Breezy Summer Comedy

Raj S. Rangarajan


Harleen Kaur (Brazilian model, Giselli Monteiro) and Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif)



(Photos Courtesy: Sulekha.com)

Straightaway, one notices this is going to be a Hindi film with English being thrown in regularly – a sign of the times and a staple now of many films from Bollywood. One didn’t need subtitles. It’s perhaps a consequence of many actors’ large fan following in North America. Also, Bollywood celebs are easily accessible here though we had the odd instance of Shahrukh Khan being detained and frisked at Liberty International (Newark) recently. Some called it a publicity stunt.

Literally speaking, Love Aaj Kal is about love nowadays and what it was in the days of yore. Light, sophisticated – sometimes strained and occasionally trivial – the film promotes male lead, Saif Ali Khan in a big way. Wonder if that’s because he was co-producer with Dinesh Vijan.


Deepika and Saif





Jai Vardhan Singh (Saif) and Meera (Deepika Padukone), a young, hip independent-minded couple is involved in a relationship without a commitment. But Jai, a practical guy wants to break up what would possibly be a fruitful relationship. Meera, who restores frescoes in New Delhi, agrees. Flash back: about 30 years. Here is Jai’s older friend, Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor) from London in his resplendent turban, amazed at seeing Harleen Kaur (played by 20-year-old Brazilian model and Bollywood debutant, Giselli Monteiro), a mellow, conservative Punjabi girl.

Saif plays two roles in the movie: one has the young Jai and the other as a young Veer, both in somewhat comedic roles with success. He seems to carry a mischievous demeanor in his comedic roles that appeals to a younger audience. Director Imtiaz Ali has made yet another easy going film on the lines of his earlier success – Jab We Met (Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor).

Veer (Rishi Kapoor) travels by train from Punjab to Calcutta just to stand under her balcony (Romeo and Juliet, style – of an earlier era). Briefly put, Saif and Deepika are tired of the old ways of courting and want to check out the courting scene before committing. But old-fashioned Veer talks of love being a pure thing and says, one should not deal with it like some type of merchandise. The usual gap between generations. Interaction and dialogues between Jai and Veer constantly revolve round their differences in approaching the concept of love in this film of slightly over two hours. There’s a commendable effort at banter and easy repartee.

These days, the wooing happens across continents with modern social networks such as cell phones and emails, Face Book and Twitter, and one won’t be surprised if one sees soon a Hindi film revolving around the Twitter theme – just as we enjoyed the hit 1998 Hollywood movie, You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Imtiaz Ali and his team have worked diligently with deft camera angles in London, San Francisco, Delhi and Calcutta. Some of the shots are really breathtaking. Pritam Chakraborty’s music had a certain resonance that meshed somewhat harmoniously with the film’s youngish theme though editing by Aarti Bajaj was lacking in parts. Following Om Shanti Om, this was perhaps the first time that Deepika had to prove herself and in Love Aaj Kal she has taken her skill level up a notch creditably.

For the older generation and sentimental types, Love Aaj Kal would bring back memories of Cheeni Kum where an older Amitabh Bachchan, as a chef, had an appetizing interlude with talented Tabu. Ali has handled with aplomb the aspect of distance, longing for each other, the seeming apprehensions and confusions that evolve with today’s wide-ranging options, as also the compulsions that a long-distance relationship necessitates. Sometimes, young folks’ careers are the very reason for a breakup and two love-birds just cannot decide in time to make a success of a relationship.

Its perhaps just a trivial coincidence that both the leads – Saif Ali Khan (son of the cricketer, Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan) and Deepika (daughter of Prakash Padukone) happen to be kids of accomplished international sportsmen from an earlier era. Admittedly, that has nothing to do with their acting.

While the ending didn’t surprise too many people, a cameo from an older Kapoor’s real-life-wife brought the “oohs” and “aahs” in loud decibel. You got to see the movie to see who it is.
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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Mahishasura was Tyeb Mehta's Signature

"My happiest moments are spent with myself and my art." - Tyeb Mehta.

Accomplished artist and aspiring filmmaker, Tyeb Mehta, who died in July in Mumbai was known for his weakness for bulls and the Mahishasura legend that he created. Over the past few years Mehta's art had created world records in London and New York.

A self-effacing, self-made creator, Mehta's Celebration, an acrylic-on-canvas triptych (240 x 510 cms.), acquired iconic status in 2002 and three years later, his 1997 painting of the buffalo-demon - Mahishasura - being overpowered by goddess Durga, was bought for US$1.58 million, a record for any artist of Indian origin. Since then value for his pieces surpassed the one-million dollar mark twice. Completed in 1956, when he was hardly 31, his Trussed Bull was a forerunner of greater successes.

Born in Kapadvanj, Gujarat, Mehta who got his art diploma in 1952 from J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, said recently, "'I always wanted to be a film maker. I never thought I would become an artist." He was 84. He was a contemporary of well-known names such as Husain (born 1915), Raza (born 1922) and Souza (1924-2002) of the Progressive Arts Group that was founded around India's independence movement (1947) to voice upcoming artists' interests. The New York Times said, he was "the leading light of India's first post-colonial generation of Modernists."

A three-minute short made in Tamil - Koodal - written and directed by Mehta won him the Filmfare Critics' Award in 1970. He also wrote a script on Mahasweta Devi's novel 'Hazaar Chaurasi ki Maa' that was directed by film producer, Govind Nihalani.

Mehta's repertoire included "falling figures" that included the bull, deities, people - some in pain and others in sad contemplation - a reflection of his state of mind around that period. His tones were layered with expressions of intense melancholy blended with fine distinctive lines that helped substantiate but not clarify the overall manifestation.

India honored Mehta in 2007 with a Padma Bhushan and earlier he had picked up the Dayawati Modi Foundation Award for Art & Culture. In 2006, Mehta had said, "I have always been a loner and am still quite a bit of a recluse. My happiest moments are spent with myself and my art." Works from his varied oeuvre will be on sale next month in New York.

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(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Drama & Suspense in Bollywood movie, New York

Raj S. Rangarajan

Its almost Hollywood – it has dramatic action and suspense, a mild love element and fear: its a Aditya Chopra production of the movie, New York and directed by Kabir Khan who earlier made Kabul Express. There is a refreshing candor to the film shot entirely in America though one could detect Bollywood effects.

The film picks up speed from the get-go with Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh, Johnny Gaddaar) being picked up in a busy street. A scheme designed by Roshan (Irrfan Khan, a FBI sleuth) and his boss to entice Omar to fess up regarding his former college buddy Samir’s (John Abraham) alleged involvement in terrorism, seems to go nowhere.

Flashback to collegial days: happy scenes of students – Samir, Maya (Katrina Kaif, Namastey London) and Omar in a carefree, cheerful environment make for pleasant takes. Omar’s love interest shows up later but generally the almost 3-hour film is fast-moving and one is surprised when 'interval' is announced.

“If I had watched the movie in India I would have found no fault, but since I live in the U.S. now I noticed minor shortcomings such as Liberty State Park being shown in New York (actually its in New Jersey) and I was happily surprised that Katrina, a Hong-Kong born, half-Kashmiri actress of British origin, who reportedly dubbed her own lines, appeared articulate and confident while delivering her lines.” This from pharmaceutical researcher, Anjana Nair, an avid aficionada of Hindi, English and Malayalam movies, whom I met outside the cinema hall. Thirty-plus V. Ranjith, who runs a wine shop in New York said, “Katrina was really friendly and hot and I liked the film.”

Director Kabir Khan seems to have digested thoroughly the 9/11 Report made public in July 2004 by Commission Chairman and former New Jersey governor, Thomas Kean. Kabir’s cues for New York are uncanny, a tribute to his sense of cinema though some stock shots were predictable. He has handled controversial subjects such as racial profiling, torture, water-boarding with panache and professional zeal.

