The impishness of playing with a bamboo reed and his tantrakari (technical) style of Hindustani classical music has made Pt Hariprasad Chaurasias contribution to the world of flute and music iconic. This artistry is something his son Rajeev has lived with. While growing up and travelling with his father,Rajeev had seen the impact of this instrument on people. He was dad,but since he had been put on a pedestal by his audience,I felt a sense of awe and reverence, says Rajeev,co-founder of Explore Travel Channel. There were moments that enraptured peoples heart and soul as Rajeev saw them well up,fall to his fathers feet and refer to him as Lord Krishnas avatar. It was surreal, says Rajeev,who has now directed Bansuri Guru,a chronological telling of one of the most loved musicians of India. The film,which has been produced by the Films Division of India,will release on April 12 through PVRs Directors Rare. One of the last films to come out on celluloid,Bansuri Guru focuses on the seven decades of Chaurasias life through interviews and reconstructions. The writing was on the wall. When a person has such an expansive repertoire of work,the idea to do this was always there, says Rajeev,who decided to direct the film after he figured that it will be hard for any director to know him beyond information off the internet. I had to be rooted and not glorify things. I was to tell a story and use various cinematic idioms. The advantage was that I could push the envelope,withstand the reactions and anger,and be touched by the beautiful moments at the same time, he says. For someone born into a family of pehelwans (wrestlers),Chaurasias growing up years were spent in physical exercise. In an akhada,run by his father with an iron hand,life for Chaurasia was all about knocking down his opponents,complemented by a rich diet of milk and butter. But what Chaurasias father did not know was that in the afterhours,his son was using his lung power to coax the notes out of a small bamboo flute. This art form would change his life and include flute in the repertoire of Indian classical music the way it had never existed before. He didnt perform his flute by way of vocal or the khayal style. He included the lengthy alaaps,the jhala,the tihais he brought the quality of a sitar and a sarod in the flute,which is a huge contribution to the world of classical music, says Ut Zakir Hussain in the film. After his wrestling stint followed by being a typist for Rs 85 a month in Varanasi,Chaurasia moved to Bhubaneswar where he began working with All India Radio. It was here that Bollywood cast its attention on him and Chaurasia played iconic tunes in music director,Madan Mohans projects. Along with Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma as the music duo Shiv-Hari they teamed up for films such as Silsila,Lamhe and Chandni. Sharma calls Chaurasia his soulmate. The film discusses Chaurasias relationship with his guruma Annapurna Devi,daughter of Ustad Alauddin Khan,who refused to teach Chaurasia for three years. She said she played the surbahar and couldnt teach the flute. I told her I was there to learn music, says Chaurasia. Devi finally agreed and thus began his journey of learning the intricacies of Hindustani music which brought to the fore his technique in playing an instrument known to have existed in Indian mythology and mostly folk music. The film,however,does not touch upon the relationships between Chaurasias first wife Kamala and his second wife Anuradha,a fact Rajeev has chosen to leave out. The narration by Amitabh Bachchan in the beginning and in the end does grab ones attention. A decent debut venture,the film pulls at ones heartstrings in the second half but the reconstructions fail to create an impact that a film on a legend like Chaurasia should. I want this film to be a great cinematic experience and not be one of those films on classical musicians that releases in a small auditorium as a powerpoint presentation, says Rajeev.
