Art on Screen

His recent film Haathi Ka Anda,however,moves away from art and focuses on football. For art historian Naman Ahuja’s documentary on studio potter and painter Devi Prasad,the camera was placed on a tripod as the two sat before it talking. “This was part of an oral history programme initiated by the Nehru Foundation so we were following their strict format of a talking archive. It is not really a documentary. Having said that the funding and interest in programming for the arts on television and film leaves a lot to be desired,” says Ahuja.

Even big budget films like MF Husain’s Meenaxi-A Tale of Three Cities did not make big bucks at the box office. Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya (Colours of Passion),made in 2008,has done well at film festivals but not reached the multiplexes due to censorship issues.

“While making Rang Rasiya,one knew that this was going to be an arthouse film that would not be watched by the masses. It was,however,a labour of love since we spent almost a year researching on the artist and designing for the film,” says Mehta,who angered the censorship board by his portrayals of nudity in the film.

Owais Husain,who is currently working on two films — the documentary on M F Husain and an abstract arthouse production — says,“The latter is my first feature and is very abstract. It shows how Man constantly looks for a reflection of himself. When he fails to find it in the products around him,he turns to Nature. I am guessing that this film is not going to release anywhere in cinemas but I may show it at my upcoming solo.”