One could not but be reminded of Hollywood movie, Rendition where Anwar played by Omar Metwally, (Munich), gets picked up, and is never told why he is arrested. Anwar, an Egyptian-born engineer is married to Reese Witherspoon and the lady boss who runs the “rendition” program for the American administration is Meryl Streep. Anwar is moved from America to a North African country, but in New York, Samir is tortured at home. Like in Rendition, the makers of New York appear to be earnest about the film’s objectives.

Based partly on “racial profiling” the movie tries to tread new territory though the basic premise presupposes an emotional decision, i.e., why a person is picked up based on name, looks and stereotypes. Howsoever much authorities try to make racial profiling a science it is still a nascent art and the subject is very much a pawn to human frailties. While the viewer may not agree with some of the decisions taken by law enforcement, the movie attempts to honestly represent many aspects of what could happen if one is accidentally on the wrong side of the law.

The title of the movie – New York – should help box office sales in North America even if the storyline were not about terrorism. Like a true FBI sleuth, Irrfan Khan, occasionally gives the impression that he is on the side of the alleged terrorist and in a rare moment, discloses that though married to an Italian he doesn’t favor pasta. One is almost lulled to believe that we are watching a Hollywood drama when suddenly Irrfan’s crisp but accented dialogue jars one to reality.

A scene showing Samir with his sidekicks plotting in the dead of night was straight out of Bollywood. However, some high-rise, chopper and street shots of Manhattan and Philadelphia seemed real. Even Samir scaling the tall downtown building to place his detonating device was creative, and kudos to the skilful camera crew and the editing desk.

High drama and tension grip the final scene with Omar, Roshan and Maya trying to negotiate on behalf of Samir, and how it all ends is an interesting lesson in crisis management. For a comparatively new entrant to the celluloid world, Neil has done a commendable job. John Abraham has come a long way from Viruddh to Dostana to New York and Katrina has matured responsibly in her craft.

Finally, one often wonders why FBI guys in every movie – specially the men – have to yell. Is it because they are trying to drown their own fears or is it an outward manifestation of lack of confidence when confronting a potential gun-wielder.

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[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Bharata Natyam & Bollywood with an Attitude: inDANCE’s show in New York, May 27, 2009

Community » Culture Features » 2009
DesiClub-South Asian Times, New York, May 27, 2009

Bharata Natyam & Bollywood with an Attitude: inDANCE’s show in New York

by Raj S. Rangarajan

It's dance with a difference, its "classical Bharata Natyam" with an attitude: its kicks and sidekicks, its shivers and sputters, its jives, jumps and jumpsuits, its tradition and a cerebral irreverence for the traditional.

What do you call that? Thinking outside the box? More than an explosion of talent, it was an evening that celebrated free expression and originality not to ignore the creative fluid energy that comes with being unrestrained, unshackled and unusual.

It was Toronto-based inDANCE troupe's debut in New York at Joyce Soho in downtown New York. Artistic director, Hari Krishnan, an accomplished dancer himself, who has performed in several parts of the world including the U.K., Toronto, Malaysia, Singapore and India, says, "the objective of the fun-filled event was to produce work that is bold and provocative, and in the process, presenting a differing dimension to South Indian dance."

It was a reiteration that if you can emotionally and metaphysically afford to take wings like a dove you can enjoy the thrill that awaits. But then you need to let yourself go. So, one would obviously ask: how really can one let oneself go on a warm Sunday afternoon when the ambience was friendly and the performers friendlier?

The answer: with an open mind and wild imagination and the notion that there's more to enjoying a dance or sequence than writing a review specially when performers are doing their best to experience and entertain. It is really amazing how much an open mind can accomplish. Initially I started writing notes: soon I realized it was not worth the effort: I got to write from my heart not to fill a column.

If you haven't seen Bharata Natyam (originated 400BCE - 200BCE in South India) earlier you may think this is weird, but then who defines weird? Titled "Box" dancers Nalin Bisnath and Julie Neuspiel faced off as hybrid entities with Julie decked in her traditional Bharata Natyam finery apropos a dancer and Nalin was in jeans. But, perhaps that's where Hari Krishnan's creative genius helped one understand the rhythmic syllable and the ambience of a nontraditional display. Hari did the voice and cymbals as a dance director would. Aaron Paige, a student of ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University and South Indian percussion played the mridangam (percussion instrument) with aplomb.

Bollywood hopscotch confused the audience at times: perhaps it was intentional. But then when free expression takes over one cannot ask a performer to control himself or herself. The viewer has to try to understand what Bollywood (read, Indian cinema) is all about. Being a whimsical take on today's retro-Bollywood, cinema verité entertainment and expression comprising vignettes from dancers Nalin Bisnath, Beth Despres, Hiroshi Miyamoto, Masumi Sato, Vinod Shankar and Emily Watts, the transition from "natyam" (choreographed dance) to Bollywood (fancy-free) was agreeable though questionable.

But in its New York Premiere "Owning Shadows" was a different cup of tea: it was an interpretation of the centuries-old Indian epic, the "Ramayana" where the exiled young prince, Rama spurns the advances of the ogress, Shurpanakha and instead is charmed by his demure wife and princess, Sita. Combining Balinese dance with a modern version of Bharata Natyam, Hiroshi Miyamoto and Emily Watts excelled effortlessly. A New York-based performer, Emily's versatility and credits that included ballet, vaudeville showed.

A rehearsal director for inDANCE since 2003 and performer with diverse styles, Hiroshi's act was a cinch.

Beth Despres, who has been trained in ballet and modern dance was fluid in "Inverse" as one would expect, and so were Hiroshi and Masumi Sato. Originally from Japan "accomplished performers" Hiroshi and Masumi brought new meaning to the art of stealth while being seemingly effortless in movement. Solo performer, Joshua Green, who is learning dance at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, was eclectic and drew laughter when doing "Mea Culpa" in an exploitative, exotic exercise. The costume was original to say the least and one's concentration tended to waiver.

Choreography by Krishnan was exemplary all through but Shane Mongar's lighting left some questions unanswered about what was intended and what had to be concealed. Rex's costumes were original and one was hard-pressed to be a voyeur at some of the creations.

Soft-spoken but intense on stage, Krishnan's passion for the dance form is naturally fluid and seamless. Hari dances, choreographs, teaches both traditional Bharata Natyam and its more contemporary forms. A visiting professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Hari holds a Master's Degree in Dance from York University, Toronto and a Master's in Religion and Philosophy from the University of Manitoba, Canada.

Indian art prices soar in London

More private collectors of Indian origin are picking up art...

Within a week after Christie's exciting June art sale in London, auctioneer, Sotheby's followed up with their sale of Indian contemporary art that totaled 2.06 million GBP (3.38 million USD) on June 16 at Bond Street. Most of the top drawer items were sold at prices much higher than estimated - a positive indication that the art market is turning around slowly but surely.

Among the top ten were older artists such as enduring favourite, M.F. Husain (born 1915), Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), Manjit Bawa (1941-2008), Krishen Khanna (b. 1925) and Bikash Bhattacharjee (1940-2006).

Day Dreaming - an ink-and-pastel (lacquered) composition created in 1979 by 70-year-old Jogen Chowdhury was the subject of a heated bidding battle between art collectors and eventually it was bought by an American collector for a record amount of 2.91 crores INR (3,73,250 GBP or 6,09,629 USD). This piece became more than a bone of contention since this rare art with exceptional provenance was being made available for sale for the first time ever. It was exhibited at the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1979.

Chowdhury's distinctive style of fluid lines and simple sensitive forms with awareness for pattern and texture (152 cms. x 182 cms.) perhaps helped it attain such a high price. With a weakness for obese figures in his drawings, Chowdhury tends to be traditional and on the money when his cross-hatching frames merge. Says Chowdhury, "I have always been fascinated by the conventional forms of a sari draping around a woman's body, and I have sought through that image, forms of my own making, in a new manner." A textile designer at the Weavers' Service Centre in Chennai during the late 1960s, Chowdhury moved to Delhi in 1972 as curator of paintings at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at the President's Estate.

