Several years ago,Australian filmmaker Lesley Branagan picked up a magazine and flipped through its pages. One story held her attention. I stood there at the newsagents,reading through the profile of an extraordinary woman called Robyn Beeche. I couldnt put down the magazine until Id finished all 10 pages, she says. With the instinct of an accomplished filmmaker,Branagan knew she had hit upon her next subject. What she hadnt bargained for was that the film she planned would take more than six years to complete. On Tuesday,A Life Exposed,was screened at Alliance Francaise with Beeche in the audience. I am moved by stories about the triumph of the human spirit. These truimphs may not be of world scale but they need to be celebrated all the same, says Branagan. With mehendi spiralling down her hands and the hint of a teeka on her forehead,she could be mistaken for a tourist enjoying the Delhi autumn. In reality,Branagan has only one thing in common with foreign visitors she can tell extraordinary stories about India because there is no lack of inspiration to spark the imagination here. A Life Exposed begins with the whirlpool of Londons counter-culture scene of the 1980s. Beeche was a renowned photographer then,shooting groundbreaking photos of painted bodies,working with icons such as Zandra Rhodes and Vivienne Westwood,and creating new ground rules. Then,she took a leap of faith and threw it all up for a life of seva and bhakti in an ashram in Vrindavan. A lot of people wish they could do that but they just talk about it, says Branagan. For the past 25 years,Beeche has lived in Vrindavan,documenting its people,places and rituals. It isnt difficult to guess why Beeche allowed Branagan to film her life. She probably realised that I would understand her spiritual side, says Branagan,who has an India story of her own. My grandfather and great grandfather were a part of colonial India so,during my travels in India,I used to feel like an apologist for colonialism, she says. She first came to India 20 years ago,slept in trains and stations and experienced India ground-up. She has made radio documentaries on subjects ranging from aghori sadhus to housing problems in Mumbai. Another film on India,Woman Power,looks at village womens empowerment programme. Coming up is a documentary on Gurgaon. Itll be experimental and my interpretation of dystopian predictions of the future, she says. Branagan presents Beeches inner story through images of the past such as a model being body-painted in golden colour,and the present Beeche in Vrindavan in a sari,shooting Holi festivities and other events. I found a tension point through the visuals as well as the story of transformation. Robyn worked with painted bodies,illusions,transformations and androgyny in London as a photographer. These were themes that she could explore in India as well,especially in the painted bodies during Holi,but with deeper meaning and purpose, says Branagan. From the strong colour and polished editing to the changing pace of the film,A Life Exposed transports the audience into the different worlds of London and Vrindavan. Video footage alternates with still images depending on whether we are looking at Beeche,or through her eyes. The film was a finalist at the 2013 Australian Arts in Asia Awards,among other festivals.
