Timepass

NRI TV Film Awards Debut

2011-12-18T01:53:00.000-08:00

Letter from USA

Raj S. Rangarajan

(from L to R) Kishore Dadlaney, H R Shaw, Tirlok Malik, Lal Dadlaney and Sreenath Sreenivasan

NEW YORK: Move over Golden Globes, Bollywood Awards and Oscars. Its now the turn of the NRI TV Film Club Awards. For the first time in North America Non Resident Indian (NRI) creative talent among actors, directors, producers was recognized and celebrated with awards.

Till recently, most of the moral support for performers came from close friends, family and well-wishers. We now have a forum – The NRI TV Film Club – which debuted in December, that honored 15 non-competitive films made in the United States. Brainchild of Tirlok Malik - an actor himself - the NRI TV Film Club aspires to encourage local artists (read South Asian) amidst the plethora of avenues and talent potential available in North America.

An icon among NRIs, Madhur Jaffrey, born in India, and now based in Britain and the United States, and known for her performances in Shakespeare Wallah, and The Assam Garden and currently appearing in the Broadway play Bombay Dreams in New York, and who has also authored cookery books, was the keynote speaker.
This year’s NRI TV Film Awards function “was our first step and we were happy to honor all those who walked this way before us and all the filmmakers whose films reflected the immigrant experience,” said founder-president Malik.

“We not only aim to provide a platform for all related talent to showcase but also to nurture it and project it into the world.” This year’s NRI TV Film Awards function “was our first step and we were happy to honor all those who walked this way before us and all the filmmakers whose films reflected the immigrant experience,” said founder-president Malik, “We not only aim to provide a platform for all related talent to showcase but also to nurture it and project it into the world.” The NRI TV Film Club is for producers, directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, production personnel and everyone else allied with the world of cinema and television. Malik emphasizes the relation between the artist and the audience. “An artist needs an audience to succeed, and we hope our club will create that awareness to help the audience meet the artist.”

Modeled on the Academy Awards, the Awards celebration included clips of films, commentaries, live performances, a comedy routine and two emcees. Films that won were selected based on the immigrant experience theme. The event was presented by H. R. Shah of TV Asia, a well-known community activist in association with Video Sound who have signed up as the distributing arm for the club’s movies.

A splendid standup act by Daniel Nainan (dad is Indian, mother of Japanese origin) carried the day for several people who understood and applauded his kind of humor. While some were riveted to their seats, many were more interested in the cold samosas that were freely available outside the Grand Ball Room of Manhattan Center Studios. Among other performers were Anisha Nagarajan (Bombay Dreams), the play; Sheetal Shah (Arya), Alok Mehta (American Chai) and Padma Khanna, the Bollywood dancer who teaches dance in the United States now.

Tirlok Malik has played more than 40 roles from an immigrant taxi driver to a lawyer to a porno shopkeeper. His first film Lonely in America grossed $20 million worldwide and was shown in 74 countries. He is motivated by the hope of helping other up-and-coming actors and producers specially after he had some unpleasant experiences with a distributing company. His second film Love, Lust & Marriage also continued the immigrant experience. A bachelor in Fine Arts, Tirlok has had professional training at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts, The Actors Institute, the Weist Barron School of Television and the New School of Social Research.

Just as Indians are creating a presence in the world of mainstream cinema such as Manoj Night Shyamalan, Mira Nair, and Gurinder Chaddha, who have managed the crossover Malik, said, “We dream of achieving success together and developing a market for NRI films.”

Among the NRI fims that picked up awards were American Desi, directed by Piyush Pandya, Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar, directed by Rahul Dholakia and produced by Video Vision, Piyu Gayo Paresh (Gujarati) directed by Kanu Chauhan, Lonely in America, directed by Barry Alexander Brown and produced by Tirlok Malik and Chander Malik.

Among the award presenters were Reeves Lehmann, Chair for the Film, Video and Animation Department at the School of Visual Arts, New York, Preeta Bansal, a former Solicitor General of the State of New York, Kamal Dandona who presents Bollywood Awards annually, Sreenath Sreenivasan Professor of Journalism at Columbia University, Kanu Chauhan who organizes concerts for Indian-Americans and others.

[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, India and Australia.]

Chinese Buyers Compete For Top Works at Hong Kong Sales

2011-12-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Christie’s Hong Kong autumn sales (Nov. 25–30) realized a combined total of HK$2.85 billion ($366 million) across 12 sales of paintings, wine, jewelry, watches and works of art. Fine art and related works totaled HK$1.5 billion ($189.8 million). Last year’s comparable total for fine art (ANL, 12/28/10) was HK$512.4 million ($65.9 million).

François Curiel, president of Christie’s Asia said, “our 50th sale season in Hong Kong saw great participation from Asia (87 percent), with 73 percent of the buyers coming from Greater China.”
The evening sales on Nov. 26, which included Asian 20th-century and contemporary art, and a private collection sale, “Faces of New China: An Important Private Collection,” totaled HK$397 million ($51 million).

Five of Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings led the evening and exceeded their presale estimates. Both Cerf volant et oiseaux, 1955, and 22.7.64 sold for HK$35.4 million ($4.6 million) compared with an estimate of HK$10 million/15 million and HK$15 million/20 million, respectively.

A more recent work by Japanese artist Aya Takano also saw intense demand from bidders; You Want to Get Out of Here, Don’t You?, 2007, sold for a record HK$3.4 million ($435,683). At the private collection sale, The Massacre at Chios, 1994, by Yue Minjun, sold for HK$32.6 million ($4.2 million).

Eric Chang, Christie’s international director of contemporary art in Hong Kong, said: “Overall we are pleased to see an uptake in cross-cultural buying by international collectors.”

The day sales of Asian contemporary and 20th-century art totaled HK$307.5 million ($39.4 million) with 76 percent selling by lot and 90 percent by value.

Sales of fine Chinese modern paintings totaled HK$595 million ($76.3 million) and fine Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy totaled HK$183 million ($23.5 million). Lotus, a set of modern scrolls by Cui Ruzhuo, dated “early summer, xinmao year (2011),” realized HK$123.9 million ($15.9 million), far exceeding its estimate and setting a new auction record for the artist.

Spectacular Hi-tech 3-D Film Immortals Promotes Greek Story

2011-12-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

BY RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

It seems like a cross between Star Wars and Harry Potter. It has the seriousness of a war and the crafty playfulness of a Harry Potter. The gigantic settings and wide-angled sequences are out of this world, accentuated by 3-D and VFX technology. Director Tarsen Singh (The Cell) has succeeded in creating a grand illusion with masterful effects in cinematography and sound. Film frills and thrills take over where an antiquated story attempts to appeal.

Leading lady Phaedra (Freida Pinto)

The movie I am talking about is Immortals that was released on 11.11.11 and directed by Tarsem Singh, and written by brothers -- Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides (Everything for a Reason). Female lead, Freida Pinto is not looking back after Slumdog Millionaire catapulted her into the international scene few years ago and the recent success of the hit movie The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Producer Gianni Nunnari who produced action epic 300 also says of Pinto: “There are certain actors or actresses that grow within the time of the shooting and that was Freida.”

Leading man Theseus (Henry Cavill)

Pinto’s striking beauty and other-worldly air won Tarsem Singh’s immediate approval. “Phaedra needed to be exotic compared to most of the people in her world,” says Singh. “People might expect that because it’s a Greek film, she would be Greek, but that’s not what I envisioned. When I met Freida I just said, she’s it.” For her part, Pinto says, “she feels lucky to have had Singh to guide her. “Tarsem is one of the most encouraging directors you will ever meet,” she says.

Athena (Isabel Lucas)

Tarsen Dhandwar Singh has come a long way from the world of ad films (hit Pepsi commercial) and music videos. Born in Jalandhar, India, Singh schooled in Shimla, moved to America when he was 24 and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke)

In the November opening weekend on 11th, Tarsem became the first director of Indian origin in over six years to attain the No. 1 spot at the U.S. box office with Immortals scoring an estimated US$32 million in North America and $38 million internationally in 35 countries. Produced and released by Relativity Media, Singh's action film beat out new films from Hollywood's ‘A’ list including Adam Sandler's comedy Jack and Jill and Leonardo DiCaprio's J. Edgar about J. Edgar Hoover, former director of FBI, directed by Clint Eastwood. The last film by an Indian director to open at No. 1 in the U.S. was 2005's Dukes of Hazzard from filmmaker Jay Chandrashekar. M. Night Shyamalan in 2004 with The Village.

Special effects and photography keep one engrossed in Immortals while one tries to concentrate through the specially-provided 3-D shades. Huge battle scenes, mountains collapsing, and the gods and the Titans battling are a treat to watch. The film makers used a system called Inter Sense here just as in Avatar, where unparallel visual style and cutting edge systems were used for framing and composition.

The Immortals narrative highlights a ruthless King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler), who leads his bloodthirsty army on a murderous rampage across Greece to find a deadly weapon, the lost Bow of Epirus, that will destroy humanity. With this invincible bow, Hyperion hopes to overthrow the gods of Olympus and become the undisputed master of the world.

A mortal -- a stonemason by trade -- named Theseus (played by British actor Henry Cavill -- Superman: Man of Steel) must lead the fight against Hyperion’s hordes with the fate of mankind and the Gods at stake. He has been chosen by Zeus, supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, for this important task. As village after village is obliterated, Theseus vows to avenge his mother, who was killed in one of Hyperion’s brutal raids. Luke Evans (The Raven) plays Zeus.