Also scoring at three times the high estimate of 1,20,000 GBP was Orange Head, an oil-on-canvas by Souza (1963), that was bought for 403,250 GBP (658,628 USD). Just shows that in spite of a certain coolness in the art market over the past year deals continue to be made. Souza has not been without controversies but now that the artist has passed on, there is more value-added interest in his paintings.

Formerly an exclusive preserve of wealthy foreigners we now see more private collectors of Indian origin picking up contemporary art as witnessed by sale of artist Bawa's Untitled oil-on-canvas, for 85,250 GBP (139,239 USD) and Husain's oil-on-canvas - Woman in Red which sold at 82,850 GBP (135,319 (USD).

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(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

Seventy-seven Minutes of Comedy: Curtain Falls on Desipina

Community » Culture Features » 2009

Raj recaps Desipina & Company's Seven.11 Convenience Theatre

The curtain falls on fusion arts company, Desipina & Company's Seven.11 Convenience Theatre after seven fun-filled years. Ably run by sisters Rehana Mirza, Artistic Director and Rohi Mirza Pandya, Producing Director, Desipina's mini-productions were a labor of love that cast seven talented actors and seven playwrights this year and ensured an audience that celebrated South Asian and Asian Pacific genres. Says, Rohi, "It's been an incredible journey but we are ready to close up shop for good since we're shifting priorities."

Adds Rohi, "In part, our artistic aspirations have moved beyond what can be done in 11 minutes, with all of our artists, including ourselves, running the store with little to no funding. We want to be able to end on a high note with Seven.11, while also turning an eye towards a future where South Asian and Asian American theater is valued to the point where it has as many donors as other mainstream non-profit theaters."

Last week's inaugural show of seven sketches (each lasting 11 minutes) set in the American 7-11 convenience store at Centerstage in Manhattan were hilarious, and excelling were Kavi Ladnier (versatile bundle of fun, the woman cannot stand still -- Color Me Desi), Andrew Guilarte (his professionalism and experience showed), Cindy Cheung (wild and restrained in turns in What's in Store, written by Rehana), Tim Cain (the big-made clerk, who appeared dangerous, yet sensitive, when provoked in One Dollar Box), Jay J. Lee (as Old Su in Closing Up Shop), Sam Ghosh (who continued to surprise in Soonderella), and Christopher Larkin (as convincing nerd in Closing Up Shop).

Admirable writing was the hallmark of the skits and scribes have used positive and unusual stereotypes that New York city offers, to maximum advantage. While occasionally the rhymes and music didn't resonate perhaps because of inadequate acoustics controls the ultimate effect didn't suffer too much.

Character names such as Chandrakant Scroogewala, Soonderella (desi "Cinderella"), Foffatlal were obvious giveaways and it is creditable that Desipina executed these witty plays with professional aplomb. Kavi was a riot in Soonderella with Cindy (Helen Anti), an able foil and Foffatlal (Sam Ghosh). Addressing Prince Charming Singh (Andrew Guilarte) as "You are my Taj Mahal" Cindy's spoof line had a charming touch. It was obvious, most of the actors loved the challenge of playing outside of their own skins.

To a question by the writer about how difficult or easy it was for her to manage a diverse group of actors with multi-racial identities and fusion lifestyles in the plays, Rohi said, "Everyone brings to the table drastically different perspectives, which only helps to create a livelier discussion, which shows on the stage. One of the main reasons why we created Seven.11 was to show the broad spectrum of the Asian American experience, and to show that there is not just one story that encompasses it all. The fact that everyone is so unique and has such different backgrounds precisely proves our point. We love to mix the pot up and show that there's no need to be afraid to stick everyone on one stage together." The diversity of the ensemble, and of the playwrights actually helped. Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri had their writing and music cut out for them in A Very Desi Christmas with Andrew, the ideal scrooge. Sanjiv served as dialect coach, Rishi Chowdhary phonetically wrote out some of his Guyanese dialogue for Kavi in Color Me Desi.

The seven actors of the multi-cultural chorus that belted out the final "Om jagadeesha harey" would have brought tears of joy to the NOA (Network of Anti-gees), a clever take on well-meaning real life "aunties" from back home and from Edison, New Jersey. Only the obligatory flame and incense stick were missing.

About future plans for Seven.11, Rohi confided, "We would love to share a theater space with other innovative Off-off Broadway companies such as Youngblood or Vampire Cowboys, so that we can focus more on the art that we want to create rather than the woes of producing on a shoestring budget in somebody else's space."

Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York-based trend writer, reports on the art market and has contributed to publications in the U.S., Canada, Republic of Korea and India. Email: raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.

Last Supper & Bollywood Depiction in London

The art scene shifted to London where South Asian modern and contemporary art works of Indian and Pakistani artists were auctioned. Apart from known names such as Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Ram Kumar, Raza and Souza, creations by younger artists such as Rashid Rana, Atul Bhalla, Vivek Vilasini and Navin Rawnchaikul sought art collectors and buyers.

With art buying in a holding pattern these days, this writer asked Yamini Mehta, Director, Modern and Contemporary Indian Art at Christie's, London, whether collectors, galleries and dealers were hesitating to purchase major art items. Assured Mehta, "works of significance, quality and rarity find their way to collectors with little hesitation. As we are in a buyer's market there are many more opportunities to acquire - which has actually brought back many long-standing collectors into the market." While Indian artists have crossed the US$1.5 million-dollar sale threshold a few times Mehta sounded optimistic in "regard to marquee works entering the market and the day is not far away from a US$5 or 10 million milestone for a work of Indian art."

Navin Rawanchaikul (born, 1971) of Thai origin has ancestral roots in Hindu-Punjabi communities of what is now Pakistan. Navin's Lost Kingdom of Navin, (2008) is a tribute to his interest in Bollywood and to fellow artists such as Ravinder Reddy, Nataraj Sharma, Subodh Gupta, Chintan Upadhyay seen as a frivolous take in a constellation of film stars and look-a-likes. Navin's work is site-specific and his innovative style integrates his individual experiences into eccentric fictional tales. His works include installations, films, comic books, games, mobile galleries and painted cars.

Many households have on display the well-known "Last Supper" painting in their family rooms or meditation area. But, artistically speaking, here is a twist. Kerala artist, Vivek Vilasini's archival canvas Last Supper - Gaza, (2008) is an unusual reenactment of 15th century artist, Leonardo da Vinci's composition of the apostles in threes (surrounding the central figure of Christ). Vivek's figures have young women clothed in chadors or burqas revealing only their sensitive eyes filled with suspense and anxiety. A multimedia artist and photographer, Vivek (born, 1964) trained as a Marine Radio Officer in Kochi before turning to art and sculpture.

(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

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RAJ S RANGARAJAN

 

Void - Anish Kapoor's Installations

Maverick. Unorthodox. Nonconformist. Artistic genius.

Call him what you wish, but Anish Kapoor stands alone in the art world. Identified variously as an artist, sculptor, space thinker, Anish has evolved as a master of three-dimensional space. His imagination boggles one's notional milieu in that his conceptual sense of scale and colour gives new meaning to the phrase: thinking outside the box.

Sandhini Poddar, art historian and the first Assistant Curator of Asian Art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York describes Kapoor as a post minimalist, known for his seminal contributions that are contemporary and site-specific. Till recently on display in Berlin, Kapoor's Memory will be re-created in New York for the Fall season to commemorate Guggenheim's 50th anniversary. The minimalist era was when art and music were stripped down to their fundamental premise between 50's and 70'with post minimalist starting around the 80's.

Imagine 24 tons of Cor-Ten steel sculpted into154 seamless tiles with 10 bolts resembling a percussion instrument such as a mridangam or a tabla. Part of his signature Void series, Kapoor's Memory makes one wonder how the monumental installation was conceived and created. Clarifies Poddar, "A giant jigsaw that compels the viewer to physically move from one section of the museum wall to another in order to comprehend the art," this masterpiece makes one think. One is not a mere spectator -- one becomes a participant -- in an interesting and even intriguing search for where uncertainty begins and where the curvaceous seduction ends.

