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That particular sight, which unfolded at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the recently concluded World Cup Final was not related to cricket. India was pitted against Australia in the 50-over final of the tournament. 

Asha Bhosle at Ninety

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This is the third and final article in the three part series by academic and film aficionado V Vijayakumar on three masterpieces of Mrinal Sen, a towering  luminary in the Indian film world.

Mrinal Da’s Camera: Three Distinct Gazes (Part 03)

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg" alt="images-71.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_71_bb7419cc16.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">The eminent Hindustani (North Indian Classical) vocalist, Ustad Rashid Khan, passed away yesterday at the very young age of 55. He was suffering from prostate cancer and died of complications. His death is yet another reminder of the specter of cancer that hangs over all of us.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Indeed, cancer is, as Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee put it, the emperor of all maladies. We don’t know enough to know how to prevent it, and any of us can be cruelly struck down by it at any time. Maybe such illnesses are needed to keep us humble. For, death is the only certainty in life, and none can tell when they will have to go.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:720px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25933" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25933"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg" alt="Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter-e1704880520781.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 106w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 338w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 507w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_Screenshot_20240110_145954_Twitter_e1704880520781_a2854f266b.jpg 675w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25933">Ustad Rashid Khan receiving Padma Bhushan</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">As the immortal line in the Hindi movie “Anand” goes, “Babu Moshai, zindagi aur maut upar waale ke haath hai, Jahanpanah! Usey na toh aap badal sakte hai na main! Hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hai Jinki dor upar waale ki ungliyon mein bandhi hai Kab, kaun, kaise uthega, ye koi nahin bata sakta hai.”!<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">(Babu Moshai, Life and death are in the hands of God, the one above us. You cannot change it, nor can I. We are all puppets in the show, which are controlled by the fingers of the one above.)<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Nothing illustrates the truth of this statement than the suddenness with which cancer takes away people. But there is another line in the same movie that is also immortal: “Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin.” Meaning, “Life should be large, not long.” And by this standard, Rashid Khan certainly lived large, though he may not have lived long.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg" alt="800px-Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 156w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_800px_Ustad_rashid_kan_bharat_bhavan_bhopal_6d038cc6b0.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">My first exposure to the Ustad was in 1993, when I heard a recording of his, of rag Yaman, on the India Archive Music label. He was just 24 at the time, and not yet an Ustad, and the recording was released a couple of years earlier, in 1991. I was simply blown away by his tayyari. Even though I have not heard that recording in years, I can never forget it, especially the drut cheez, which is etched in my mind – “Aao aao aao balma.” The tayyari on display was amazing.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Ustad Rashid Khan was the flag bearer of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana (school) of Hindustani vocal music, having learned from his uncle, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, and from his grand-uncle, the Khalifa (head) of the gharana, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan. With this kind of musical pedigree, and his inborn incredible talent, Rashid Khan quickly rose to become one of the foremost contemporary singers of Hindustani classical music.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:740px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25932" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25932"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg" alt="images-72.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_72_183910c9e1.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25932">Ustad Rashid Khan performing (on right)</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The great doyen of Hindustani vocal music, arguably the greatest vocalist of our times, the late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, after listening to one of Rashid Khan’s inspired performances, said that the future of Hindustani music was safe in Rashid Khan’s hands. The comparisons to Bhimsen Joshi must certainly have inspired Rashid Khan. One just had to hear his absolutely brilliant rendition of the famous drut khayal in rag Multani, “nainan mein aan ban, kaunsi pari re,” and compare with with the definitive rendition by the great Bhimsen. It is an incandescent performance and tells you why Rashid Khan will be remembered as an all-time great.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:771px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_25938" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-25938"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg" alt="Bhimsen-Joshi-768x512.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Bhimsen_Joshi_768x512_9472a0e893.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-25938">Pandit Bhimsen Joshi</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Rashid Khan excelled not only in the serious performance of Hindustani vocal, in the form known as khayal, but also in the light classical form known as Thumri. As with any performance of Rashid Khan, once you hear something by him, you never forget it. Such was the case with a thumri I heard decades ago, but still remember, in rag Kirwani, “Tore bina nahin chain, Brij ke nandlala.” The emotion he brings to the line “paiyyaan padhoon, binati karoon, daar gale maala” has to be heard to be believed.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Sadly, the Ustad is gone, but he leaves behind his son, Armaan Rashid Khan, who is himself a fine young musician. I recently had the opportunity to listen to him as I was preparing for a performance of rag puriya dhanashree, and listened to a fine rendition of “payaliya jhankar,” after listening to the same cheez, sung by his father. The tradition will live on.