When Theseus meets the trained priestess and gifted Oracle, Phaedra (played by Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire), Phaedra’s clairvoyant visions of the young man’s future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. Phaedra sees Theseus holding the emperor’s belt which means he could be the savior. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final, do-or-die desperate battle.

Athena, played by Australian actress Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), is the Goddess of Wisdom and Zeus’ favorite daughter. She is her father’s trusted ally and advisor, but when warfare on earth threatens to destroy mankind, she defies Zeus and supports Theseus and his rebels among the divine inhabitants of Mount Olympus.

Poseidon, the God of the Sea, is played by Kellan Lutz (Twilight Series) and is ordered by his brother Zeus to allow mankind to settle its own scores. But like Athena, Poseidon has a mind of his own, and he finds an ingenious way to aid Theseus and his supporters. Stavros, played by Stephen Dorff (Somewhere), is a thief and has been enslaved by Hyperion along with Theseus and Phaedra. But the defiant one he sides with Theseus and fights against heavy odds. John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2), as the older Zeus however delivers the best lines with authority.

One is reminded of the Clash of the Titans, released in 2010, except that the canvas here is gargantuan and seems larger thanks to the 3-D effect. In keeping with the times, period costumes are authentic, and Eiki Ishioka has done a terrific job. Some of the helmets such as Hyperion’s tends to be unusual, putting it mildly. But then we are thinking “period.”

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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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Anurag Kashyap, Director, That Girl in Yellow Boots

2011-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

BY RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

“I cast actors who don’t like to act” - Anurag Kashyap

Ruth (Kalki) massaging Diwakar (Naseeruddin Shah)

NEW YORK: In a candid talk in a New York hotel room, Kalki Koechlin (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dev D) and Anurag Kashyap (Dev D, Black Friday, and now director and co-writer for Yellow Boots) opened up about their latest film. The fact that these two stage actors are married to each other is incidental.

Ruth and boy friend Prashant Prakash

The obvious question: How difficult was it to direct your wife? Anurag shot back: Demanding. She (referring to Kalki, the co-writer) was the constant writer, demanding answers for everything. In what could be termed half-hearted jest, Kalki vowed “not to act in a movie where I am also the writer”. She added, “he doesn’t like to direct, he lets me be.”

At movie's premiere, the lead players and director, Kashyap

Any specific challenges you faced in shooting in Mumbai with constant traffic and crowds?

Anurag: “I had to hide cameras and shoot whenever and wherever – all in 13 days. We had no alternative, were in debt, we had to complete fast.”

Yellow Boots is a dark film about Mumbai’s underworld, about bribes, meaningful winks and nods. Ruth Edscer (Kalki) is desperately trying to locate her father. She is stubborn, an “illegal” in the country, is uncomfortable in her own sexuality and works for cash as a masseuse and one of her clients is Diwakar (Naseeruddin Shah). Relating to her real life, Kalki said, since she was born in India, she had to personally go through the hassles of obtaining her visas with its concomitant problems.

Gulshan Devaiah as the villain

Debutant Prashant Prakash (Prashant), who plays Ruth’s boy friend has the junkie role pat. Interestingly, Prashant and Kalki, the male and female leads in this film were co-winners in 2009 of the MetroPlus Playwright Award – a prize of Rs. 1 lakh for their entry ‘Skeleton Woman’ that was instituted by The Hindu for the best original, unpublished and unperformed English script.

Anurag elaborates: “An organic story with participation from all actors, with humor in the mundane in everyday life. All the actors are part of one theater group and generally hang out together. For most of them, this was their first film. I asked all of them to come over to my house (Versova in Mumbai), and just start talking, and all of them landed up in the film. I tell them what not to do, NOT what to do.”

Kalki, co-writer says, “I had no idea how to write cinematic writing and envision a movie, so I just wrote separate scenes and had conversations between the characters – people I have seen in my life, growing up in Bangalore – have seen uneducated gangsters with wads of money, who try to be sophisticated, or receptionists at corporate offices.” Bangalore-born Gulshan Devaiah (Chittiappa) is the gangster who has problems handling money and women. His previous film was Shaitaan. Puja Sarup, another stage actor who plays Maya, the talkative receptionist at the massage parlour is thoroughly in character all the time and keeps the film moving.

How Naseeruddin Shah became a supporter of Anurag’s is an interesting anecdote. “Initially when I approached him for acting in Black Friday he turned me down. He had known me as a theater person – not as a filmmaker. Later in a New York interview he had given to MTV, he had expressed a desire to work with me.” So, I promptly called him: “I have this film and I want you to act in Yellow Boots. We did all the shots in one day, and he was very generous.”

Kalki confessed that the first time I met him “I was star-struck. I went blank, I couldn’t remember my lines, it took me three takes; he’s so focused that he doesn’t shift his gaze off you, and that was unnerving. Once we got past that I was happy.”
Kalki Koechlin

Why the name? Kalki explained, “when we were writing the script, we were in London, we saw the yellow boots in a showroom: there were red, orange and yellow boots and the yellow stood out: less stereotypical than others, so…we thought of Ruth’s character, her existing displacement in a city such as Bombay and her persona in India, and we thought the yellow boots will go with the theme. They stand out in any scenario.”

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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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Regional Demand Drives Hong Kong Sales

2011-10-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

by Eileen Kinsella and Raj. S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s large and wide-ranging fall auctions in Hong Kong—the offerings of which ran from blue chip Bordeaux wines to antiquities, classical Chinese paintings and contemporary Asian art—once again underscored the intense demand from wealthy Asian buyers for fine art and other luxury goods.

The series was off to a strong start on Oct. 2 with Sotheby’s second offering of contemporary Chinese art from Belgian collectors Guy and Miriam Ullens. The sale, subtitled “Experimentation and Evolution,” featured 90 works, of which 84 (or 93 percent) were sold, for a total of HK$132.4 million ($17 million), well above the high HK$106 million estimate. By value the auction realized 94 percent. Combined with the earlier offering of works from the Ullens collection last spring (ANL, 4/19/11), the house has now sold a total of HK$556 million ($71.5 million) of the couple’s art.

The recent auction featured early works by major artists such as Zeng Fanzhi and Liu Ye with private Asian collectors accounting for all ten of the highest lots.

The top price of the sale was HK$20 million ($2.6 million) paid for Zeng’s Mask Series 1998 No. 26, an oil on canvas, 1998, that cleared the high end of the HK$20 million estimate. It was followed by Liu’s Portrait of Qi Baishi, an acrylic on canvas, 1996, that sold for HK$14 million ($1.8 million), well above the HK$7 million/9 million estimate. Evelyn Lin, head of contemporary Asian art said the results demonstrate a healthy market, adding that, “many of the top lots sold for multiples of the estimates and works created in the 1990s by established contemporary Chinese artists continue to achieve strong prices.”

The following day, Sotheby’s sale of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian paintings took in HK$83 million ($10.6 million) with 95 percent of the lots selling by value and 81 percent sold by lot. Tuak Manis (Sweet Wine), 1979, by Indonesian artist Hendra Gunawan sold for HK$7.2 million ($925,461) at four times the low estimate of HK$1.8 million.

The sale was notable for the number of lots sold at better-than-expected prices and several auction records were set for artists from Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. Mok Kim Chuan, Sotheby’s head of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art said, “collectors responded with enthusiastic competition for appealing canvases. Record prices were achieved for Nanyang artists Cheong Soo Pieng and Georgette Chen, as well as for Swiss artist Theo Meier whose career was spent in Bali.”

Women In The Garden by Meier sold for HK$3 million ($402,564), compared with an estimate of HK$850,000/1.3 million, while Untitled (Balinese Girl) by Cheong sold for HK$2.1 million ($269,704), compared with an estimate of HK$240,000/380,000. Layers for the Circles by Ay Tjoe Christine sold for HK$1.8 million ($233,333), compared with an estimate of HK$200,000/300,000, and Chen’s Lotus sold for HK$1.1 million ($141,026), on an estimate of HK$250,000/350,000.

The highest prices of the week were for artist Zhang Xiaogang, whose works have been at the forefront of the explosion in Chinese contemporary art prices, and for Zao Wou-Ki.

At the 20th-century Chinese art sale on Oct. 3, the top lot was Zao’s 10.1.68, which sold for an artist record of HK$69 million ($8.8 million), nearly double the high HK$35 million estimate. Works by Zao accounted for seven of the ten-highest lots, bringing in a total of $16.6 million. This included the second-highest price of the sale for Vaque, which sold for HK$30 million ($3.8 million).

Sylvie Chen, head of Sotheby's 20th-century Chinese art department, said: “The strong market response to the Spring sale of this category allowed us to source a remarkably deep group of works by the influential Chinese modern master Zao Wou-Ki from collectors across Europe and the United States, which were fresh to the market.”

Other top-selling works included oil on canvas paintings by Wu Guanzhong. His Scenery of the Lijiang River, sold for HK$26 million ($3.4 million).The sale’s total was HK$337 million ($43 million) with 94 percent of the lots selling by value and 77 percent by lot.

In the contemporary Asian art sale, also held Monday, the totals were HK$228 million ($29.2 million) with 88 percent sold by value and 73 percent by lot.