On permanent display at Millennium Park in Chicago since July 2004, Kapoor's stainless steel Cloud Gate that weighs over 110 tons, consists of 168 stainless steel plates (66 ft. long; 33 ft. high) is another example of the artist's visual prowess.

Mumbai-born, Kapoor, 55 attended Doon School in Dehradun, later moved to Britain to study art at Hornsey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art Design. In 1991 he won the Turner Prize for contemporary art and in 2003, the British government awarded him a CBE (Commander) for his giant Marsyas (satyr in Greek mythology) that was displayed at Tate Modern Gallery in 2002. This huge 3-steel ring structure held by a PVC membrane made one think about space in a different light.

(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)
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RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Younger Indian artists come into their own

While art writers tend to concentrate on the Husains, Gaitondes and Souzas of the contemporary art world, known for their originality and longevity, it’s time perhaps that we also talk of the younger breed of artist such as a Shaw or a Harsha…

These are Indian artists knocking on the doors of high value, and from an investing standpoint, these are “sure bets” for art galleries and collectors. Kolkata-born Raqib Shaw, 35, who grew up in Kashmir from the time he was six months old, but now settled in London, set the art world aglow in 2007 with his The Garden of Earthly Delights III painting that sold for US$5.49 million. This Raqib montage was a risque tapestry of splendid colour with humans, animals, birds and other creatures in plainly suggestive racy activity.

Raqib is outrageous in his underwater creatures as well that is seen in The Garden of Earthly Delights, X, with nipples and genetalia, and the artist makes no apologies for his art. Heir to a carpet fortune that also deals in jewellery and shawls, Raqib, who studied art at Central Saint Martins at University of Arts, London, gave up his shares in his family’s company and preferred to become an artist – a vocation he clearly revels in and loves.

Artist N.S. Harsha, 40, lives in Mysore and is involved in large scale installations and community projects. His Cosmic Orphans, completed in December 2005 for the Singapore Biennale was a painting-cum-installation at the Sri Krishnan Temple in Singapore dedicated to the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. Here. the artist created sleeping figures in the inner sanctum, on the terrace, and on the temple tower (gopuram). For the terrace exposed to the elements he used flat colours.

Harsha won the £40,000 Artes Mundi Prize in April 2008, UK’s highest award at the National Museum in Cardiff, Wales. Artes Mundi, an international contemporary arts initiative, encourages artists to participate on the world’s art stage. Known for his storytelling abilities, Harsha’s keen sense of detail on everyday Indian life, juxtaposed with contemporary world events and images has been a major plus. His winning painting Mass Marriage was a subtle, amusing narrative on Indian marriages, but also reflected in a realistic manner the complex nature of human relationships all over the world.

(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

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RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Spring Sales Lukewarm at New York Auctioneers

Raj S. Rangarajan

The temperature in New York was cool, it was not yet spring, and the uncertain economy did nothing to lift the mood of collectors and art lovers. Gallery owners and aficionados with a feel for the art market were

enthusiastic about this year’s Asia Week auctions held by Christie’s and Sotheby’s between March 17 and 20.

Kitagawa Utamaro, Ehon Komachi-biki (Picture book: Pulling Komachi), New Year 1802.

Compared to last year’s total of US$126.4 million and US$129.3 million in 2007 for Asia-centric art-oriented lots, this year’s total of merely US$43.62 million was a sign of the times. On the bidding floors, while some items with impeccable provenances sold well investors and collectors were biding their time, perhaps waiting for the fall sale in September. (All figures indicated are with Buyer’s premiums.)

At Christie’s, An Important and Very Rare Blue and White Basin from the Yongle Period (1403-1425) that sold for US$2.32 million was among the highlights at the Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art category that included Jades from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The 10-1/8 in. (25.6 cm.) diameter cloth box sold at three times the high estimate of US$600,000. It is well potted with deep, rounded sides, fluidly painted in the center with interior showing leafy scrolling stems bearing three lingzhi heads. Ninety-one percent of the lot that fetched US$18.32 million was sold by value. Also, A Very Rare and Important Doucai Petal-Lobed Vase, Zun, Yongzheng Period (1723-1735) sold at 12 times the high estimate of US$150,000. An Asian trade buyer picked it up for US$1.81 million. The globular body, trumpet-form neck and spreading pedestal foot which is raised on a circular foot ring molded with thirty-two lobes divided into eight vertical sections by narrow ribs (10-1/8 in. or 25.9 cm. high).

Tina Zonars, International Director of Chinese Works of Art and Joe-Hynn Yang, Head of Department, Chinese Works of Art said, “international participation was a testament to the prestige of the private collections offered including those from the Estate of Walter Hochstadter, a North American Chinese Family Collection and Harvard Art Museum.”

At Sotheby’s sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Specialist and Head of Sotheby’s Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Sales, North America, Dr. Caroline Schulten, was “thrilled to see such strong competition for 18th century Imperial mark and period porcelain” as evidenced with the sale of “The Conquests of the Emperor Qianlong,” a set of sixteen engravings after Castiglione et al. and eighteen panels of Calligraphy, 1769-74 – that sold at $164,500 at four times the high estimate. Each engraving is approximately 20-3/4 x 35-1/2 in. (52.7 x 90.2 cm.). A Fine and Rare Pair of ‘Famille-Rose’ ‘Eight Daoist Immortal’ Jars and Covers, Qianlong Iron-red Seal Marks and Period (height 10-1/4 in., or 26 cm.) was sold at $632,500 at 1.5 times the high estimate.

The catalogue explains that the jars depict the Eight Daoist Immortals as they cross the rough sea after attending the Peach Festival of the Queen Mother of the West. Rather than traveling by their clouds, they combined their powers to sail pass the tempest. The proverb is a lesson on how individual strengths and gifts can be used to tackle a common obstacle.

With provenances always a key factor it was not surprising that at Christie’s sale of Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections totaled US$10.87 million. Dr. Sackler, who died in 1987 was a psychiatrist and philanthropist. A Very Rare and Important Painted White Marble Buddhist Votive Stele, Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577) which is 66-7/8 in. (169.8 cm.) high sold at US$1.73 million, thrice the high estimate. A set of four hanging scrolls (ink on satin) of Birds and Ducks by artist Bada Shanren (Zhu Da: 1626-1705) was bought at $1.20 million. Each scroll is 81-7/8 x 21-5/8 in. (208 x 55 cm.) However, a Rare Yellow and Pale Russet Jade Archaistic Hinged Twin, Bi (Qing Dynasty: 1644-1911), 9½ in. (24.2 cm.) long sold for $422,500, a phenomenal 28 times the high estimate of US$15,000.

Theow H. Tow, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s Americas and Asia said: “The results have proved that rare and exceptional works with excellent provenance continue to generate huge interest and demand from collectors throughout the world. Clients responded confidently to the museum-quality pieces of rare bronzes, jades, and paintings with 99 percent sold by lot and value.” Occasionally, abstract art seems to sell better than figurative art though it is not fair to compare.

Rise of Indian Painting

At Christie’s sale on March 19, an Untitled, ’65 piece by Indian artist Vasudeo Gaitonde (1924-2001) sold for US$482,500. Abstractions always succeed in making one think. Gaitonde has always motivated one to stretch one’s imagination: is it a boat or the moon? Is it intrigue or uncertainty? Or is it plain confusion? Commenting on the “strong results,” Hugo Weihe, International Director and Head of Indian and Southeast Asian Art, said, “buyers continue to be selective and to focus on quality for mid-level price ranges.”