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The eminent Hindustani (North Indian Classical) vocalist, Ustad Rashid Khan, passed away yesterday at the very young age of 55. He was suffering from prostate

Ustad Rashid Khan: Living Life Large

<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="auto"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/25th_Feb_24_a_copy_770x470_aa2b396ee8.jpg" alt="25th-Feb-24-a-copy-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_25th_Feb_24_a_copy_770x470_aa2b396ee8.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_25th_Feb_24_a_copy_770x470_aa2b396ee8.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_25th_Feb_24_a_copy_770x470_aa2b396ee8.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Receiving a query, as he so often was from all of us, he always chose to build his answer like a sand castle at the edge of a sea, shaping it smidgen by smidgen. Those words and gestures reflected a quintessential Kumar Shahani, as known to movie devotees across the world. Kumar did this without striving to compress any part of his thought into an incontrovertible finish, seeking, instead, the various forces around – whether they be an unexpected gust of wind, an unruly wave or our usually delayed perception of the perspectives he was proposing – to come to his aid.</div><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:396px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_26709" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26709"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/unnamed_a6b4a34d3c.png" alt="unnamed.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_unnamed_a6b4a34d3c.png 233w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-26709">Kumar Shahani with actor Dhritiman Chatterjee.</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">He made us put our hands in the sand with him and add to his lines and contours, reassemble what might have collapsed, or what always brought the dimpled smile to his face. All this would lead to the start of a process constructing another fabulation to accompany his improvisation.<hr><blockquote style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(244, 244, 244);border-left-color:!important;border-left-width:0px;border-radius:10px;border-right-color:!important;border-right-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:23px !important 0px;orphans:2;overflow:hidden;padding:50px 50px 45px !important;position:relative;text-align:center;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;z-index:1;">Kumar Shahani (7 December 1940 – 25 February 2024) was an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for his offbeat films such as&nbsp;Maya Darpan&nbsp;(1972),&nbsp;Tarang (1984),&nbsp;Khayal Gatha&nbsp;(1989) and&nbsp;Kasba (1990).Kumar Shahaji’s first feature—Maya Darpan&nbsp;-earned reputation as one of&nbsp;Indian cinema’s first formalist films. His dedication to formalism evoked comparisons from critics and film enthusiasts with filmmakers such as&nbsp;Pier Paolo Pasolini,&nbsp;Andrei Tarkovsky&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jacques Rivette. He was also known as a teacher and theorist of cinema, whose essays The Shock of Desire and Other Essays, comprising 51 essays, was published by Tulika Books in 2015.</blockquote><hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">It always seemed to me, whether we were in the class at FTII or on a shoot in Himachal or on one of our walks in Geneva when I invited him to come spend a couple of weeks with my students, that his attempt was to make his conjurations change as the light changes during the day. That is, inclined at dawn to resuscitate, at dusk it might bring languor, and the light descending hard atop at noon to propose a short lull.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:340px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_26715" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26715"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/movies_e1708844636903_52149e94ff.png" alt="movies-e1708844636903.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_movies_e1708844636903_52149e94ff.png 215w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-26715">Kumar Shahani Films</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The changing light and its colors changes what we believe we saw a moment ago, changes our reveries, our desires. His conjuring of a past might have had its source in a river fecund with a possible nation and, before our eyes, steadily transformed into the ardour of a tarana. The present might emerge as a nude in blue suspended above or is it within the color red, the colors as much to redeem as to denounce us. And the future, perhaps a woman at a panel of windows that overlook distant mountains.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:338px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_26708" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-26708"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/movies_e1708844585877_aa6808b244.png" alt="movies-e1708844585877.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_movies_e1708844585877_aa6808b244.png 213w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-26708">Kumar Shahani Films</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Kumar had a way of pausing the gesture of one of his hands in mid-air, the gesture neither a sign nor a signal, but a track, like that of an animal in mud, evoking a weight as well as a rhythm, a suggestion of a pattern, a life, a journey, a direction – all unsettled again as the gesture continued its dance. When one left him, one took along an experience of uncertainty that, somehow, was never debilitating. Instead, like a moment of caesura in a bandish, it offered innumerable directions. That, to me, was the finest gift he left to us. And so tenderly.

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Kumar Shahani- The Tender Gesture

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Ae_watan_01_1_770x470_88e39b006e.jpg" alt="Ae-watan-01-1-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Ae_watan_01_1_770x470_88e39b006e.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Ae_watan_01_1_770x470_88e39b006e.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Ae_watan_01_1_770x470_88e39b006e.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">I normally do not write on films. But “Ae Watan Mere Watan” is such a special movie that it deserves some extraordinary interventions and appeals. The film has been released on Amazon Prime Video. It has been written by Darab Farooqui, a close friend and associate in the realm of ideas and ideological preferences. Kanan Iyer is the director of the movie.<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LIq144fT4c4" title="Ae Watan Mere Watan - Official Trailer | Prime Video India" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>The film is inspired by the story of “Congress Radio” of 1942 and the struggle of Usha Mehta in setting it up and sustaining it. In this film, Ram Manohar Lohia appears in a very important role on screen for the first time in the history of Indian cinema. The film is indeed historical, but this is a very important film for our times too! This film gives us the words and ideas to address our contemporary challenges. But more than that it gives us hope and self-confidence.<figure class="wp-caption alignnone" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto 10px;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:690px;" id="attachment_27179" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27179"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/usha_mehta_sixteen_nine_3_cf7a67c6ab.jpg" alt="usha_mehta-sixteen_nine-_3.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_usha_mehta_sixteen_nine_3_cf7a67c6ab.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_usha_mehta_sixteen_nine_3_cf7a67c6ab.jpg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-27179">Usha Mehta and Sara Ali Khan playing as Usha Mehta in the movie</figcaption></figure>Many scenes of the film are mirrors of today’s world. You will feel as if you are watching today’s film and not that of 1942. The situation the country is going through today is indeed similar to the one that existed during the British era. The very same dictatorship, cruelty and inhumanity.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:300px;" id="attachment_27189" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27189"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_49_e814c502d6.jpeg" alt="images-49.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_49_e814c502d6.jpeg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-27189">Ram Manohar Lohia</figcaption></figure>Make sure that not only you but your entire family watches this movie. In this time marked by false and malicious propaganda, this film will impart in you courage, energy and patience in many ways. This is our film. It is a film of our thinking, a film of our hopes, a film of our struggle, a film of our ideology. It is our responsibility to take its message across India and the globe.</div></div>

