Artists on Film

In 2007,Anupa Mehta — an independent art consultant,curator,writer and manager of the arts space The Loft in Lower Parel — authored a book titled India 20. This book featured interviews with 20 important Indian artists,and although it took a relatively comprehensive look at their work,it prompted her to think of a series of films that would serve the same purpose,but in greater detail. The first of these films was completed two years ago — directed by photographer and filmmaker Nrupen Madhvani,who also shot the photographs that feature in India 20 — and will be screened for the first time on Saturday evening at the National Centre for Performing Arts,Nariman Point.

“I thought of the possibility of making films that could be used in galleries and museums for educational purposes,” says Mehta. Being Peripheral,therefore,has been shot with the aim of making it accessible to everyone. “For me,the script is about accessibility to the critical viewer,while at the same time,it’s not only for people interested in criticising,” she says.

Lack of funds delayed the release of the film for two years. That’s also the reason why shooting for the other 12 films in the series has not begun yet.

The film begins with a view of Parthan,sitting on a chair,talking about his art,much of which is visible around him. The scene then cuts to his studio,where a number of people — including critic Ranjit Hoskote,artist Pritish Nandy and Sangeeta Chopra of Art Musings gallery — talk about the artist. Although it is Mehta’s questions to the artist that lead him to talk about the various subjects that are discussed during the course of the film,she doesn’t feature in it in any manner. It ends on a more personal note,with Parthan travelling back to his hometown of Kottayam in Kerala. “There’s so much about Parthan that wouldn’t have been included in a catalogue or a book,and so much about his personal and artistic life that wouldn’t otherwise be known,” says Mehta.

The proposed films aim to explore these aspects of contemporary artists. In Chopra’s opinion,the first firm has managed to encompass these. “It is a very rounded view of the artist and his life,” she says. “The various people that have been spoken to are all very varied in their thought processes and have a number of different points of view.” The idea of making these films,she believes,was long overdue and should be explored.