Considering that he is in his 90’s, artist M.F. Husain continues to be the endurance runner in contemporary Indian paintings with many of his oils yet selling at loftier prices than high estimates. This was noticed at Sotheby’s in the Indian & Southeast Asian Art category with Husain’s Untitled (Two Women) (painted in mid-70s) that was acquired for US$374,500. Also performing well was F.N. Souza’s oil-on-board, Untitled, 1954 selling for $302,500 and Akbar Padamsee’s Untitled (Nude), 1960 which was sold at $242,500.

Sales on the Indian and Southeast Asian Art series at Christie’s totaled $2.16 million and the top lot was A Gray Schist figure of a Bodhisattva, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century that sold at $US122,500. This elegant figure is deeply carved, is wearing necklaces, his armlet concealed beneath the folds on his upper arm, his face with crisply outlined features and a benign expression (39 in. or 100.2 cm high). The sale of the Star Collection from India to Indonesia totaled US$883,250, and the top lot was a Gilt Copper Figure of Padmapani, Nepal, 14th century (10-1/2 in. or 26.5 cm high) that sold at US$182,500. It is a bronze from the Malla period (late 13th/early 14th century).

In the Japanese art category that totaled US$1.74 million, top lot was an album of twelve erotic illustrations by Japanese artist Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806) that was bought by an anonymous buyer for US$242,500. Title was Picture Book: Pulling Komachi (each sheet, 25.2 x 37.6 cm.), New Year 1802 that Christie’s catalogue explains as Komachi-biki – that derives from Komatsu-biki – a New Year ritual at the Heian court of Komachi’s time that involved “pulling up” (hiki) of young pines (komatsu). “Pulling Komachi” means to grab hold of a beauty, embrace her and make love to her.

Kanagawa oki nami ura (In the well of the great wave off Kanagawa) by artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) sold at US$68,500 at more than three times the high estimate of US$20,000. This was part of a series Fugaku sanjurokkei (The thirty-six views of Mount Fuji). The only Korean piece in the top ten was A White Porcelain Brush Rest from the Joseon Dynasty (19th century), which was purchased for US$88,900. It is modeled on the Diamond Mountains known in Korea as the Geumgang mountains that has a lustrous clear glaze with blue flecks.

Zara Porter Hill, Director, Head of Sotheby’s Indian & Southeast Asian department in New York said, “it was encouraging that 100 percent of the top ten lots were bought by, or for, established collectors, highlighting the strength at the top end of the market.” Case in point: at this Indian & Southeast Asian Art sale, Scenes from the life of Buddha Shakyamuni Stone, Eastern India, Pala Period, 12th century (height 7-1/2 in or 19 cm.) was bought by an American buyer for $98,500 at five times the high estimate of US$18,000.






(A New York based writer, Raj S. Rangarajan covers trend stories on art and reviews films, books for media based in New York, Toronto, Seoul and India.)

Former Maharaja's Carpet Fetches $5.45 million

India has been in the news in the international art arena. One of the items that made a mark was a former Maharaja's pearl-and-diamond-studded carpet.

India is much in the news these days on the international art front. A month ago, auction of Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings by New York auctioneer, Antiquorum created a buzz in certain circles. Few weeks ago, a former Maharaja's pearl-and-diamond-studded carpet was bought in Doha for a record US$5.45 million (19,873,662 QAR - Qatari riyals) at auctioneer, Sotheby's first-ever foray into the kingdom of Qatar. For reasons of privacy buyer's name is never released but bidding started at around US$5 million.

According to Sotheby's this masterpiece that measures 173 x 264cm. (5ft. 8in. x 8ft. 8in.) was once commissioned (1865 circa) by the former Maharaja of Baroda, Gaekwar Kande Rao. Imagine your normal knotted carpet at home from Kashmir or Jaipur or Persia. This regal one is perhaps of the same size as mentioned but with a silk and fine deer hide foundation that is densely embroidered in strings of natural 'Basra' pearls, measuring approximately 1-3mm, with coloured glass beads. For the curious: total estimated weight of the pearls is 30,000 carats and diamonds are estimated to be 350-400 carats in total - all set in silver topped gold or possibly blackened gold. Over 2.2 million pearls and beads have been used to decorate the small area. Sotheby estimates, the number of pearls employed in the design is perhaps 1.2-1.5 million.

From a provenance standpoint, this pricey rug descended to The Maharani of Baroda, Seethadevi Holding until 1988, and was displayed at Indian Art Exhibition, Delhi (1902-1903) and at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1985-1986). Several writers and admirers have covered in detail the magnificence of this unique carpet. Embellished by seed pearls known as "Basra" pearls originally collected from the waters of the Persian Gulf, this symbol of hedonism defined wealth, sophistication, opulence and grandeur of the days of yore.

Susan P. Mattern in her book, Rome and the Enemy: Imperial Strategy in the Principate, says, "Besides being a magnificent manifestation of the taste and power of the maharajas, the Pearl Carpet of Baroda is also a reminder of the flourishing pearl-trade that existed between the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian Gulf."

Another scholar and collector, and Curator emeritus of Islamic and Indian art at the Harvard Art Museum, late Stuart Cary Welch said, "The Pearl Carpet of Baroda reflects the confluence of many Indian decorative traditions in addition to being one of the most luxuriant works of art ever created."

(A New York based independent trend writer, Raj S. Rangarajan reports on the art market, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Canada, Seoul and India.)

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Asian Contemporary Art a Bright Spot at Subdued Hong Kong Sales

                    

      Vol. XXXIV, No. 17                                                                                                                       by Raj S. Rangarajan

Asian Contemporary Art a Bright Spot at Subdued Hong Kong Sales

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s spring sales of Asian paintings, held in Hong Kong April 5–6, were not as robust as those in recent seasons. This year’s sales totaled HK$317.33million ($40.6 million); the spring series a year ago took in HK$1.78billion ($227.5million) and in 2007, the total was HK$1.06 billion ($135.3million). However, some high prices, including several records, were posted for contemporary Chinese art, defying recent reports that this market has all but collapsed. The auctions also had solid sold-by-volume and sold-by-value rates that came as a surprise to some observers.

This year’s offerings included Chinese paintings, which took HK$129.77million ($16.6million);20th-century Chinese art, which realized HK$92.7million ($11.9million); contemporary Asian art, which totaled HK$66.4million ($8.5million); and modern and contemporary Southeast Asian paintings, which brought in HK$28.44million ($3.6million)

The auction of contemporary Asian art on April 6 was 74 percent sold by lot, 81.4 percent by value. A work by Chinese-born French conceptual artist Huang Yongping (b. 1954) scored a new auction record. Sixty-Year Cycle Chariot, 1999–2000, of copper, iron, wood and cloth, sold for HK$3.4million ($432,539), twice the HK$1.5million high estimate. A work by Chinese sculptor Sui Jianguo (b. 1956) also set a record: Legacy Mantle, 2005, a sculpture of a jacket cast in iron, sold for HK$3.14million ($401,826) on an estimate of HK$2.5million/3.5million.Yayoi Kusama’s painted ­fiber-reinforced-plastic Pumpkin, 2007, sold for HK$2.72million ($348,078), a record for a sculpture by the artist (estimate: HK$1.5million/2million).

The top lot was an untitled 2006 oil by Zhang Xiaogang, which sold for HK$4.8million ($616,815) against an estimate of HK$4million/5.5million). Yue Minjun’s oil Armed Forces,2005, was sold for HK$4.6million ($586,103), within the HK$3.5million/5.5million estimate.Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s head of contemporary Asian art, said bidders came “from all over Asia as well as Europe and America.”

The auction of Chinese paintings on April 5 was 89.2 percent sold by lot, 96 percent by value. The top lot was Drunken Monk, 1943, a hanging scroll by Fu Baoshi (1904–65), which was sold to an Asian collector for HK$6.26million ($801,092), well above the high estimate of HK$5million.