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“Ae Watan Mere Watan” – A Brief Introduction to the film by Yogendra Yadav

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Reputed filmmaker Kumar Shahani, who passed away on February 24, 2024, was remembered and his contributions to the art world in general and cinema in particular were highlighted at a gathering hosted by his friends on March 31, 2024. The AIDEM presents excerpts from the function. Here senior journalist Sashi Kumar and filmmaker Shaji N Karun talk about Shahani.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Sashi Kumar, veteran journalist and Chairman of the Asian College of Journalism, and Shaji N Karun, filmmaker and Chairman of Kerala Film Development Corporation point out how Kumar Shahani represented both epic cinema as well as an inherent and consistent quest in the realm of the digital, which made him a classicist who probed the possibilities of the new age in multiple ways.

Kumar Shahani: From the Epic in Cinema to the Inherent Quest of the Digital

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The AIDEM continues the memorial series of conversations and speeches on reputed filmmaker Kumar Shahani, who passed away on February 24, 2024.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Here, Paul Zacharia, renowned writer and Dr. Rimli Bhattacharya Professor, author and friend of Kumar Shahani talk about the humanistic, creative and political personalities of epic filmmaker.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">These presentations were made at a gathering held on March 31, 2024 at Thiruvananthapuram.

"Dreamer, Democrat, Secularist" - The Many Facets of Kumar Shahani

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_10_09_T110153_124_c54ac162fa.jpeg" alt="images-2024-10-09T110153.124.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_10_09_T110153_124_c54ac162fa.jpeg 231w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_10_09_T110153_124_c54ac162fa.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">The raging question raised by National Award-winning filmmaker and writer Joshy Joseph is “why is Aribam Syam Sharma being brushed under the carpet when it comes to selecting a film celebrity for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award”? Is it because Sharma is from the North East, an area marginalized deliberately by all and sundry linked to prestigious awards in the country? Or, is it because he prefers to live a low-key life away from the hullabaloo of celebrity circuses rampant in the media? Perhaps, it is a blend of both considering that he has been kept away from the Dadasaheb Phalke Award though he has won 19 National Awards and umpteen international awards over time.Joshy Joseph has taken great pains to make a long documentary on the filmmaker titled, “Aribam Syam Sharma- Laparoscopic cinema” [<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://youtu.be/jLfktXJFmK8?si=uuwBut-Nh4wpKwxM">watch here</a>], which, according to Joseph “is an attempt to locate this philosopher-storyteller in the universe of cinema today.” Joshy raises the question that if the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is not bestowed on Aribam Syam Sharma, now 88 years old, when will it be bestowed to him? Or will it ever occur to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to give him the award?<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:640px;" id="attachment_30159" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30159"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/3_Knq_Jl34_IE_Skug_ESW_8e_Usk_b0152c1265.jpg" alt="3KnqJl34IESkugESW8eUsk.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_3_Knq_Jl34_IE_Skug_ESW_8e_Usk_b0152c1265.jpg 235w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_3_Knq_Jl34_IE_Skug_ESW_8e_Usk_b0152c1265.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_3_Knq_Jl34_IE_Skug_ESW_8e_Usk_b0152c1265.jpg 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_3_Knq_Jl34_IE_Skug_ESW_8e_Usk_b0152c1265.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30159">Director Joshy Joseph</figcaption></figure>Aribam Syam Sharma has won six National Awards as Best Director of feature films spanning 1977 to 2013. In 1991, he got the award for Best Producer for the film Inshanou which also fetched him the Best Director Award. Joshy has managed to use clips from some of Sharma’s old films such as Ishanou within his documentary. He bagged the Best Non-Feature film award nine times from 1990 to 2013 under different categories such as The Deer on the Lake in the Best Environment/Preservation category in 1990, Indigenous Games of Manipur in the Best Exploration/Adventure Film (Including Sports) in 1991 and Thang-Ta – Martial Arts of Manipur in The Best Cultural Film Category in 2000. And the list goes on. As if this is not enough, he has bagged three National Awards in the Non-Fiction category as Best Producer. In 1991, 1999 and 2013, he won the National Award in two different categories. One wonders if this is a record for a single person winning National Awards over 36 long years which is proof of the man’s tenacity, determination and excellence.Aribam Syam Sharma “obtained a Masters Degree in Philosophy from Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. He is a philosopher. He searches for the aesthetic values of every object and understands it thoroughly. And it reflects into his films. Interlacing the aesthetics into a story or a subject, he makes remarkable films. He has also mastered the finest nuances of Manipuri music both as a singer and a musician. In the field of theatre he has proved his mastery as director and actor; and in the field of literature as short story writer and lyricist. Aribam is a multi-faceted personality possessing multiple qualities! Emerging as a genius in Indian cinema, he is recognized internationally,” writes Meghachandra Kongbam, who has made a documentary on this man who is forever concerned about the Manipuri identity which covers the languages of the State, the culture, its music, theatre and its arts. Besides his own mother- tongue, Meitei, he knows English and Hindi, and can speak Bengali fluently. The deepest impression he carries about Indian cinema is in Ritwik Ghatak’s Ajantrik, a story about a small town taxi driver and his close and strange relationship with his jalopy, Jagaddal, which is running out of steam.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:640px;" id="attachment_30160" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30160"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/640px_Aribam_Syam_Sharma_Working_Photo_fa0f5c5e60.jpg" alt="640px-Aribam_Syam_Sharma_Working_Photo.