A work by Zhang Xiaogang led the sale, when the 1994 oil on canvas, Bloodline: Big Family No. 1, was bought by a private European collector for HK$65.6 million ($8.4 million), compared with an estimate of HK$58 million/65 million. A record was set for Zeng Fanzhi with five of his oil paintings in the top lots. His oil on canvas, Mask Series 1998 No. 5, sold for HK$31 million ($4 million), compared with an estimate of HK$27 million/35 million. Series 2, No. 11, painted in 1991-92 by Fang Lijun was bought by a European bidder for HK$10 million ($1.3 million), on an estimate of HK$3.5 million/4.5 million.

Sotheby’s specialist Lin said that there was “strong international participation at all levels of the market. We were privileged to be able to offer a core group of masterpieces by key artists, sourced from collections in the U.S. and Europe, and the market pursued them with vigor.”

Sotheby’s said its Oct. 4 sale of fine Chinese paintings marked the highest grossing sale in this category to date, realizing a total of HK$738 million ($95 million), for 364 lots offered. Just a fraction of that group, 15 works or four percent, did not find buyers. By value the sale realized 99.3 percent.

The top lot was Zhang Daquian’s Self Portrait in the Yellow Mountains, which sold for HK$47 million ($6 million) compared with an estimate of HK$8 million/12 million. It was followed by Fu Baoshi’s Boating Under the Willows, which sold for HK$31 million ($4 million), on an estimate of HK$12 million/15 million. Many of the top lots far exceeded expectations, such as Fu’s Pavilion in the Solitude of the Mountains, which sold for HK$30 million ($3.8 million) compared with an estimate of HK$12 million/15 million.

Art season going strong in American Northeast

2011-10-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Indian artists have been part of the season's showings in New York and Washington D. C.

RAJ S RANGARAJAN

The Fall art season in New York and Washington D.C. has been active with art galleries displaying contemporary Indian artists. As part of the Phillips Collection in the capital, Tamil Nadu's Alwar Balasubramaniam (born 1971) has on display Sk(in) - a two-part sculptural installation - the first, made of steel that suggests tree branches and occupies the Hunter Courtyard, and the second that extends indoors, to engage the 'skin' of the walls connecting the museum's Goh Annex and Sant Building.

Titled Intersections, the artist's creations complement modern and contemporary art practices while activating spaces that were formerly not typical exhibit areas. In short, Balasubramaniam goes beyond the literal brick-and-mortar confines and occasionally infiltrates into another indulgent space, creating in the bargain new relationships with its own surprises.

Balasubramaniam, who has also studied in Edinburg and Vienna, evokes fragmented body parts, familiar objects or organic forms while exploring the limits of perception. He is pushing the envelope - as it were - almost to the point of abstraction. As seen here, the artist's current oeuvre revolves around the concept of transition and transformation. His sculpture fuses intellectual, emotional, and spiritual concerns rooted reportedly in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Lonely Furrow, an exhibition of new paintings at Talwar Gallery, New York by Patna-born Shambhavi Singh explores the artist's homeland themes and moves effortlessly to the tactile medium of cotton pulp, occasionally using palms and fingers to paint vibrant and delicate works. Focusing on the rural landscape and agriculture, the artist empathizes with the solitary farmer, who is inextricably linked to the earth that feeds him in India.

The work seen here forms a poetic narrative that envelopes in intense, rich blues free-painted blue pulp works that evoke forces of nature as the night sky, turbulent clouds, and the infinite cosmos. Her visual reach extends to growth, harvest and the interconnectedness of nature - a visual treat.

Born in 1966, Shambhavi lives and works in Delhi and her works have been exhibited in India, South Africa, Australia, New York and the Netherlands, and in 2010 was Artist-in-Residence at Singapore.

Back in New York, in Part II of Aicon's Progressives on Paper exhibition, Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002), who revelled in being controversial and at times, outrageous, with his not-very-subtle nudes, continues to be popular. His oil-on-board, Christ on Palm Sunday painted in 1956 is seen here.

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

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

RAJ S RANGARAJAN

Genelia Charms Her Way in Force

2011-10-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Film Review:

Her sparkling eyes, easy-going demeanor and body language are a visual treat. Pretty comfortable in front of the camera her delivery and timing keeps the viewer fascinated. The writers and editors deserve a lot of credit as does this female lead.

I am referring to Maya (Genelia D’Souza) in Force, a romantic action film that includes male lead John Abraham (Yashvardhan), a hard-working, but stubborn, narcotics officer who ensures that bad guys get their due. In his self-styled vigilante role, Yashvardhan sometimes bends the rules to obtain justice. He believes that the only way to eradicate crime is to give criminals the bullets -- not handcuffs.

Maya, a strong-willed, affable social worker helps children learn and is keen in making a difference in people’s lives. In one of the encounters, she bumps into Yashvardhan, the ACP (Asst. Commissioner of Police) and it’s a matter of love at first sight for the free-spirited girl. Maya’s love pushes the “ACP sir” to make a choice between the life he already knows and the life he could have with her. Yashvardhan's decision to let happiness and normalcy into his life changes his life forever.

Amorous lead couple (left) and Beefy John Abraham (right)

An actor who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films, Genelia says, “Force allows me to push both my artistic and physical boundaries. I think while the young, cute, energetic girl has been something most people associate me with, this film has given me a character who is definitely a mature extension of that bubbly girl. As soon as I read the script, I was hooked and wanted to be a part of this film” directed by Nishikant Kamath (Mumbai Meri Jaan) and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

In terms of breath-taking action, John is superbly matched with debutante villain Vishnu played by Vidyut Jamwal who has been trained in the martial arts including gymnastics and Kalari or Kalaripayattu which originated in Kerala. Vishnu’s nemesis is Yashvardhan who keeps the fights credible and thrilling thanks to his newly-acquired muscles and weight. Reportedly, stunt director Allah Amin was on hand for the more difficult scenes.

Fighting drug traffickers

While reporting to the chief of the drug operations played by Raj Babbar Yashvardhan confesses about Vishnu, “I told you we are not dealing with a person, I told you, its an animal.” The rite of passage for an actor these days seems to be a bare-breasted image made popular by the likes of Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, and John Abraham does not disappoint with his “8-pack” abs. At times the tough guy shows his softer side which is refreshingly endearing since Maya (Genelia) virtually carries the film. John says, “As a love interest Genelia is so full of life who brings so much energy on the sets, it was amazing to work with a thorough professional.”

Force is the Hindi remake of Gautham Menon’s 2003 Tamil thriller Kākka Kākka (or the Protectors), that featured actor Surya. In the Tamil version the cops were battling organized crime, here the draw is drugs being smuggled and exported on an international level.

Well-choreographed and crafted the gripping narrative shows lots of action and romantic takes. Music director Harris Jayaraj gives new meaning to sentimental scores with Chahoon Bhi, sung by Karthik and Bombay Jayshree, bound to become an iPod favorite.

Wedding scene

Light-hearted banter at times between Yashvardhan’s colleague Atul (Mohnish Behl) and his wife, Rachana (played by Anaitha Nair) helps ease the tension. In one candid shot, she recommends to the ACP to “lose his virginity” that day.

Finally, some of the fighting and shooting scenes could have been left behind in the editing room. Force could have been contained within two hours instead of the 138 minutes it runs for.
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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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Asian Art Sales Open Fall Season On A Strong Note

2011-09-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

by Eileen Kinsella and Raj. S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Fall auctions of Asian art got off to a solid start on Sept. 13 with Christie’s sale of South Asian modern and contemporary art, one of the fastest growing sections of these biannual art auctions in recent years. Sotheby’s also did well with an opening sale of classical Chinese paintings that more than doubled presale estimates.

While Chinese ceramics and works of art continue to contribute a major portion of the overall series total—Sotheby’s had a $22.7 million sale while Christie’s two-day series was expected to bring between $19 million and $28 million—Indian and southeast Asian art and Korean and Japanese art sales were considerably weaker. Excluding its ceramics and works of art sale results, Christie’s had realized $37 million for five sales, as ARTnewsletter was published, while Sotheby’s achieved a total of $31.4 million in three sales.

The top lot at Christie’s modern and contemporary South Asian art sale on Sept. 13 was a painting by Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain. His large oil painting, Sprinkling Horses, sold for $1.1 million compared with an unpublished estimate “in the region of $1 million,” according to a Christie’s spokesperson. It was bought by a U.S. collector. Works by Husain dominated the sale, accounting for eight of the auction’s top-ten lots. In all, the sale featured 13 works by the artist, all of which sold, and accounted for $4.2 million, or more than half of the $7.4 million total.

The overall presale estimate was $6 million/8 million. Of 111 lots offered, 77, or 69 percent, were sold. By value the sale realized 82 percent.

Other artists in the top-selling lots were Tyeb Mehta, whose oil painting, Untitled (Man vs. Horse), 1957, sold for $602,500, compared with an estimate of $300,000/500,000, and Ram Kumar, whose Untitled (Boy and Goat) oil painting, 1956, sold for $350,500 to an Indian collector, compared with an estimate of $200,000/300,000.

Other top lots by Husain included: the painting Yatra, 1955, which sold for $932,500, nearly double the $300,000/500,000 estimate; Untitled (The Three Graces), 1990, an acrylic on canvas that sold for $482,500, within the estimate of $400,000/750,000, to a dealer; and the oil, Village Women, 1954, which sold for $338,500, compared with an estimate of $100,000/150,000.