The ink and pigment on paper Mount Jiuhua, 1979, by Li Keran (1907–89) was sold for HK$3.9million ($493,964), and Flowers and Insects by Qi Baishi (1864–1957) was bought for HK$3.62million ($463,251). C.K. Cheung, Sotheby’s head of Chinese paintings, called the results “an encouraging sign for the market that quality works are highly sought after.”

The auction of 20th-century Chinese art on April 6 was 80 percent sold by lot, 98 percent by value. Two artist records were set: the first for Lin Fengmian (1900–91), whose oil paintingFishing Harvest, circa late 1950s–early 1960s, sold for HK$16.34million ($2.1million) on an estimate of HK$3million/3.5million, and the second for Zhu Yuanzhi (Yun Gee, 1906–63), whose oil-on-silk mounted on board The Last Supper, circa early 1930s, was bought by an Asian dealer for HK$6.02million ($770,379), well above the estimate of HK$2.5million/3.5million. The latter was originally commissioned by St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in the Bronx, New York, and had been believed lost until it was rediscovered in a U.S. private collection.

Freshness to the market played a role in the strong prices. Lily Lee, Sotheby’s head of 20th-century Chinese Art, said eight of the top ten works had never appeared at auction before.

The auction of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art on April 5 was 76.8 percent sold by lot, 86 percent by value. Indonesian painter I.Nyoman Masriadi (b. 1973) led the field withNegosiasi (Negotiation), 2008—an homage to director Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West, the artist’s favorite movie—selling for HK$1.7million ($217,950) against an estimate of HK$600,000/800,000. Another work by Masriadi, Ingin Menang Harus Curang (Want to Win, Must Cheat), 2001, an acrylic-on-canvas depicting an illegal tackle in a soccer game, sold for HK$1.6million ($202,564). Both works sold to private Asian buyers, according to Sotheby’s.

Oh Boy, 2009, an oil painting, by Filipino artist Ronald Ventura (b. 1973), sold for HK$836,000 ($107,179), four times the high estimate of HK$180,000. Mok Kim Chuan, Sotheby’s head of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian paintings, said that there were “exceptional prices achieved for top-quality paintings by masters,” adding that this market “remains vibrant” and ­noting interest from U.S. and European collectors.

Why A. R. Rahman is a Musical Genius?

www.tcln.blogspot.com

Raj S. Rangarajan

Allah Rakha Rahman (ARR) has finally reached. But does he think so?

With two Oscars in the same year – one for Best Original Music Score and another for Best Original Song, “AR” as he’s affectionately known in the industry, has put India on the Hollywood map for music. At 43, looks like he’s just getting started. Rahman said recently, “I have many more notes to compose and create.”

On the first day of this year, 2009, visually-impaired children appeared on a television station in Chennai and asked the music maestro some pertinent, inspiring questions. One of the first questions was, “since our world is basically ‘sound’ we feel we need to ask you what is your definition of sound.”

Known for his unassuming earthiness and willingness to work with anyone whether an accomplished artiste or a potential wiz kid, AR said, “it could be anything as long as you learn to dream.” Among the words he used to describe the experience were “ragam”, soul, language, spiritual, mind’s eye. “Music with its methodology or ‘isai’ (notes) is universal but is difficult to describe. Let me just say, music happens. It could be the pitter-patter of rain, birds in a forest, the strain of a tambura. It could be human connectivity between souls where one doesn’t need to see: all one needs is an open mind and a fertile imagination.”

At the 81st Annual Academy Awards last month ARR attributed his success to his mother’s blessings and his decision to always choose love over hate. Born a Hindu, A.S. Dileep Kumar converted to Islam at 23 and took over the name, Rahman. This keyboard artist, pianist, synthesizer, guitarist et al. was first recognized for his talent with a National Award when AR was merely 26. Around this time, based in Chennai he obtained a distance learning degree in western classical music from the Trinity College of Music, London. At a SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association) blog radio interview in December 2008, AR emphasized how music is often needed to express anger or perhaps change a tense situation with a sudden shocking sound. In passing, he clarified that his music degree was obtained in Chennai, not in London.

Ph.Ds Comment on Rahman

To obtain an intellectual dimension to Rahman’s wide range of talents this writer spoke with two doctorates – Dr. Natalie Sarrazin of College at Brockport (SUNY) in upstate New York, and Dr. Pavitra Sundar of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire – both of whom specialize in Rahman’s music and on Bollywood.

Sarrazin says, “AR’s light, jazz style borrows heavily from other styles and as a student of his music I am yet trying to figure out if he has a signature style, for he has this large repertoire (West African, South African, Japanese, wrap and hip hop). He happily borrows from folk music in a seamless Hindu/Muslim/western node in a post-modern identity. To a question if AR will continue to rule the waves, Sarrazin says, “only one (musical) giant at a time – remember – we had S.D. Burman then we had R.D. Burman.” Talking of giants, AR’s one ambition was to sing with Lata Mangeshkar which he fulfilled when he performed the duet with her in Rang De Basanti.

Dr. Sundar agrees that Rahman is a significant musical phenomenon. He has almost single-handedly changed the sound of Hindi film music (specially since he produces much of his music on a synthesizer). Hindi cinema had not heard such a distinct, catchy sound – and such a shift from the current style or sound of film music – since Bappi Lahiri and his disco beats of late ’70s.

Conceding his weakness for the keyboard, AR in fact told his young admirers in January how music has to be adapted to the period – whether it’s a movie on Subash Chandra Bose or Bhagat Singh or Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth, the Golden Age – just as costumes have to be adapted for differing periods. AR’s versatility and international flavor is evidenced with his score for Warriors of Heaven and Earth, a Chinese film as also his creation for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage presentation of ‘Bombay Dreams’ in New York few years back.

Sundar’s dissertation entitled, “Sounding the Nation: The Musical Imagination of Bollywood Cinema” examined how the music of Hindi cinema (i.e., not just the lyrics and visuals of film songs, but the instrumentation, arrangements, voices, etc.) draws on and expresses ideas about gender, sexual, racial, and national identity.

Sarrazin’s thesis was on Rajasthani folk music that spoke of trance music of one of the local ‘devatas’ with analysis and rituals. At his powwow with aspiring singers in January, AR elaborated, “just as music has no limits nor sound have any bounds, folk music or folk dance is universal. There is a certain magic when we think of folk music whether it is Tamil, Gujarati or Turkish or even Irish folk music.”

Jai Ho – Not AR’s Best

By many accounts in India and the West ‘Jai ho’ was not Rahman’s best musical effort – a sentiment echoed by both Sarrazin and Sundar in that Natalie feels AR had a better score in Lagaan (‘Mitwa’ was nominated in 2002 but didn’t win). Adds Pavitra, “it didn't work for me as a song. I thought ‘O Saya’ the other song that won him an Oscar nomination was great, though. It really captured the excitement and frenzy of the chase through the slums which the camera captured dynamically.”

Commenting on AR’s creativity, Natalie says, “what resonates in India is not necessarily resonating in the diaspora. Rahman was the first person to change the musical language of Bollywood and around the time when the Indian economy was turning around in the early ’90s, home video sales were also on the increase even in the U.K. and coincidentally, AR was a fresh sound on the airwaves.” He helped introduce Bollywood music to the rest of the world and what “I would call musical theater.” Sarrazin teaches musicology and the piano, has studied classical music theoretically and created courses for Bollywood. Her book, Indian Music in the Classroom, published in 2008, covers the gamut from Hindi-Pop to bhangra to the bhajan to the Urdu ghazal.

Rahman shows great respect for the director and the scriptwriter since “I have to base my music and nuances on what the movie aims to accomplish and more so since the sound track plays a vital part in many Indian movies.” To a question if Rahman’s success is a mere flash in the pan, Pavitra Sundar hails him as a leading composer in Hindi and Tamil cinema since the mid-1990s (Mani Ratnam’s Roja in Tamil was released in 1992, a film that made him a household name in urban India). He’s also good at “diversifying” – at finding new avenues for his work (e.g., his leap from advertising to cinema to Broadway) and forging new connections with prominent musical performers from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Andrew Lloyd Weber to M.I.A., already popular in the West now.