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_640px_Aribam_Syam_Sharma_Working_Photo_fa0f5c5e60.jpg 216w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_640px_Aribam_Syam_Sharma_Working_Photo_fa0f5c5e60.jpg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30160">Aribam Syam Sharma at work</figcaption></figure>Manipuri cinema celebrated 50 years of existence in 2022. The first full feature film, “Matamgi Manipur” was completed and screened in 1972. But it was “Imagi Ningthem” 10 years later which heralded on the global arena the arrival of a brave new world of Manipuri Cinema. Even as “Imagi Ningthem” completed its 40th year last year, and in celebration of Manipur’s first step into the celluloid world 10 years earlier, Joshy Joseph and his team completed a retrospect on Aribam Syam Sharma, the veteran film maker and virtuoso who is not only the director of “Imagi Ningthem” but also has been the tallest captain of this artistic enterprise in Manipur.Aribam is a man of few words. He avoids crowds including the media and chooses to keep to himself as much as he can. This is perhaps justified considering that the media has kept him away from its spotlight because it remains ignorant of the contribution of this great filmmaker to the cinema of India over many years.Aribam Syam Sharma stepped into the world of cinema as an actor, appearing in the first ever Manipuri film, Matamgi Manipur (1972). He made his directorial debut in 1980 with Olangthagee Wangmadasoo (Even Beyond the Summer Horizon), which has the distinction of being the longest-running film in Manipuri history, having a theatrical run that lasted more than thirty weeks, breaking the local box office records of Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:48.24%;"><img style="aspect-ratio:undefined/undefined;" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Olangthagee_Wangmadasoo_Manipuri_Film_Poster_27348a9a8a.jpg" alt="Olangthagee_Wangmadasoo_Manipuri_Film_Poster.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Olangthagee_Wangmadasoo_Manipuri_Film_Poster_27348a9a8a.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure>Joseph says, “I have used a clip each from his two films ’Imagi Ningthem’ and ‘Ishanou’ very sparingly in my film for furthering his aesthetics which is very personal and very rooted too in Manipuri culture. These telling illustrations of a very individual style of a filmmaker expressing through an actor’s entire body is a different take on cinema. He may not yield to the demands of cinema to use a close-up. His ‘technique’ of storytelling is primarily determined by the specifics of his culture. The ‘technological’ demands of cinema are willfully submitted to that of a broader primordial philosophic premise.”Joshy considers biographical documentaries are storehouses of unique stories for cinema. He has done a long documentary on Mahsweta Devi and one on Niraj Mahapatra, the noted filmmaker and cinema teacher from Odisha. He states that he had applied different cinematic styles to each of them. The one on Aribam Syam Sharma is the latest. done a couple of them applying different cinematic styles.Says Joshy, “the most challenging task is to get a biographical film to pulsate with a life of its own.. The camera is a spoiler and it is almost impossible to make a person remain in his/her own elements when the camera is around. You have to develop a rapport over a period of time with whom you make a film and simultaneously annihilate your shooting unit with some kind of black magic. There comes a chance for you to get into a love-hate playfulness with the person in front of your camera.”<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_10_09_T110210_698_8051d994b7.jpeg" alt="images-2024-10-09T110210.698.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_10_09_T110210_698_8051d994b7.jpeg 216w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_10_09_T110210_698_8051d994b7.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Joshy has steered away from detailing the biographical details of Aribam Syam Sharma’s life as this has already been covered very well by Haobam Paban Kumar as a tribute to his Guru.For the uninitiated, it would help to know that Aribam Syam Sharma lost both his parents at a tender age. His uncle and aunt brought him up and perhaps, so many years later, the pain of loss still seeps through the interview Joshy had with him during the shooting of the film. But one does not really know as he is a very, very private person and does not open out easily about his childhood, his growth, his life, and even, his cinema. When the reality of the loss comes back to him and the emotional turmoil this may have led to, it seems as if a play is being staged.Says Joshy, “I could persuade Aribam Syam Sharma into a kind of in-depth dialogue. I was planning a more or less conventional visual journey at that time. I did not view the footage for quite some years and when I gathered enough courage to experiment on the form, I decided to disarm myself from the visual flourish and confined myself to the contours of his face. I used exactly the opposite idiom in cinema which Syam Sharma himself abhorred. The camera surveys him through a close-up basically, keeping any frilling to the bare minimum. Syam Sharma was not quite convinced about my ‘counter-contour-cinema’. Then he saw the final film himself. His long association with my editor Atish Nandy helped us construct a collective idiomatic audacity. This film ideally should act as a textbook on culture specific cinemas of India.”<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_10_09_T110159_722_8b71d4f77b.jpeg" alt="images-2024-10-09T110159.722.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_10_09_T110159_722_8b71d4f77b.jpeg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_10_09_T110159_722_8b71d4f77b.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">The film is divided into six chapters, each one exploring through long dialogue with the director Joshy, Sharma opens up beautifully. “I had sent the rough cut to Syam Sharma who kept on watching it every night as a kind of ritual for almost a month. He had just one creative suggestion to make which was incorporated in the final film. Editor Atish Nandy and myself are keeping those mutterings from Imphal to ourselves. In retrospect, it appears that we were hit by an asteroid named Aribam Syam Sharma,” Joshy sums up. But to get a closer view, you need to watch the film.<hr>Watch the documentary film based on the life of Aribam Syam Sharma below:<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jLfktXJFmK8" title="ARIBAM SYAM SHARMA Laparoscopic Cinemascapes" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></div>