The Christie’s Indian and Southeast Asian art sale realized $4.1 million for 203 lots offered, missing the presale estimate of $5 million/7 million. Of the lots offered, just 137, or 67 percent were sold. By value, the sale realized 59 percent.

The highest price was $482,500 for a bronze figure of Chandeshvara, South India, Chola period, 12th century (estimate: $ 400,000/600,000), and was bought by an unidentified institution. A U.S. collector paid $422,500 for a large Imperial gilt and polychromed wood figure of Garuda, Tibeto-Chinese, 18th century. The price was well above the $120,000/180,000 estimate.

A sale of Japanese and Korean art at Christie’s on Sept. 14 took in $3.8 million, with 172, or 59 percent of the 291 lots on offer finding buyers. By value the sale realized 41 percent, or less than half of the presale estimates. However, some prices at the top end of the sale were much better than expected.

These included an oil and mixed-media on board by Park Sookeun, Returning from the Market, 1965, which was estimated at $400,000/500,000 and fetched $722,500, and a Meiji Period lacquer cabinet, ca. 1900, that sold to a U.S. buyer for $458,500, compared with an estimate of $300,000/350,000.

Sotheby’s sale of classical Chinese paintings on Sept. 13—the house’s first such specialized sale in over a decade—realized $6.5 million, compared with a presale estimate of $2.6 million/3.7 million. Of 81 lots offered, 71, or 88 percent, were sold. By value, the auction was 95 percent sold. The sale was led by Running Script Transcription of an Epitaph, a painting by Dong Qichang (1555-1636), that sold for $782,500, several times the estimate of $200,000/300,000. Also bringing a better-than-expected price was Thatched Hut in Autumnal Mountains, 1743, by Dong Bangda, an artist who was admired and praised by Emperor Qianlong. The work sold for $386,500 compared with an estimate of $180,000/250,000.

Sotheby’s vice chairman of Asian Art, Henry Howard-Sneyd, said the sale results “testify to the international nature of this market,” and said the house plans to continue them. “With this success, we look forward to classical Chinese paintings sales becoming a regular fixture of our New York Asia week sales,” said Howard-Sneyd.

The Chinese works of art sales at Sotheby’s on Sept. 14, were led by a gilt-bronze votive stele of Buddha, Northern Wei Dynasty, A.D. 471 that was bought by London specialist gallery Eskenazi Ltd. for $1.02 million—higher than the estimated $600,000/800,000.

At the modern and contemporary South Asian Art sale on Sept. 15, M.F. Husain figured in five of the top-ten lots with most of them selling at higher-than-estimated prices. Priyanka Mathew, head of modern and contemporary South Asian Art, Sotheby’s said, “of the M.F. Husain works that found buyers, many exceeded the high estimate, particularly works that have not appeared on the market recently.”

The total for the category was $2.3 million, with 59 percent of 87 lots sold, and 67 percent sold by value. The top lot, Eglise, 1962, an oil on canvas by Syed Haider Raza, sold for $362,500 to a private Asian bidder.

An oil on canvas by Raja Ravi Varma, Untitled (Himalayan Beauty), sold for $266,500 (estimate: $100,000/150,000).

In the Indian Miniatures category, the top lot, Krishna and the Cow, India, Punjam Hills, Sirmur, an opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper, ca. 1820, by an anonymous artist, sold for $56,250, compared with an estimate of $30,000/50,000.

Bodyguard: Love Story with a Twist

2011-09-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor

Right off the bat in the opening scene, we see Lovely Singh, that’s his name (Salman Khan) pound the “bad” guys. One speculates: perhaps the film is about the brawny “good” guy beating up the bad guys like any other Hindi flick. But no – actually it turns out to be a love story of sorts with Salman being involved in love knots.

Kareena (right) and Hazel Keech in college library

Bodyguard and Divya

Divya Rana (Kareena Kapoor) is a college student, and her confidant is Maya played by Hazel Keech (London-born daughter of an Indian mother and British father). Divya, the only daughter of Sartaj Rana, (Raj Babbar), a business bigwig, is a spoiled brat. Being priceless in a manner of speaking, Sartaj Rana appoints Lovely as a bodyguard to protect Divya.

On Satraj’s orders Lovely, being a true professional, follows Divya everywhere including into her college classroom to the chagrin of the professor as also to the ladies room since he is an obedient servant. Through anonymous phone calls Divya tries to irritate Lovely though her best friend, Maya does not approve of such tactics.

With Lovely being a constant pain in the neck Divya, who seeks a normal college life, tries to throw the bodyguard off track by trying to trap him in a fake love affair. However, the affair misfires and Divya is obliged to cover her tracks since she really falls for the hunk, but its too late.

In a story where the heroine’s father is very authoritarian she cannot afford to fall in love with the help, its just not done. The “laws of hierarchy” in Hindi films do not permit such a happenstance. Soon follow a web of lies and trickery and with her best friend, Maya in cahoots, what starts as an innocent prank goes awry.

Turns out that the bodyguard’s young boy later reads a diary left behind by his mother. Shades of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that starred another Khan – Shahrukh, and Kajol.

Salman does have his shirtless moments but he seems rather gentlemanly and low-key even in his “romantic” interludes since he has fallen in love with the telephonic voice of “Chaaya” – not the face. A couple of reverberating numbers do have the customary Punjabi beat.

As the boss’s sidekick Asrani’s sychophantic demeanour is understandable. Actor of yesteryear, Vidya Sinha shows up in a guest appearance and Katrina Kaif dances for a song, Aaya Re Aaya.

With an unusual name such as “Tsunami Singh” one is assured early that Rajat Rawail is the comedy element thanks to his oversized frame. His explanation as to how he got his name does not particularly help any. His comedy tends to be a stretch and jars at times.

Salman’s fights against villains – Aditya Pancholi and Mahesh Manjrekar – are well-staged but one missed the “gold standard” in terms of fighting scenes: Rajnikanth. The Bodyguard’s weapon of choice tends to be his bare, well-toned physique and his upper body strength that repels all kinds of physical attacks. The occasional pistol shot aimed at him tends to boomerang and maim or kill the adversary. The viewer has to accept the fact that the Bodyguard is invincible. Period. One should not expect logical outcomes or why the laws of physics fall by the wayside when watching the movie.

Bodyguard has been seen in several forms. Starting in Malayalam, director Siddique had also made it in Tamil as Kaavalan and the Telugu version is due for release soon. The Hollywood version released in 1992, showed Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.

Kareena’s wardrobe is flattering. As an actor she has matured as well. In a film that goes slightly over two hours with English subtitles, the film has merciless, ongoing action, a weak storyline and an attempt at romance. Billed as a romantic thriller, Bodyguard has not only surpassed first-day collections of recent releases – Singham, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Delhi Belly – but has also broken all international records in North America, London and Dubai for any Bollywood film.
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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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Husain, Versatile, Prolific and Controversial

2011-08-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

In honor of M.F. Husain (1915-2011) who died recently, Aicon Gallery in New York has set up an exhibition of well-known contemporary artists - M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee and F.N. Souza. Part I of this two-part exhibition titled POP - Progressives on Paper - features members of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group (PAG) that was formed around India's independence.

In the 'forties and 'fifties contemporary artists sought new forms of expression to communicate to the lay public India's complex past with just-emerging post-colonial reality. By combining distinctly Indian content with Post-Impressionist colours these artists attempted to forge a synthesis between early European modernism and the cultural identities that India offered then.

One would think they were trying to copy the Europeans since some of them decided to move to Paris to hone their skills while picking up a new set of brushes - akin to a batsman taking a fresh guard for his second century at the crease. S.H. Raza (b. 1922) became predictably abstract in his output after his Parisian interaction with abstract expressionism in the '50s. However, his colourful geometrical shapes of recent origin continue to intrigue yet earn huge sums.

Seen here are two Husain images that represent his prolific expertise, spread over six decades in differing media. The nonagenarian artist had more than a passing interest in Tamil film posters. His poster on photo-paper-on-board showed his versatility, and equally impressive was his Circus series of marker-on-paper, done 47 years ago, and the Untitled (Man and Tree) - an ink-on-paper piece created in 1954.

At times, Husain's art reflected life in the raw (one shows a man relieving himself in front of a film poster) as also nudes that drew him into controversy periodically and branded him a maverick of sorts. His use of folk, tribal, religious and mythological icons, such as Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Krishna and Saraswati, accentuated his penchant for blending diverse cultural and contemporary influences.

F.N. Souza (1924-2002) was as comfortable painting landscapes and portraits as nudes on paper and reveled in the form. Akbar Padamsee (b. 1928) tends to be preoccupied with form, space and time but he comes alive expressively when he is doing photographic nudes. A riot of colours is perhaps a cliche, but that is precisely how 87-year-old Ram Kumar's acrylics appear in abstraction and are seldom titled.

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

Walt Disney Studios Now Releases Indian Movies

2011-08-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Entertainment

By Raj S. Rangarajan

Yet another proof – if proof be needed – that Indian entertainment has gone global. It was merely a function of time. Disney’s release of Indian films into the home entertainment market across North America last week is another indication that Hollywood is getting closer to Bollywood.

Market-watchers have been studying the real value that Bollywood productions can offer for a while, and its just not surprising that Disney had signed up for Indian films. Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California has released three films from India – Do Dooni Chaar, a feel-good Hindi movie, Once Upon a Warrior, a special-effects fantasy adventure in Telugu and Zokkomon, a Hindi production. Each of them mercifully has English subtitles – a great help.

