinephile. It captures the genesis of FII, detailing the indispensable involvement of the foundational personalities from ministry and industry, including Satyajit Ray; the short, highly volatile, but extremely influential tenure of Ritwik Ghatak; the onboarding of the charismatic Roshan Taneja, the acknowledged guru of acting whose feet Shabana Azmi touched out of reverence; and more. It takes the reader into a world that is so far and yet so near and dear. One visualises the transformation of the vast grounds of Prabhat Studios into a full-fledged acting institute. Images of Asrani's camaraderie near the wisdom tree, Subhash Ghai rattling off dialogue, Ghatak walking around the campus, and so much more spring to mind. The next chapter functions as a critical continuation, charting the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII's) growth and consequential operational turbulence, leading to Murari's transfer to the Films Division in December 1971. The chapter is about egos surfacing, clashes becoming routine, and student strikes becoming almost a norm. The section introduces new characters and elevates previously peripheral individuals, such as Satish Bahadur, the acknowledged film appreciation expert at FTII, whose profound admiration of Ray is depicted as an academic advantage on the one hand and something of a liability on the other. The last chapter chronicles Murari being pushed from one government unit to another, his return to FTII, and his subsequent calling it a day. This is followed by his entrepreneurial tenure, including his work as a documentary filmmaker post-retirement. This was a much-needed book that dispels a few myths. Chadha explores and unveils the unknown Murari, as well as his compassionate side, and provides detailed information about his work for FTII and the Films Division. Her research is extensive, and has been painstakingly catalogued, serving as a strong reference for future work. The writing style is accessible, though the tone could have been more humorous given that Jagat Murari himself was known for his almost-belly-shaking, uninhibited laughter. A few editing lapses, including misspellings of well-documented proper nouns - for example of Salil Chowdhury (not Chaudhary) and Basu Chatterji (not Chatterjee) - and redundant contextual recurrence occasionally impede the narrative. All in all, it is a pleasure to read The Maker of Filmmakers, which also features some extremely rare photographs, including one of Gina Lollobrigida in a sari. I would have bought this excellent book just for that....