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Why is Aribam Syam Sharma Neglected When Mithun Chakraborty Gets Phalke Award

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_11_12_T164943_335_ceaa25fbf6.jpeg" alt="images-2024-11-12T164943.335.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_11_12_T164943_335_ceaa25fbf6.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_11_12_T164943_335_ceaa25fbf6.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">Money: society’s most coveted, scrutinised, and double-edged tool. It drives aspirations and ambitions, and yet, the path to it often tests our values. And yes, as ‘Bhaskhar’ says; Money is an even greater intoxicant than Cigarettes, Alcohol and Drugs!&nbsp;Venky Atluri’s “Lucky Baskhar” delves on this dynamic, exploring how financial pressure pushes an ordinary man to extraordinary lengths. The film dives into the chaos of Bombay’s stock market during the lead-up to the infamous 1992 securities scam—a scandal that recorded a saga of sorts marked by fortunes that were built and destroyed almost overnight. The heart of “Lucky Baskhar” lies in its protagonist’s moral descent, a man who crosses numerous ethical boundaries in his pursuit of wealth and the elusive stability it promises.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_11_12_T164016_091_1db72573aa.jpeg" alt="images-2024-11-12T164016.091.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_11_12_T164016_091_1db72573aa.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_11_12_T164016_091_1db72573aa.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">In the role of Bhaskar, Dulquer Salmaan delivers a nuanced and highly engaging performance. His portrayal captures the essence of a middle-class man who begins as an honest and unassuming bank cashier, caught in the whirlwind of his ambitions and the systemic failings of his time. Bhaskar’s story unfolds as a relatable tale of the “everyman” thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and it’s this relatability that grounds the film.From the outset, Dulquer Salmaan’s Bhaskar is a character to root for. He has a simple life with modest goals: to support his family and build a stable future. However, after a series of personal and financial misfortunes, Bhaskar’s life takes a drastic turn, leading him down a path marked by desperation and uncharacteristic moral compromises. The result is an incredible transformation, as Bhaskar’s internal conflict and growth become the emotional anchor for the film.Dulquer’s portrayal of Bhaskar is all about that charm-the kind that makes you smile even when you know he is being reckless. It’s what makes us root for him, even when he’s hustling his way through some morally grey territory. Bhaskar is never painted as a one-dimensional “good guy” or “bad guy”- instead, he is complex, conflicted, and fundamentally human. His decisions, often morally questionable, are presented within the realistic frame of his desperation to provide for his family.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:495px;" id="attachment_30575" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30575"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_2024_11_12_T163939_432_7fde72e9d3.jpeg" alt="images-2024-11-12T163939.432.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_2024_11_12_T163939_432_7fde72e9d3.jpeg 125w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_2024_11_12_T163939_432_7fde72e9d3.jpeg 400w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30575">Some images of the many facades of Bhaskar portrayed by Dulquer Salmaan in the movie</figcaption></figure>This provides a sense of empathy, even as he makes questionable choices, because he represents the quintessential middle-class man striving to break free from financial constraints.Meenakshi Chaudhary, stepping into the role of Sumathi, provides a steadying counterbalance. She’s the one who’s half cheering him on, half admonishing him when he’s in too deep a quagmire. Watching her wrestle with Baskhar’s antics is like watching someone with a friend who she can’t fully support but also can’t abandon. Sumathi’s scepticism and reluctant loyalty are gold – and without her, Bhaskhar’s antics would lose half their punch.In terms of visual storytelling, “Lucky Baskhar” shines. The film’s cinematography, helmed by Nimish Ravi, vividly captures the essence of Bombay in that era. His cinematography combines warm, muted tones and a slight grain effect that evokes the nostalgic feel of the late ’80s and early ’90s. From the crowded streets and iconic architecture to the distinct visual aesthetics of Bombay’s old financial districts, every shot immerses the audience in the past.GV Prakash Kumar’s musical score adds another layer of meaning to the film as well as its story and narration, particularly in his background compositions, which effectively underscore the tension and pace of the film. While the songs themselves may not leave a lasting impact once the credits roll, the background music aligns perfectly with the tone of the story.