Most Disney adventures tend to involve kids in some form and are normally released in Summer. The films are available immediately on multiple platforms, including DVD, video-on-demand and digital download in North America. Providers are offering the films on VOD including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Verizon, AT&T, DirecTV, InDemand, TVN, Charter, Playstation, and Xbox. And, if you prefer digital download you can get the films on iTunes and on other platforms.

Disney, which produced the films, was expanding entertainment options for multicultural groups in North America while recognizing local talent from India. More information on the films and their availability can be found on the official site: www.DisneyWorldCinema.com.

Also active in entertainment for South Asians are Reliance ADA (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group), now an established international name in entertainment, and former tennis star, Ashok Amritraj’s company, Hyde Park Entertainment that produced the comedy, The Other End of the Line about call centers starring Shriya Saran who played opposite Rajnikanth in Sivaji.

Reliance ADA’s interests include film processing, production, exhibition and digital cinema as also FM Radio and a formidable cinema chain, Big Cinemas with a presence in the United States, Malaysia and Netherlands.

Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh in Do Dooni Char

Aditi Vasudev, Neetu Singh, Archit Krishna Rishi Kapoor in Do Dooni Char

Harshitha, Siddharth, Lakshmi Manchu in Once Upon a Warrior

Reviews of the Films:

Do Dooni Chaar, a humorous family comedy featuring Rishi Kapoor and his wife, Neetu Singh won the 2011 National Award for Best Hindi Film of the Year at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in May and Rishi won the Best Actor Award. In a running time of 111 minutes, these two stars of yesteryear keep the audience engaged with hilarious asides.

Set in Delhi, the movie shows Santosh Duggal (Rishi Kapoor) play an honest, principled school teacher and is always broke. He has to constantly cope with the demands of his job as also with living up with the Joneses in a peer-conscious society and extended family. His college-going daughter Payal (Aditi Vasudev) is independent and rebellious like any other teenager and the Duggal son, ambitious Sandy (Archit Krishna) gets into gambling to make a quick buck.

Portrayed as a typical, middle-class dysfunctional family, while Santosh tries to keep the wolf from the door, he is constantly short in his execution for no fault of his: its the system that short-changes him every time. When the Duggals decide to upgrade from a scooter to a family car, they confront major road blocks. However, the film is not depressing, it is replete with mismanaged chaos, peals of laughter and good-natured efforts at blackmail. All in all, a must-see.

Once Upon a Warrior is a special-effects-filled fantasy adventure (Telugu movie, subtitled in English) that focuses on courage and friendship. Set in a fictitious land named Sangarashtra (also known as Agartha), the film follows the epic journey of Moksha (Harshitha), a nine-year-old-girl with special healing powers and an obsession with butterflies.

As Moksha embarks on a quest to save her homeland from the tyranny of an evil Queen (Sarpini, played by Lakshmi Manchu, theater grad from Oklahoma City University who has appeared in TV serials, Las Vegas and Desperate Housewives and has her own Telugu talk show in America), she joins forces with a smart but visually-challenged warrior, Yodha (played by Siddharth), and his gypsy girl friend, Priya (played by Sruthi Hasan) who later becomes his beau.

Sruthi Hasan and Siddharth in Once Upon a Warrior

One would think the film maker was trying to imitate Harry Potter but while one ponders one is led to an exotic bar scene – an Arabian Nights-type scenario (comedy element, Brahmananda – Mozhi) with hanging bottles and flasks and colorful smoke billowing aimlessly. Shot partly in Turkey, the mid-eastern touch is unmistakable. At the bar, Yodha gets inebriated and loses his way till the other do-gooder, Druki (played by Ramji Vallabhaneni) sets things right.

Boomerangs and butterflies are part of the fantasy and released at appropriate times, the good guys constantly win specially with Yodha having no problem wielding the sword like a champion fencer.

For good to prevail over evil – we all know – sacrificial fires (yagnas) have to be performed by well-meaning priests and finally, Sarpini or Irendri (read evil queen) after incredible scenes with venomous snakes and fire-spitting dragons playing havoc, the villain is put to rest. Special effects help in large part to make the movie credible and the villain’s over-acting is par to the course. Curses, revenge and superstition are part of the mix, and after 133 minutes, one is happy the curse is lifted, and all is normal in the world.

Produced by Walt Disney Studios, India, Zokkomon is an action-packed adventure about an ordinary boy who rises from despair to meet extraordinary challenges. It’s a story of a money-minded, heartless uncle, a crafty schoolmaster, gullible villagers and how suddenly a kid from a city, transplanted by the uncle to his village transforms his classmates into believing in themselves.

Kunal (Darsheel Safary, who played a dyslexic child in Taare Zameen Par) plays the orphaned boy and discovers how cruel life can be when he is abandoned by his uncle (Anupam Kher). Left to fend for himself, Kunal soon realizes the hero within himself and begins his epic journey of adventure and transformation to become Zokkomon.

He is assisted by an estranged “uncle” (also played by Anupam Kher), but this gentleman is more interested in science and gizmos such as telescopes, mikes and costumes and does not believe in villagers’ tales or mythical superstitions. Kunal reveres this “Magic” uncle and takes his help to avenge the villainous uncle and shady sycophants who run the village. Ghosts show up and so do unexpected sounds from still classrooms.

A fast movie (thanks to director, Satyajit Bhatkal) that even kids can relate to specially when they are making fun of adults and are held to account, the viewer doesn’t realize how 109 minutes pass by. Typically Disney’s summer fare tends to portray kids in better light than their scheming adults.

Manjari and Darsheel in Zokkomon

The scenes in a small village are quite authentic and Anupam Kher is as good as his billing in two roles – as the evil uncle with a wig and as a failed, but temperamental scientist. Kunal’s “Kittu didi” Manjari Fadnis (Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, 2008) helps the young boy when in distress. An excellent movie for all ages as long as you have an open mind and believe in the magical.

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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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Singham: Another Action Film About Cops and Bad Guys

2011-07-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2011

Raj reviews Singham, Ajay "Where are the muscles?" Devgn's latest release.
by Raj S. Rangarajan

Yet another story about good versus evil emerges in this latest film entitled Singham. The movie tells the story of a straightforward, diligent police inspector from Shivgad, a small village on the border of Maharashtra and Goa, confronting a villain from the city of Colva in Goa. The cop this time is Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn), a man with a conscience who aspires to end corruption and blackmail. He vows to bring back the honor of his predecessor, Rakesh Kadam who had killed himself with a bullet to his own head after being framed.

In his village, Singham likes to settle disputes with his unique, patient style and words of wisdom, resorting to force only when it becomes absolutely necessary. More often than not, goons in the neighborhood are his problem. Extortionist, Jaykant Shikre (Prakash Raj, Mozhi in Tamil and several other hits) virtually rules Goa with his scheming ways and terrorizes rich families, which somehow seems woefully normal these days in India. The antagonist becomes a successful politician.

Fight scenes, while predictable, are original; for the first time, I saw the do-gooder (read: Ajay, the hero) slam-dunk the bad guys on their foreheads with his bare flat hand -– almost like Michael Jordan punching into the hoop and adding an exclamation point to the proceedings. The only thing missing was a chest thumping like the NBA player. Singham's move seems to be the signature shot.

The original Singham in Tamil was released in May 2010 and actor Suriya, who was promoted then as the "dude with 6-pack abs" had played the Ajay role. Reportedly, Ajay pumped a lot of iron and added extra upper body strength to play the role with greater conviction. "Singham", in Tamil, means lion.

The female leads in both Tamil and Hindi versions are tall and fetching, but lanky Anushka Shetty, known for her roles in Tamil and Telugu films, did a better job as the Singham boyfriend than Kavya Bhosle (Kajal Aggarwal) in Hindi. In one revealing moment, Kavya pleads with Bajirao, her Prince Charming, to go get the goons and vindicate his honor for his own sake and for the sake of the cop who died at his post. In amorous scenes with Kavya, Ajay had problems expressing himself. His fiery Mars character didn't send the right signals to Kavya, the Venus identity.

Prakash Raj has matured into a crafty villain, and there's little wonder that he is invariably busy in many languages these days. His Marathi needs polishing but when the villain can communicate better in the vernacular with the aid of guns, one needs no tonal affectations. As expected, the hero uses a white SUV while the bad guy "challenges the lion" with his black SUV. As Jaykant Shikre's sidekick, Ashok Samarth (Krantiveer) gets a lot of play and longish lines in a cell.

Ashok Saraf, the comedy element, as Prabhu Bhawalkar is spot-on with his "angry young man" spiel. His humorous delivery relieves the tension for Singham (Ajay), especially when the 3-striped cop, due to retire in six months, philosophizes about the nexus between cops, crooked politicians, and corruption. Apart from Familywala (Hindi) released last year and Pandu Havaldar (1974), Ashok has starred in television serials Yeh Choti Badi Baatein and Hum Paanch.

Sonali Kulkarni (Megha Kadam) as the wronged wife of the cop who kills himself on his office chair has a cameo appearance. She could have been asked to do more, especially since she is talented.

"Action romance" is the genre for the film but it had virtually no romance while, admittedly, maintaining loads of action. Director Rohit Shetty has taken care of the fights admirably but could have let us more into the picturesque scenery that Goa offers--an ideal getaway from reality if you can spare two hours or more. Gripping action scenes matched by snappy dialogue keep one wanting more.