But Rahman attributes his success to his basic multi-culturality. He says, life is about human redemption and the film Slumdog Millionaire brings hope and love and a certain positivity in today’s hard times. His mantlepiece is surely fighting for space with a legendary amount of awards from all over including Indian government’s civilian honor of the “Padmashree” in 2000. For India’s 50th year of independence AR created “Vande Mataram.” Also legendary are his hits in Tamil (Roja, Bombay, Alaipayuthey, Kandukondein Kandukondein) and in Hindi (Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan, Yuva) – to name a few.

According to Sundar, A. R. Rahman’s and Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscar awards signal the U.S. mainstream’s first real foray into popular Indian musical consciousness. Hindi cinema has been attempting to lure audiences in the West (mostly South Asians in the diaspora) for years. Films such as Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, and Lagaan drew the attention of art house audiences in North America and “I should say that critics in the U.S. lauded the music of all of these films. The Kronos Quartet’s album with Asha Bhosle, ‘You’ve Stolen My Heart’ gave audiences a taste of R. D. Burman’s music, but none of these films or music albums, caught the imagination of mainstream U.S. media and the blog-world the way Slumdog did.” Significantly, Rahman’s recent win is not the first Indian attempt to capture the U.S. market – it’s actually the first time such an attempt has been granted recognition by a Western audience.

From Amjad Ali Khan to Gulzar to Grammy winner and soul singer, John Legend (who performed Peter Gabriel’s nominated song from the animation movie Wall-E in February) it has been all aces for AR. The stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings with music co-composed by Rahman was voted one of the 10 greatest musicals of the last 30 years in an online poll conducted by Dress Circle, a website that covers theater in the U.K.

Rahman has been involved with charitable causes as well. In 2004, he was appointed the global ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, a project by the World Health Organization (WHO). As a producer on the single ‘We can make it Better’ by Don Asian alongside Mukhtar Sahota, he showed his soft side with all the proceeds going to tsunami victims, as did his 2004 tsunami relief concert in India. The A R Rahman Foundation, launched in 2001, aims at eradicating poverty and in this pursuit, his song, ‘Pray for me Brother’ is quite popular. Rahman has opened a western conservatory in Chennai where he trains about 100 students on the ABCs of music and music scores. His love for people and the underdog are constantly being demonstrated.

As AR reiterates, “Rhythm, melody and the resonance that a listener experiences is the best feedback a person needs. Whether the composition is spiritual or light, whether it’s a fusion of Carnatic music and western or a song by a fisherman about to launch his early catch, I have to think creatively.”

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Artistic Treat for All Senses, Art in ASIA, March-April 2009

Material for a film (performance), 2006, 1000 blank books shot by the artist with a .22 caliber gun (material from 2006 performance), shelving, and 67 photographs, Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York Installation view, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2009 Photo by David Heald

Material for a film (performance), 2005-06 (detail), Installation and performance, 1000 blank books shot by the artist with a 22 caliber gun, mixed media, and photographs, dimensions variable, Documentary photograph, Zones of Contact: 2006 Biennale of Sydney. Photo courtesy the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York

Inbox, 2004?05 (detail), Oil on wood, 45 parts, 11 x 8 1/2 inches (28 x 21.5 cm) each, Installation view, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, 2007. Photo courtesy the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York

Artistic Treat for All Senses

Raj S. Rangarajan

From multi-media installations and painstaking presentations to colorful prints and video, artist Emily Jacir has done it all. Her redoubtable passion for her subject (Palestine poet Wael Zuaiter) which becomes an obsession in her two installations - Material for a film (performance) (2006) and In Material for a film (2004~) is the theme of a new exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum that opened on February 6 and runs through April 15, 2009 in New York. Emily Jacir, who lives and works in New York and Ramallah, Palestine was awarded on November 13, 2008 the seventh biennial Hugo Boss Prize. Established in 1996 by Hugo Boss and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to recognize significant achievement in contemporary art, the prize carries an award of $100,000. At the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007, Jacir received the Golden Lion Award for an artist under 40. As an archivist, Jacir creates arresting works of art that are at intensely personal and deeply political.

Born in Bethlehem, Palestine, 38-year-old Jacir’s work embraces closely the Palestinian situation while highlighting the mundane and the intellectual in that mid-eastern trouble spot. Jacir physically practised to shoot a .22 caliber pistol to personally feel the pain that Zuaiter felt when he was gunned down in 1972 in Rome by Israeli secret service agents. On display is a list of Mossad agents shown in works derived from a chapter by filmmakers-Elio Petri and Ugo Pirro - of the 1979 collection of essays, poems, and memoirs For a Palestinian: A Memory of Wael Zuaiter, edited by Janet Venn-Brown.
The creation also includes old telegrams (alas, we don’t see them any more in real life!), taped conversations by Italian police during October-December 1972, photos at a Rome bar, original manuscripts ? grayed but well-preserved - and even a unique coin in a white envelope - perhaps a lucky charm that Zuaiter constantly carried.

Two Memorable Creations

This exhibition brings together, for the first time, two installations that address the assassination of Wael Zuaiter by Israeli secret service agents following the kidnapping of the Israeli delegation of athletes and trainers to the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics by the Palestinian militant group Black September (to which Zuaiter was reportedly never conclusively linked). He was assassinated by Mossad agents on October 16, 1972, who shot him 12-18 times (accounts vary) in the lobby of his apartment building in Rome. The Israeli government, under Golda Meir, had issued his death warrant on the claim that he was involved in “PLO terrorism.”

Material for a film (performance) (2006) presents a memorial to one of Zuaiter’s thwarted aspirations: the translation of the centuries-old collection of Arabic stories One Thousand and One Nights into Italian. A bullet pierced a copy of volume two of the ancient classic that Zuaiter was carrying when he was gunned down. For this installation, first shown at the 2006 Biennale of Sydney, Jacir photographed each page that showed vestiges of the bullet from a .22 caliber pistol ? the same model used in the murder ? and fired bullets into 1000 blank books, creating a haunting mausoleum in graphic detail that, in the artist’s words, “is a memorial to untold stories. To that which has not been translated. To stories that will never be written.”

In Material for a film (2004~), which was first exhibited at the 2007 Venice Biennale, Jacir culled items from Zuaiter’s personal effects, including photographs, books, correspondence, and music, to create an intimate portrait. Jacir sought out his friends and family (documented in pictures), as well as the places Zuaiter lived and frequented, in order to present a chronicle of his life, work, and passions. As a child, Jacir has lived in Saudi Arabia and attended high school in Italy. After her undergraduate degree from the University of Dallas she did her MFA from Memphis College of Art in the U.S. She is currently a full-time instructor at the International Academy of Art in Ramallah and has been active in building Ramallah’s art scene since 1999 and has been involved in various organizations including the Qattan Foundation, al-Ma’mal Foundation and the Sakakini Cultural Center.

While the Hugo Boss Prize sets no restrictions in terms of age, gender, race, nationality or media, it is interesting that in the past 12 years, since its inception in 1996, it has been won by a different nationality every time: American artist Matthew Barney (1996), Scottish artist Douglas Gordon (1998), Slovenian artist Marjetica Potr? (2000), French artist Pierre Huyghe (2002), Argentina-born Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija (2004) and British artist Tacita Dean (2006). In 2008 it was the turn of Emily Jacir - an artist born in Bethlehem, Palestine.

Art market slow but should rebound

With a downturn in world economies this writer asked a Bangalore-based auctioneer, M. Maher Dadha, chairman and managing director of Bid & Hammer about prospects for the art industry.

Excerpts

RR: Following a slowing down of the economy do you also see a slowdown in the buying of contemporary art or higher-priced bronzes by collectors, dealers, galleries?

MMD: The slowdown in the economy is bound to affect the sale of high-priced art, but only if it does not intrinsically affect values. The rich or the super-rich who have not been personally affected by the downturn will continue to buy works of good quality.