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:2048px;" id="attachment_30576" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30576"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/lucky_bhaskar_success_meet_Gallery_Set_1_12_1024x683_f11c0e11b3.jpg" alt="lucky-bhaskar-success-meet-Gallery-Set-1-12-1024x683.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_lucky_bhaskar_success_meet_Gallery_Set_1_12_1024x683_f11c0e11b3.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_lucky_bhaskar_success_meet_Gallery_Set_1_12_1024x683_f11c0e11b3.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_lucky_bhaskar_success_meet_Gallery_Set_1_12_1024x683_f11c0e11b3.jpg 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_lucky_bhaskar_success_meet_Gallery_Set_1_12_1024x683_f11c0e11b3.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30576">Cast and crew at the movie’s success meet</figcaption></figure>One of the film’s strong points is Atluri’s ability to demystify the complexities of the banking and stock market worlds. The plot deftly explains these elements in a way that is accessible to viewers without extensive knowledge of finance, making the film more universally appealing.“Lucky Baskhar” is both fast-paced and reflective. The narrative’s first half is marked by rapid plot developments and a sense of building tension as Bhaskar’s life slowly unravels. Some scenes, however, could have been given more space to breathe, especially those intended to add emotional weight.The second half of the film is where “Lucky Bhaskar” truly finds its rhythm, as Bhaskar’s character arc deepens and the story’s themes are explored more profoundly. In these scenes, Bhaskar’s transformation becomes palpable. No longer just an “honest man in a bad situation,” Bhaskar evolves into a figure willing to deceive and outmanoeuvre others to secure his position.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:531px;" id="attachment_30578" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30578"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/MV_5_B_Njlh_MD_Zm_Mm_Yt_Y_Tkw_Yi00_ZD_Mw_LW_Fk_ZT_Et_Z_Tcz_M_Ddl_Nm_Zl_MGQ_4_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gc_V1_c7e9fbff81.jpg" alt="MV5BNjlhMDZmMmYtYTkwYi00ZDMwLWFkZTEtZTczMDdlNmZlMGQ4XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_MV_5_B_Njlh_MD_Zm_Mm_Yt_Y_Tkw_Yi00_ZD_Mw_LW_Fk_ZT_Et_Z_Tcz_M_Ddl_Nm_Zl_MGQ_4_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gc_V1_c7e9fbff81.jpg 100w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_MV_5_B_Njlh_MD_Zm_Mm_Yt_Y_Tkw_Yi00_ZD_Mw_LW_Fk_ZT_Et_Z_Tcz_M_Ddl_Nm_Zl_MGQ_4_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gc_V1_c7e9fbff81.jpg 322w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_MV_5_B_Njlh_MD_Zm_Mm_Yt_Y_Tkw_Yi00_ZD_Mw_LW_Fk_ZT_Et_Z_Tcz_M_Ddl_Nm_Zl_MGQ_4_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gc_V1_c7e9fbff81.jpg 483w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-30578">The first look poster shared by Dulquer Salmaam in February 2024.</figcaption></figure>“The Wolf of Wall Street’s” Belfort’s memorable line, “Let me tell you something. There’s no nobility in poverty. I’ve been a rich man, and I’ve been a poor man. And I choose rich every time!” could very well echo in Baskhar’s mindset as he justifies his actions. Here, Dulquer Salmaan’s performance shines as he conveys the internal conflict of a man who once cherished family and integrity but now sees them as secondary to his financial success.Though “Lucky Bhaskar” is successful in many aspects, it is not without minor flaws. Certain moments feel slightly out of place, such as a humorous checkpost scene that disrupts the film’s otherwise intense tone. Since the writing ensures we are rooting for him at every step of the way, we aren’t really bothered about the missing answers to a bunch of questions.In all “Lucky Bhaskar” is a winner . The film instantly connects you to the world of Bhaskar and yes, who in the world would not emotionally connect when coming to the “money” factor, right !!?<hr>Watch the theatrical trailer for Lucky Bhaskar here:<div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FonKx5wvuHI" title="Lucky Baskhar Trailer | Dulquer Salmaan, MeenakshiChaudhary | Venky Atluri | GV Prakash | Naga Vamsi" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></div>

