Royal paints

Raja Ravi Varmas birth anniversary has seldom been subjected to arty celebrations.

Raja Ravi Varmas birth anniversary has seldom been subjected to arty celebrations. But the people behind Rang Rasiya,the movie on the Travancore prince-artist,had reasons to remind the world that 161 candles were due for him on April 29.

We wanted to celebrate his art, said producer Anand Mahendroo,who got together the films team,including Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen,and the art fraternity on The Oberoi rooftop on Wednesday. The event also marked the culmination of the Rang Rasiya: Freedom of Expression Art Competition that was conducted to discover young talent.

The top three were chosen from a shortlist of 75 artists,selected from over 10,000 entries. We asked the participants to interpret a Ravi Varma work in their art, said Mahendroo. Delhi-based Ruchin Soni,28,who shared the first prize and Rs 2.5 lakh with Mumbaikar Sohail Belani,said,Competitions like this help increase the confidence of artists and it was nice to interpret a Ravi Varma work. His acrylic on canvas 40 rupees per kg,based on Ravi Varmas Lady With Fruit,will be displayed along with the works of 45 other participants in exhibitions in Kolkata,Chennai,Mumbai and Delhi. While Mahendroo hopes to make the art competition an annual feature,he is also gearing up for the release of the movie: We hope to release it as soon as the strike is called off.

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