RR: Over the past 5 to 6 years, creations by many Indian artists have sold exemplarily well -- some to the tune of US$ 1 million. Do you think soaring prices for contemporary Indian art will continue in spite of the depressed economic situation?

MMD: Prices of works by some contemporary Indian artists have been reaching astonishingly high levels and that too at a very quick pace which has been due to speculation fuelled by certain syndicated forces working in the market. Thus the ongoing correction is good for the market and in the short-to-medium term, the prices of works by some artists will go up but at realistic, sustainable levels. Indian artists are still under-valued, their potential is pretty high as they are increasingly being recognized on a global stage. Also, many Indians in India are buying expensive creations from artists such as Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Godbole and Subodh Gupta at auctions abroad in view of their universal appeal.

RR: Expensive bronzes seem to be bought more often by corporate outfits or galleries owned by non-Indian outfits. Your comments?

MMD: Corporate entities generally tend to buy bronzes or engage sculptors to thematically decorate their corporate offices, gardens, campuses, meeting rooms, etc. and because they have access to large funds it is easier for them to take a decision to buy a piece of bronze or sculpture. However, the domestic Indian market has also been picking up and in the next 2-3 years I foresee the buying of bronzes and sculptures increasing manifold.

(A New York-based trend writer, Raj Rangarajan reports on the art market and contributes to publications in the United States, Canada, Seoul and India.)

RAJ S RANGARAJAN
TALKTORETAILPLUS@YAHOO.COM

Mixed World Reviews for Slumdog Millionaire

By Raj S. Rangarajan

It all started in Toronto.

It was the first city to recognize the film – Slumdog Millionaire – with the People’s Choice Award way back in September 2008, and soon came recognition at Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. The film was released in November 2008 in a few theaters in North America rather quietly and not too much was expected of Slumdog.

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto

While the Academy Award event in Los Angeles on February 22 was the culmination of the effort preceded by Best Adapted Screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America and BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Awards) on February 8 in London, it was one meteoric rise for the directors, creative folk, crew and cast of the movie. December drew more awards starting with a nod by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and another from the New York Film Critics' Circle, as well as six nominations for the Critics Choice Awards.

The International Press Academy awarded three Satellite Awards including Best Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Score to the film. It also won four EDA (Excellent Dynamic Activism) Awards from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists including for Best Film and Best Direction. The Screen Actors Guild chimed in with Dev Patel (Jamal) in a lead role and so did London Critics’ Circle with nods for six nominations. Detroit Film Critics Society and Florida Film Critics Circle recognized the movie and soon Chicago Film Critics Association did the same. The mantel shelf was getting crowded.

The buzz was now spreading in film circles. Producers Guild of America (PGA) had put the acclaimed film on track to be a major contender at the Oscars in California. The 14th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards conferred five top prizes and soon followed the Los Angeles Broadcast Film Critics Association that represents 200 of the top film critics across the United States. Soon came the Golden Globes on January 8 and The Directors Guild of America awarded its highest honor, the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film, to Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire on January 31. This movie was Boyle’s eighth feature film, and he was visibly thrilled.

Exploiting the Underprivileged

It’s amazing how the entire film world in the United States, Canada and in Europe went gaga over a movie that is India-based, but in India where the film was made, reviews have been mixed. Part of the reaction seems to stem from a seeming exploitation of poverty in India and a candid portrayal of a love story that touches on the winning of huge rupee amounts. Speculation is also rife that because director, Danny Boyle is British just as Richard Attenborough is of British origin, the movie attempted to make fun of the underdog.

Simon Beaufoy, the British screen writer who won was excited to adapt Indian diplomat-cum-writer Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q&A” since he said, he had the flexibility of changing the narrative to emphasize love instead of money. Two brothers – Jamal and Salim – are poles apart in personalities but their binding love in spite of setbacks comes through in the writer’s creation.

As Anil Kapoor (Prem Kumar, the question-master in the film) says, after the first rave reviews, everything was a surprise, and it was difficult for everything to sink in. He adds: “The past two-three years have been phenomenal for me, and from a fulfillment standpoint I am happy with whatever I have done – both as actor and producer.”

Doors have opened already for the Slumdog lead – Freida Pinto who has been signed up by film maker Woody Allen with Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, stars Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins in a film to be made in London. Well-known director of supernatural films, Night T. Shyamalan (of Indian origin) has picked Dev Patel for his next movie, a martial-arts movie, titled The Last Airbender. Dev would perhaps fit in seamlessly in the film since he has a black belt in Tae Kwando and dreams of making a martial arts movie like Britain's Bruce Lee. Slumdog’s success has spun off favorable impacts for many individuals starting with the young children who will obtain a decent education to A.R. Rahman’s singers who will go on to higher octaves.

Dev Patel (Jamal) grew up in Harrow in North West London, U.K. and played Anwar Kharral in the hit British teen show, Skins. Dev says, he grew up with Bollywood films at home, and “being a London kid, a British Asian, I was happy to get in touch with my Indian roots, and I found another piece of myself when I was in Mumbai. I really wanted to have a chance to play a scene when I was actually in the depths in the slums, immersed in that environment.” In a dramatic cameo a younger, excited Jamal, about to meet actor Amitabh Bachchan (played by Feroze Khan) actually falls into a trough of night soil (actually, peanut butter, clarifies Dev, helpfully).

Also acclaiming the movie was Vancouver Film Critics Circle, Phoenix Film Credits Society, Oklahoma Critics Circle, Writers Guild of America for best Adapted Screenplay for screenwriter Simon Beaufoy and Anthony Dod Mantle earned a Best Cinematography nomination from the American Society of Cinematographers. The NAACP Image Awards (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) said, yes. There seemed to be no letting up and by mid-February, the India-made movie seemed a shoo-in.

While everyone was preoccupied with the success of Slumdog, another director, Megan Mylan quietly celebrated her Oscar win with her 39-minute documentary – Smile Pinki – produced in Hindi with English subtitles that relates to a 6-year-old village girl, Pinki from Mirzapur district, who is surgically treated for a cleft palate.

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty celebrated their victory in the sound mixing category. Resul dedicated his award to India while ‘Jai Ho’ A.R. Rahman thanked his mother and declared in his mother tongue, Tamil: Ella pughalum iraivanuke (“all glory to God”). The film also received honors for its score, cinematography, sound editing and film editing. (See separate box for Winner categories)

Not a Success in India

It is interesting that the movie is more popular in North America than in India even today.

As of week 16 (Feb 27 to March1) the movie has grossed $115,024,121 in 2,943 theaters, the second highest grossing film in distributor, Fox Searchlight’s history.

Following controversies stirred up by vested interests in India, the film is not doing too well at the box office perhaps because poverty has been portrayed blatantly. Admittedly, many filmgoers, find it difficult to accept negative images of India specially since over the past few years, she has been riding the crest of a success wave. There is also chatter on blogs that A.R. Raman did not give sufficient credit to his singers and musicians.

Finally, lets remember, it is just a movie – it is fictional – for crying out loud. Why should every movie have a message or an agenda?

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, South Korea, India and Australia.]

Oscar Score To Date
1983: Oscar for Best Picture – Gandhi and for Best Costume Designer, Bhanu Athaiya
1992: Satyajit Ray won an Honorary Academy prize for contribution to world cinema.
2009: Among the Oscar statuettes handed out at the 81st annual Academy Awards at the Kodak theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 22, 2009, eight were for Slumdog Millionaire and the ninth one was Best Documentary Smile Pinki about a poor Indian village girl:
Film producer: Christian Colson
Best song: Jai Ho, by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
Best film editing: Chris Dickens
Best cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Best director: Danny Boyle
Best original score: A.R. Rahman
Best sound mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
Best adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
Documentary film about an Indian girl that won an Oscar was:
Best documentary short: Megan Mylan for Smile Pinki