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Lucky Baskhar; An Ordinary man’s extraordinary journey to Unscalable Heights

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The Wonder Child of the World of Wonders

Malayalam (ml)

Tamil (ta)

English (en)

Hindi (hi)

Telugu (te)

Kannada (kn)

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Dancing To Her Tune

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An Unwritten National Autobiography

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_1_6258d15665.jpeg" alt="images-1.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">People who read literature in India knew him, MT Vasudevan Nair. Language was no hurdle for his works to reach out beyond the state borders of Kerala. While Malayali diaspora took a handful of nostalgia along to the places they went, a little bit of MT was also in that.Today, the big business of literature finds translators to translate anything that moves. All tetrapods of literature are given awards that stink of corporate imperialistic nexus. But MT belonged to a different era when blood recognised blood, genius recognised genius. He got translated not once but several times.Basheer, Takazhi and MT were the triumvirate that could transcend the borders and stand tall among the Indian modernist literature. Yes, MT’s literature also had a fair amount of auto-fiction but he hoodwinked it with the magic of text. He was a persuasive minimalist both in writing and in person.An unsmiling MT could generate generations of readers who could smile through tears. MT wrote about a collapsing social structure that divested the old feudal class with their ill-gotten properties. But their social capital remained intact and could exert a lot of influence among the readers by becoming the surrogate emotional ethos of a transition time of Kerala’s socio-political history.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:1196px;" id="attachment_31084" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31084"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg" alt="mt-1024x575.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31084">MT during his Interview with Sabha TV (Watch <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NttnjeaVqn0">Here</a>)</figcaption></figure>When society evolved into a different being altogether, MT turned to the treasure trove of myths and itihasas to eke out allegories that explained the pain of loss, of class, roots and love. His literature spat on the face of bigotry, whether it was religious or familial. He was so stoically poised in his literature that none could have challenged him and expelled him from the world of literature.MT’s literature spoke of love and separation as vehemently as he wrote about the changing social complexions. But he was not sentimental. There was something in his writing that touched some chord in every reader. Before initiating themselves into Ambedkarite politics, the Dalit ideologues also, in their torturous nights of youth, pined for MT’s characters.Those who call the modernists, Dad Vibes, have really lost the sight of the forest while focusing on shrubs and thicket. MT was a forest that moved, as in the great tragedies. He remained a serious writer while the post modernists fell in the trap of publishers and wrote lightning stories and became laughing stokes.MT remains, so is the MT critique. That’s the beauty of a great writer’s life and of course, death.</div></div>

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MT: A Forest that Moved

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An ‘Overture’ Stringing The Pope, Yesudas and the ‘Songster Chaplain’