Sotheby’s: Indian Contemporary Art Sale Fizzles; Welch Sale Sizzles

2011-06-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s modern and contemporary South Asian art sale, on May 31 in London, met with lackluster interest from buyers. Of 60 lots offered, just 33 were sold. By value, the auction was 47 percent sold, achieving a total of £1.6 million ($2.7 million).
An oil on canvas, Rue des Fossés St Jacques, 1957, by Sayed Haider Raza (b. 1922), sold for £337,250 ($557,609), on an estimate of £300,000/500,000. The work shows a view from the studio window that Raza and his wife, painter Janine Mongillat, rented in Paris in the ’50s.
An untitled painting by Manjit Bawa (1941–2008) was bought by a trade buyer for £157,250 ($259,997), compared with an estimate of £100,000/150,000, and another by Bawa, also untitled, sold for £61,250 ($101,271), against an estimate of £50,000/70,000.
Two more untitled pieces, these by the recently deceased Maqbool Fida Husain (1915–2011), were bought by private U.S. buyers, one for £87,650 ($144,921), on an estimate of £50,000/70,000, the other for £63,650 ($105,239), compared with an estimate of £30,000/40,000.
Records at Auction of Welch Collection
Titled Arts of India, the second part of the sale of the Stuart Cary Welch collection of Islamic and Indian art was held at Sotheby’s London on May 31, realizing £8.4 million ($13.9 million); combined with the first part (held in April), total sales were £29.3 million ($48 million). The April sale had a sell-through rate of 96.2 percent by lot, while Arts of India posted sell-through rates of 98 percent by lot and 99.6 percent by value.
Welch (1928–2008), a curator of Islamic and Indian art at the Harvard Art Museum, was also a special consultant for the department of Islamic art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; he began collecting Indian art as a young boy.
The May sale saw an auction record for a Nepalese painting: Vasudhara Mandala, 1365, by Jasaraja Jirila, sold for £825,250 ($1.4 million), doubling the £300,000/400,000 estimate.
The top lot however, was Sri Bhairavi Devi with Shiva, ca. 1630–35, attributable to Payag, Mughal, which sold to a “North American institution,” for £1.4 million ($2.3 million), far higher than the £30,000/40,000 estimate.

Asian Art Continues to Surge at Christie’s Hong Kong

2011-06-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Christie’s spring sales of Asian art in Hong Kong, including paintings, ceramics and works of art, as well as watches and jewelry, held May 28–June 1, realized a total of HK$3.9 billion ($496 million), a much higher figure than last year’s total of HK$2.3 billion ($294 million). At the recent sales, fine art accounted for HK$1.9 billion ($243.56 million).
In the evening sale of Asian 20th-century and contemporary art on May 28 (93 percent sold by lot and 95 percent sold by value), the total was HK$492.7 million ($63.3 million). The top lots were works by Zao Wou-ki (b. 1920), whose 2.11.59 sold for HK$41 million ($5.3 million) and 14.11.63 sold for HK$38.7 million ($5 million).
The Leopard, 2010, by Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964) sold for HK$36 million ($4.6 million) amid intense bidding, to Chinese entrepreneur Zhao Zhijun. All proceeds of this sale went to the nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, and Christie’s also waived its commissions. The Leopard will be housed at Zhao’s private museum in Beijing, according to Christie’s.
In the Asian contemporary-art day sale on May 29, where the total was HK$160.2 million ($20.6 million), Zeng also led the top ten. The artist’s painting Andy Warhol, 2005, sold for HK$9.6 million ($1.2 million), while Sky No. 2 sold for HK$9 million ($1.2 million) surpassing estimates of HK$2.5 million/3.5 million.
Golden Wedding, 2008, by Xin Dongwang (b. 1963) sold at HK$5 million ($650,210), far above the high estimate of HK$900,000, to an Asian bidder. Two of Yu Youhan’s paintings fetched healthy prices from European private bidders. Yu’s White Cat, Black Cat, 1993, (estimate: HK$1 million/1.5 million) sold for HK$4.6 million ($588,530), while his Mao Image in Rose, 1992, sold at HK$3.4 million ($434,330), compared with an estimate of HK$2.5 million/3.5 million.
Auction records were achieved for a wide range of works, including twelve lots by Chinese artists, three by Japanese artists, two by Korean artists and one for an Indian artist. Also a record was the HK$2.4 million ($310,970) given for A passerby hears a fair maiden’s laughter in the garden ring, by Chinese artist Pang Jiun (b. 1936), against an estimate of HK$1.2 million/1.6 million.
François Curiel, president of Christie’s Asia said, “strong bidding with moments of passionate enthusiasm was the hallmark of the week of spring auctions in Hong Kong. With sales up 65 percent over the same period last year, the growth of the art market in Asia is greater than anywhere in the world. This is due to the strength of the economy in the region and also to the great appetite of Asian collectors for works of art of the finest quality.”
The sale of Chinese modern paintings totaled HK$958 million ($123.1 million) and was 98 percent sold by lot and 99.8 percent by value. Works by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) accounted for the top three lots, and a total of six in the top ten in this category. Lotus, 1981, sold for HK$56.7 million ($7.3 million), compared with an estimate of HK$6 million/8 million, and was bought by an Asian private buyer. Landscape along Highway Hengguan, 1965, went for HK$52.2 million ($6.7 million)—six times the high estimate of HK$8 million—and Contemplating upon an Autumn Landscape, 1967, was sold for HK$51 million ($6.6 million), far higher than the estimate of HK$8 million/10 million.
Ben Kong, international specialist and head of Christie’s Chinese paintings department, said the session “saw a consistently packed auction room where buyers, particularly from Greater China, vied throughout the ten-hour sale for the best works from modern masters,” such as Zhang Daqian, Wu Guanzhong, Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian and Li Keran while affirming that “the Chinese paintings market is going from strength to strength.”
The day sale of Chinese 20th-century art totaled HK$108.6 million ($14 million), and was 88 percent sold by lot and 98 percent by value. Again Zao figured in the top lots, with 5.6.63 selling for HK$18.6 million ($2.4 million), doubling the estimate of HK$6 million/7 million, and Ciel de Paris, 1954, selling for HK$6.5 million ($835,250), three times the high estimate of HK$1.5 million/2 million. Sharing a Secret, 1992, by Ai Xuan (b. 1947) sold at HK$5.8 million ($742,730) compared with an estimate of HK$1.5 million/2.5 million.
The Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art category totaled HK$49 million ($6.3 million), with 76 percent sold by lot, 90 percent by value. The top lot, Temple Festival in Bali by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès, realized HK$7.7 million ($989,450), compared with an estimate of HK$1.9 million/2.6 million, and was bought by an Asian corporation. Indonesian artist Affandi (1907–90) had two works that fetched strong prices: Ayam Jago (Man with a fighting rooster), 1968, was bought by an unidentified Asian corporation for HK$3.6 million ($465,170), far higher than the estimate of HK$800,000/1 million while Penjual Tuwak (Tuwak seller), 1970, also by Affandi, was purchased by a private Asian bidder for HK$2 million ($264,710), well above the estimate of HK$600,000/800,000.
Ruoh-Ling Keong, head of Christie’s Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art department, said the “highly positive reception for the sale shows it struck a solid balance between the two pillars of modern and contemporary art, with significant cross-buying from the regions.” Two records were set in the modern art category: La Piedra IV, 1973, by Filipino artist Fernando Zobel (1924–84), which sold for more than four times its estimate, at HK$1.6 million ($203,030), and Anxiety, 2010, by BenCab, aka Benedicto Yeyes Cabrera (b. 1942), which sold for HK$740,000 ($95,090), against an estimate of HK$350,000/450,000.

Maharajas' watches fetch millions at Swiss auction

2011-06-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

A new generation of collectors are looking to acquiring unique and artistic timepieces.

Imagine one of these watches on your mantel. Or in your showcase. A Swiss-made watch known for its exquisite design, precision and craftsmanship. The high and mighty, the rich and famous gathered last month at a Swiss watering-hole in Geneva - Sotheby's - to pursue their hedonistic fancies: to bid for exclusive watches and timepieces that are inherently adorable pieces of art which happen to tell time.

With a new generation of sophisticated collectors clamoring for the unique and the pricey, the sale presented the quintessential Swiss watch known for its timeliness. The last sale was held in November 2010.

The top lot, a Patek Philippe chronograph fetched CHF 722,500 (Swiss francs or USD 815,637). Maharaja, a gold, enamel and minute repeating watch - Swiss - circa 1920 (dia. 50 mm) featuring a painted portrait of His Highness Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1891-1938), the ruler of the princely state of Patiala in Punjab from 1900 to 1938 - sold at CHF 122,500 Swiss Francs (US$138,291 or 6.19 million INR) at four times the estimate (in picture, maharaja seen in light blue dress).

Another rare gold, enamel ruby and diamond-set watch - a Seeland - with a painted portrait of His Highness Sawai Mahendra Sir Pratapsing Bahadeer, Maharaja of Orchha, Tikamgarh, Bundelkhand, signed Graff, circa 1890 (dia. 51 mm) - went for CHF 74,500 (US$84,104) at twice the high estimate. (maharaja in dark green tunic)

A third lot in the India series was - a Charles Frodsham - an 18K yellow gold hunting cased minute repeating watch made for the Indian market with enamel portraits, circa 1890 (maharaja in light green tunic. Vying for top honours were several Rolexes, a Piguet & Capt. Breguets, Omegas and other exclusive names from London and Paris.

