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EXPRESSION

In search of Raja Ravi Varma

A life in colours: Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen in “Rang Rasiya”.

Indian art, as revered and renowned the world over today, owes its illustrious journey to the pioneers who rebelled against societal and cultural norms to express freely what their artistic sensibilities wanted to. Raja Ravi Varma, the visionary arti st of the 19th century is one such maestro who redefined creative expression by bringing art out of the clutches of the aristocracy and the orthodox priestly class, thus making it an integral part of popular culture. In an ode to the changes brought about by this legendary artist and to know more about his life and time, Infinity Filmed Entertainment and Maya Movies have come up with “Rang Rasiya”, a film starring Nandana Sen and Randeep Hooda.

But rather than just stopping at making a film, the producers have come up with the novel concept of an art movement, to search for the new artistic visionary of the 21st century. An ambitious movement spread across multiple cities in East, West, North and South India, Rang Rasiya – Freedom of Expression (RR-FOE), as it is called, hopes to bring out the radical talents prevailing in the country through an art competition, the entries for which have started getting accepted from interested individuals (be they amateur artists, professionals or simply anyone who loves art) on the website www.rangrasiya.com . From the entries that got uploaded until January 5, 2009, twenty finalists will be chosen over five phases of selection process. The contest will end in March 2009 after a grand finale filled with a lot of gaiety, post which the winner will get a handsome prize money and a platform to enter the art world.

Elaborating about what prompted such a mega-venture that will see the contestants capturing Nandana Sen on their canvas at Badami and one that will have judging done at five regions and will have the finalists indulging in a community art activity, producer Deepa Sahi says, “Indeed, it has been a daunting task to put together the logistics; it took us four months before we could throw open the call for entries. But when we first got brainstorming on how best to convey the spirit of the film to the audience, Aanand (Mahendroo, co-producer) suggested having an art competition. It can’t be denied though that the activity is also to market the film to the audience, because today no film can reach out without marketing via TV, events, media; however, the attempt is also to use part of the resources in a constructive manner and simultaneously to help discover new talent in the country rather than just having mindless events. So I could call it marketing with a purpose.” Aanand Mahendroo adds to this, saying, “We couldn’t think of a better way to pay respect to the silent figure that emerged in the field of art and made the medium free for all to express themselves. RR-FOE intends to serve as a remembrance and salutation to the father of modern Indian art and I’m thrilled by the humungous response we’ve been getting from December 21 onwards when we threw open the door for accepting entries.”

While there are novel ideas aplenty in RR-FOE, one that’s bound to stand out is actress Nandana Sen (who plays Sugandha, Raja’s muse) posing for the 20 finalists at the archaeological site Badami. Nandana sounds excited as she talks about this endeavour, saying “India has the most phenomenal artistic talent in the world but sadly, they often don’t get the nurturing and care they deserve. I am proud that RR-FOE will encourage artists to free their creative instincts, to show us what truly lights up their imagination. I’ve been a fan and collector of Raja Ravi Varma’s works — his paintings told such vivid, spectacular and brave stories. For a “prabasi” child, it was a wonderful way of connecting with my missing mythology. To play his muse Sugandha, a devdasi with a rare combination of sensuality and innocence who created history along with Varma, has been a great experience. And now, to actually pose for the undiscovered talents of today, will be a unique experience too. It has been awesome wearing a navavari sari and imbibing the evocative gestures so typical in a Varma painting — the tilt of the hip, the play of the hands, the coquettish glance through coy eyes!” says Nandana.

The competition will be judged by an assortment of veterans from many creative fields (and not just art). Well-known art critics, gallery owners, collectors and artists will be heading the panel alongside fashion designers like Ritu Beri and Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Elaborating on what they will be looking out for in the winner, ace artist Chintan Upadhaya, patron of the jury says, “we are looking out for an artist who has the same derring-do as Varma did to create what he feels like. In my role as a judge, engagement in the works is as important as curiosity and that’s what I plan to exercise to choose the best candidate.”

Maharaja Ranjitsingh Gaekwad, another judge, adds, “We want this to bring out something good and original. We do not want a clone of Raja Ravi Varma. Rather, the artists need to take a cue from the title Freedom of Expression and create something unique while taking inspiration from Ravi Varma’s work. The artist who best interprets and portrays the subject at hand will get a thumbs-up from me!”

So, get ready to unleash your freedom of expression through this unique opportunity given by the makers of Rang Rasiya…the search might well turn up an undiscovered artistic genius!

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