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/1_cc9df0fe47.png" alt="വലതുപക്ഷവുമായുള്ള-സംവാദത്തിൻ്റെ-വ്യർത്ഥത-1.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_1_cc9df0fe47.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_1_cc9df0fe47.png 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">When old age shall this generation waste,Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woeThan ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.” (John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn)<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/6_904b2e9f2a.jpg" alt="6.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 147w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 470w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Siddharth Tagore, Founder Director of Delhi’s <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/artkonsultindia/photos">Art Konsult</a> Gallery is no more. He cannot be contained in such a cold statement, so matter of fact like death itself. Besides the gallery, he founded magazines such as Art and Deal, Travel and Deal and many other publications. Even when he knew that he wouldn’t make any profit out of the publications, he invested money in them because he knew art wouldn’t survive without the literature surrounding it.&nbsp;Yet another venture of Tagore’s was an auction house, namely Art Bull. The name was perfect for a bullish art market of the 2000s. But the glitch was this: Siddharth Tagore was not bullish. Nor was he bearish. He was cherubic, complete with a benign smile on his face and a burning cigarette between his fingers. Whenever I came out after having a meeting with him, I would ask myself, was he cut for this business?&nbsp;Tagore could have been a poet and dreamer like his internationally renowned namesake of yesteryears.. After the pandemic period I met Tagore after a gap of four years at the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre where Art Konsult had organized a group exhibition. After the inaugural function, I shook hands with him and I realized that his hands had lost the firm grip though the warmth remained. “I have not been keeping well,” he told me.&nbsp;<div class="gallery galleryid-31051 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px -8.96875px 0px;padding:0px;" id="gallery-1"><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg" alt="c-768x993.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 387w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 580w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg" alt="b-768x985.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 122w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 390w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 585w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/a_7888f94e4b.jpg" alt="a.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 385w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 577w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure></div>Then on another occasion, at the same gallery, I met him again, this time without the crowd. He preferred to wear a pair of fading blue jeans and white shirt, a reminder of those romantic 1970s when every youth in West Bengal dreamt of poetry, love and revolution. Jeans and Shirt were the uniform of love and revolution. I think, when Tagore came to Delhi as a young man, he carried those qualities along, plus his sense of dressing. Lovers in those days smoked rather constantly and drank Old Monk Rum.&nbsp;On that day when I met him, Tagore told me that he had quit smoking, which was news to me. I couldn’t have imagined the man without a cigarette between his fingers or at least a packet of cigarettes to fuss with. I understood the gravity of the situation.&nbsp;Then again, we met when Praveen Upadhyay of the Progressive Gallery at Laddo Sarai organized a talk session with art professionals that included Tagore, Prayag Shukla, Vinod Bharadwaj and myself. Tagore was supposed to talk about the art market. When the mike was handed over to him, he fussed with it for a while and said that he always wanted to make it big by promoting young artists, but somehow, he never made huge business.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:689px;" id="attachment_31054" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31054"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg" alt="7-768x511.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 235w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31054">Siddharth speaking to the media at Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>Then I remembered Tagore telling the same during the market boom years that lasted in India for around ten years starting from 2005 to 2015. In 2008, the world market had collapsed, but the Indian art market using its cunning and reserve withstood the pressures and dragged the impending failure for a few more years only to revive itself by the beginning of the third decade of the new millennium.&nbsp;Had Tagore acquired a penchant for failure despite his resilience in running a gallery, publications and an auction house for over three and a half decades ? Did he enjoy calling himself a failure in the art market? Was he romantically involved with the idea of failure even when he kept others who were with him in the business, floating? I don’t know for sure. But Tagore remained grounded and rooted; he tried his best to keep himself away from the nefarious market practices.&nbsp;There were a few people who stood with Tagore in his highs and lows (lows that lasted for not some months but for years together), never deserting him, following his orders. Prashant Seal and Rajula Bisht are two people I remember. These two people have been so close to his heart and even after his twin daughters joining him in the business, both Seal and Bisht never lost their position as the confidantes of Tagore. He loved them like family.&nbsp;I met Siddharth Tagore in 1995. He had started Art Konsult in Hauz Khas Village. Meena Tagore (now Meena Varma) was with him then. Late Vijayan Kannanpally was the editor of Art and Deal. With the growth of art scene, Tagore’s gallery also grew in stature. Art Konsult was one of the few A listed galleries in the city. Tagore took it to South Delhi’s art district, Laddo Sarai during the boom years and later relocated it to Hauz Khas again.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:562px;" id="attachment_31055" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31055"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg" alt="0-768x512.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31055">Siddharth Tagore with art critic and curator Jyoti A Kathpalia at the Art Konsult, New Delhi</figcaption></figure>It was in his Laddo Sarai phase that I joined him as the Editor of Art and Deal. It was the same when he decided to start Art Bull and Travel and Deal. I brought out around ten issues of Art and Deal between 2010 and 2013, with a gap in 2012 when I joined the United Art Logistics to establish the United Art Fair. Tagore literally lent me to the other organization with a promise that I could walk into the editor’s office at any time that I wanted. And I did go back.&nbsp;As a part of Tagore’s team, he gave me full freedom to edit the magazine and curate exhibitions. I curated a few shows and introduced a few new artists of which some are very reckonable names in today’s art scene. The exhibition ‘Merging/Submerging’ was a showcasing of contemporary photography art and ‘R.A.P.E’ (Rare Acts of Political Engagement), an all-woman show responding to the brutal murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi. This exhibition was a super hit and was discussed in all the print and television media. Art Bull did do a couple of exhibitions and auctions. I did not take much interest in it though Tagore hoped that his auction house could change the scenario and also break certain monopolies. Tagore also initiated an Art History Lecture series which I conducted on his behalf.&nbsp;Siddharth Tagore remained true to his calling. With a kind of detachment, he sponsored exhibitions that he knew well, would not bring any business. He was an avid collector of folk and tribal art and together with Meena Varma, he initiated an organization called ‘Art of the Earth’ for promoting the folk and tribal art of India, much before the ‘folkploitation’ of today’s art market became rampant. Tagore helped whoever came to him with a request for an exhibition or an immediate financial relief. &nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:640px;" id="attachment_31053" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31053"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg" alt="3-e1734762508660-669x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 102w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 327w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 490w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 653w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31053">Siddharth Tagore signing the <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amzn.in/d/4TijcgO">book</a> “Ganika- In the visual culture of the 19th-20th Century India” at the Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg" alt="4-560x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 85w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 273w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 410w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 547w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">When artists in Calcutta packed their wares and set out for Delhi, they knew Siddharth Tagore was there if nothing else worked (perhaps he was their primary destination), along with cigarettes and Old Monk Rum. He never discouraged the people who came to him with a clear intention to exploit. He was not cautious about relationships that brought him a fair amount of heartburn. As I said elsewhere, Tagore was a poet in his heart, with a heart ready to bleed for love and art.</div></div>

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