Swiss enamel portrait miniature painter, John Graff (1836-1902) had created for the Indian princes and other dignitaries, what came to be known as "Rajah" watches that were decorated with enamel portraits of their owners taken from photographs. The intricate mechanisms were mainly produced in the Vallee de Joux area in Switzerland known for its ski slopes or in Le Locle, home of the Tissot watch.

More than 300 clients signed up for the event that covered five centuries of watch-matching history from 1580 to date. Included were luxurious pocket watches made for Indian maharajas in the 19th century, antique timepieces and blue-chip wristwatches as also Chinese and Turkish masterpieces.

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

RAJ S RANGARAJAN

Citizen of the World

2011-06-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Born on September 17, 1915 in Pandharpur a temple-town in Maharashtra, Maqbool Fida Husain was not only an enduring artist with an enviable body of work but was also a remarkable Indian.

Starting life as a painter of banners in Mumbai, Husain's childlike simplicity in his talk and manner were noticeable by anyone who met him. Easily approachable, the man loved the female form and said so sometimes with mischief and humour but never with malice. He was always alert to what one said, and used his enormous talent to chronicle society's contemporaneous ills and misgivings. By sheer numbers and his enduring presence in the art world, Husain brought Indian contemporary art to the world stage.

In 1947, around the time when India got its independence, The Progressive Artists Group was formed by artists - Francis Newton Souza, S. H. Raza and K. H. Ara and Husain was an early member. Among his early supporters were American well-wishers. Around the 50's he started focusing on colour and lines, motivated by European painters as also temple art in Hindu temples. In the subsequent two decades his reputation grew as an artist and so did his confidence.

In the 50's and 60's, Husain had the moral and financial support from the likes of art collectors - Chester and Davida Herwitz from Massachusetts, and Thomas Keehn(also 96) from Queens, New York, who between 1952 and 1961 used to work for Nelson Rockefeller in Delhi. Keehn, who is very close to the Husain family said," few years ago when Husain visited New York, the artist had produced 'Two Horses' within just 75 minutes with about 20 people watching."

Not many people are aware that among the doyen's masterpieces is a series of 27 paintings that he completed in 1971-72 for the 11th Sao Paolo Biennial on the epic Mahabharata. This 'Mahabharata: The Battle of Ganga and Jamuna' sold at a 2008 Christie's auction for $1.6 million.

Madhuri, the Maharashtrian Muse

He has mentioned that actor Madhuri Dixit was the inspiration behind his 2000 film - Gaja Gamini that also starred Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. He directed Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities starring Tabu, Kunal Kapoor with Raguvir Yadav playing a Nawab and A.R. Rahman providing the musical score. However, his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter, made in 1967 won a Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

Husain, a Qatari citizen since 2010 was forced to leave India in 2006 following communal disturbances, but never carried any rancor or revenge. He and his wife Fazila Bibi had six children: four sons and two daughters.

The art industry and the legion of art-lovers spread across the world will miss this giant of a man not only for his versatility in creating canvases and films but for his flamboyant, free spirit.

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

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Visual, narrative palimpsests in New York

2011-05-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Palimpsests offer visual narratives that cover various geographies. Featuring two artists who are in focus now.

An art gallery in New York is currently the focus of attention where nine contemporary artists of South Asian origin have created a palimpsests of exotic colors and hues while exploring complex notions of personal and cultural identity intertwined with both real and imagined traces of the past. Two are featured here: works from Tripura-born Jayashree Chakravarty (b. 1956) and Talha Rathore who was born in 1970 in Gujranwala, Pakistan.

The dictionary describes a palimpsest as writing material as a parchment used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased. Ideas of surface and depth, of secondary quotations and lost sources - of fleeting and hidden references - and of layering from a lost image are at the heart of this group exhibition.

Jayshree's intricately layered and reworked paintings address the concept of the palimpsest with abstract motifs that present multiple narratives and are at odds with one another. Her oils highlight like a wide-angle lens while focusing on minutea. An artist-in-residence in the early 90s at Ecole d'Art, Aix-en-Provence, France, Jayshree also did fine art in Baroda and at Santiniketan. The artist's faces here tend to hide more than what they reveal - an intrigue that a keen observer sees but does not dwell on.

Talha Rathore's current medium of choice comprises gouache on wasli (hand-made paper, originally created in India for miniatures) and several of his creations have for the background New York city's subway map. Talha, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York, specialized in miniature painting at National College of Arts in Lahore.

Gouache-on-wasli has stood Talha in good stead even as he tries to introduce reds, raspberries and wild elements - all one suspects - a concession to the oeuvre this palimpsest theme offers, specially since the concept can afford to define shifting landscapes in terms of social or geographical compositions.

Here, Talha is either complimenting the intricateness of the gargantuan rail network or reflecting on the amount of "blood, sweat and tears" that are spilled very day by the train commuter. A "strap-hanger" is another word for a commuter who rides a train. During rush hour, mostly riders are hanging on to a strap when the cars jostle and shake and swing with predictable inevitability.

Think imagery and an occasional illusory, contextual presence, and you have these artists revelling in their chosen indulgence.

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

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

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Iti Mrinalini (Yours Mrinalini) - Warm Story, Creatively Portrayed

2011-05-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2011

Iti Mrinalini (Yours Mrinalini) showcased at the 2011 NYIFF, here's our review of the film.

by Raj S. Rangarajan

Mrinalini, an aging Bengali actress is in the process of writing her last note. As a performer, timing has always been important to her: when to enter the stage and when to exit. She couldn't do much about it when she entered this world, but she is determined to leave at her time of choosing.

Aparna Sen directs the film and plays Mrinalini and her daughter in real life, Konkona Sen Sharma plays the younger actress. Straightaway we know of the two who is the better performer and Aparna says so indulging: "I am happy Konkona and I are not in the same frame. Imagine that, she will steal the scene in no time!" Strong compliment coming from the mother and director. In yet another quote, Aparna (known as "Rinadi" a pet name in Bengali circles) gushes of her Konkona: "there is no evidence of preparation when she works. She's never fake."

Aparna says, "the film's accent is the randomness of life" evidences of which are seen all through the movie. "All my films feature loneliness and separation and I am comfortable with that" adds the debut director of 36, Chowringhee Lane, made in 1981 that fetched her national and international plaudits.

Shot on 38 locations in 30 days, the movie is culture-specific and Bengali-specific, and runs for about two hours and will be seen in Bengali and Hindi.

Before taking her pills to end her life, Mrinalini decides to destroy her memorabilia -- letters photos, newspaper clips, lest they fall in the wrong hands, the media perhaps. She does not want media attention any more. She has had enough.

While reviewing her past attainments in a bright greenish-brown sari memories haunt and she reflects back on her life of friendships and betrayals, of agonies endured and awards relished, of failures and ecstasies.

Nothing is under our control and at times, we should just let go, without hesitation is one of the themes. The film explores different forms of love -- one that happens in early youth, one that's more domestic, one that falls somewhere between friendship and love, and the one resulting out of loneliness and seclusion.

Debutant screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh has worked the subject with passion, and after a particularly depressing break-up for the younger Mrinalini, Chintan Nair (played by Koushik Sen, known in Bengali screen and stage) declares, "A love that frees you is a love that has no expectations."

Definitely out of the mainstream in terms of execution of story and performance, the casting is appropriate. Perhaps connoisseurs and purists of Bengali cinema may not agree. While love is universal societal conflicts abound in any culture and time, more so now, and it is not surprising to hear Chintan Nair inquire of a despondent heroine, "Why do you think all love should end in marriage?"

Supporting cast includes Rajat Kapoor (Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding), Priyanshu Chatterjee (known for his 2001 debut film Tum Bin), German actress, Suzanne Bernert and all these actors have come together in this film for the first time except the mother-daughter duo, Aparna and Konkona.

Flashbacks tend to confuse a bit at times since Mrinalini is all over (old and young), and with the grand parade of exquisite saris on display one is overwhelmed by the array of characters who walk into frames effortlessly. And, concentrated effort is needed by the viewer to understand some of the sequences.

Mrinalini continues to relive her past, as night gradually turns to dawn. Moti, her German shepherd wants to get out for a break and while one is wondering about the suicide note, it happens. Wait for the last scene.

Thanks to the magic of sub-titles I followed the Bengali film, and it was time well-spent.
Two images added for perspective:

NYIFF 2011 - Exciting Film Weekend of Fun Indian Movies

2011-05-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2011

Raj gives us the dish on the 2011 New York Indian Film Festival, the leading film festival for Indian films in the U.S.

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK: It was all there: the trappings, the red carpet, the paparazzi, the fawning crowds, the actors and the wannabees. Its desis in New York, after all.

The event: The Eleventh Annual New York Indian Film Festival presented by the Indo-American Arts Council (IACC) that concluded Sunday. As usual, the festival featured a slew of movies but this time the banner headlines were reserved for films from Bengal ranging from Aparna Sen's Iti Mrinalini to a documentary called The Bengali Detective to Metropolis@Kolkata, directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay to the closing event: Noukadubi directed by Rituparno Ghosh that was set in the 1920s, based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, whose 150th birthday was celebrated on May 9 in India.

In the mix was the film (read Bollywood comedy, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, India) Do Dooni Chaar starring the Kapoor couple - Rishi and wife, Neetu - that debuted last Wednesday. At the end of the screening of Do Dooni Chaar, what was billed as a Q&A by newly-minted Festival Director of NYIFF, Aseem Chhabra, of the director, Habib Faisal and the star cast, turned out to be hilarious with Rishi's humorous banter and Neetu's friendly ebullience carrying the evening.

Also seen at the festival were films highlighting drama, touching regional films in Marathi, Bengali and Malayalam with English subtitles, and, adding variety was a documentary titled Bhopali (on the Union Carbide fiasco of 1984), a gangster-light film, Yeh Saali Zindagi starring Irffan Khan and Semshook (in Hindi and Tibetan).

Other films with name-recognition status were Shabana Azmi in A Decent Arrangement (about a side of India not commonly seen by western audiences); Jaya Bahaduri and Victor Banerjee in Meherjaan, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain: a touching 1971 story when Bangladesh got its independence from Pakistan and where Meher falls in love with a soldier from the enemy's side.

Geeta in Paradise, directed by Benny Mathews, is a comic meditation about Bollywood and the effect Indian cinema has on one particularly lonely, bored housewife from Waxahachie, a suburb of Dallas, Texas.

For the first time, we had a 3-D computer-animated retelling of The Legend of Rama made by Ketan Mehta and directed by Chetan Desai. Aimed at children, the film that showcased a landmark in Indian animation had a dedicated team of over 400 artists and technicians busy for two years. Aseem Chhabra says, "we had to make some tough choices on selection for showings, we had to review about 150 narratives, documentaries and shorts."

At many of the events it was "standing-room only" crowds, another indication that Indian films - whatever the language, theme or length - are always a popular draw, the demographics of the audience notwithstanding.

Capping the 5-day event were Awards handed out for Indian cinematic excellence:
Best Director: Aparna Sen, Iti Mrinalini

Best Actress: Konkona Sen Sharma, Iti Mrinalini
Director Aparna Sen, known for several hit movies, excelled herself in this movie with her daughter, Konkona, playing the younger Mrinalini, proving that she is a better actress than her mom, which she readily concedes: "Konkona and I are never in the same frame. My god, imagine that. Straightaway she'll steal the scene! The story is about an aging actress who plans to end her life and the colorful characters that enter and exit her life during her ride.

Best Actor: Rishi Kapoor, Do Dooni Chaar
Breezy comedy set in Delhi that brings out the best elements in a family of four and how the sole breadwinner, an ambitious but lowly-paid Math teacher and scooter-owner faces up to the unforgiving city's challenges and never loses his spirit.

Best Screenplay: Mohan Raghavan, T.D. Dasan Std. VI B (Malayalam)
(How a young boy who misses his father, corresponds with a person whom he has never met and the interesting after-effects. Imaginative powerful story.)

Best Documentary: Bhopali (Director Max Carlson talks about the survivors and how they continue to fight for justice against an American corporation.)

Best Short Film: Just That Sort Of A Day (Abhay Kumar)

Best Feature Film: Sthaniya Sambaad (Spring in the Colony), directed by Arjun Gourisaria & Moinak Biswas (Story dealt with the goings-on in a settlement of refugees from Bangladesh)

Electrifying Performance by Violin duo Ganesh-Kumaresh

2011-05-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

It was a heart-warming experience: two well-known violinists -- Ganesh-Kumaresh and two percussionists in full flow at Flushing, New York recently. Their melodic performance was electrifying and even breathtaking. Thanjavur T. R. Govindarajan on the "thavil" was such a picture of professional concentration that one thought he was possessed in a kind of mesmerized trance. Patri Satish Kumar on the “mridangam” was exquisite.

The four energetic artistes reveled in each other's prowess and expertise on their chosen instruments that evoked gushes of sentiment and nostalgia from the expert and the novice. The violinists’ knowledge and mastery of the “gamakas” were unmistakable. Gamakas are embellishments to musical notes that make the overall listening effect a pleasurable lesson in noteworthy wholesomeness.

At one point, the duo called for audience participation which brought forth a flood of suggestions on the fusion between the classical and the contemporary that a purist such as a T.M. Krishna perhaps would not approve. But the Saturday evening crowd loved every moment with the brothers referring to their individual Mac laptops.

The foursome in unison brought new meaning to exalted words such as rhythm, resonance and melody. Govindarajan virtually made his “thavil” talk. Not to be outdone was the percussionist, Patri Satish Kumar who matched Govindarajan’s resonant forays with relaxed finesse.

Promoted by Saregama India of the Entertainment sector of RPG Enterprises, the evening lifted everyone’s spirits. This institution dedicated to music was established as the first overseas Indian branch of EMI, London. Earlier HMV (His Master’s Voice) or The Gramophone Company of India Ltd. was the sound of choice and record.

Brothers Ganesh and Kumaresh were hailed as child violin prodigies as early as 1972 when Ganesh was hardly seven and Kumaresh, five. Trained by their father, T.S. Rajagopalan, a veteran violinist himself, this performing duo has impressed doyens such as vocalist Dr. Balamurali Krishna, tabla wizard, Ustad Zakir Hussain, A. R. Raman and mridangam player Palghat Raghu -- to name a few.

They have introduced a new musical expression to Carnatic music called “Ragapravaham” which highlights musical creativity as pure melody and is not necessarily dependent on language or religious flavours. This new composition is based on typical ragas (melodic scales) and thalas (rhythmic cycles) without lyrics.

Team Ganesh- Kumaresh has created several such instrumental compositions that accentuates candidly the poetic elements of the violin. Among new ragas that are their forte are Hemantha Mohanasri, Amrutha Kalyan and Pamara Ranjani.

Their virtuosity and classicism with the stringed instrument was impeccable this day, and with percussion specialists rising to the occasion in no small measure, connoisseurs of the Carnatic form went home musically satiated for a splendid evening.
_____________
[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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Former Maharaja's canopy fetches crores

2011-04-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

A Maharaja's pearl canopy is a recent treasure that went under the hammer at a New York auction house.

Raj S. Rangarajan

Yet another former treasure was sold recently at Sotheby's New York: a pearl canopy, originally from Baroda, Gujarat for a handsome 2.32 million USD. Measuring 3 feet 11 inches in diameter it was commissioned during the British Raj (circa 1865-70) by the then Maharaja of Baroda, Khande Rao Gaekwar (r. 1856-1870).

Embroidered with about 9.5 lakh 'Basra' pearls and beads, and embellished with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, this opulent suite exemplified the grandeur, wealth and sophistication of the time. The rosettes are circled by small natural 'Basra' 3-4 mm pearls. The designs in the rosettes were set with over 200 table-cut and occasional rose-cut diamonds, all set in silver topped gold or possibly blackened gold; the motifs were further enhanced with approximately 700 foil backed rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in gold.

This exquisite bejeweled canopy and a Pearl Carpet of Baroda were two surviving pieces of an ensemble of five. For over 100 years, the Pearl Canopy of Baroda was hidden from public view. The 5' 8" x 8' 8" carpet was sold at Sotheby's Doha in March 2009 for 5.5 million USD. This too was artistically structured with a million tiny seed pearls, rubies, sapphires and diamonds on a silk/deer hide forming the base. The other three components that completed the ensemble were supposed to be rectangular carpets, which if placed vertically would have formed a regal enclosure.

Khande Rao Gaekwar who ascended to the throne in 1856 during the British Raj was known for his sophistication and love for the arts and architecture. Obviously he could command the services of skilled gem-cutters and craftsmen who created a canopy that blended Persian and indigenous Indian traditions. Among the magnificent jewels he acquired in 1867 was the 128-carat 'Star of the South' diamond.

From a provenance standpoint, the canopy passed by descent to Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwar and on to Maharaja Pratapsingh Rao Gaekwar who was married to Sita Devi, daughter of the zamindar of Pithapuram, now in Andhra Pradesh. Sita Devi, who was born in Madras, was a high-flying socialite and lived out of Monaco. The story goes that Pratapsingh Rao and Sita Devi were smitten the moment they met at the Madras Race Course in 1943. When the former Maharani moved to Monaco the canopy went with her and it was in a private collection since 1985. Sita Devi died in Paris in February 1989.

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

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

Hong Kong Sales Point to Soaring Asian Art Market...Again

2011-04-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring sale series totaled HK$3.49 billion ($447 million), up considerably from last year’s total of HK$2 billion ($256.2 million).

Amid skepticism from some observers, prices for contemporary Chinese artworks have once again soared past expectations, leaving some to wonder if this second boom, which has come so quickly on the heels of the market downturn, is sustainable.

The auction house’s headline offering, “The Ullens Collection–The Nascence of Avant-Garde China,” was assembled by Belgian collectors Baron Guy Ullens and his wife Myriam. It, included seminal works of Chinese contemporary art from the 1980s and 90s, several of which have rarely been seen since their creation and acquisition. The auction was 100 percent sold and contributed HK$427.2 billion ($54.8 million) to the total.

Forever Lasting Love (Triptych), a monumental oil on canvas, 1988 by Zhang Xiaogang (b. 1958), set an auction record of HK$79 million ($10.1 million), selling far above the high estimate of HK$30 million.

The rise in prices for Zhang Xiaogang has been one of the most dramatic in the contemporary art market in recent years. In 2005, New York dealer Max Protetch was selling works by the artist for under $100,000. By early 2006, when Sotheby’s held its first sale of contemporary Asian art in New York (ANL, 4/25/06), the record leapt to $979,200 for the 1998 painting, Bloodline Series: Comrade No. 120, a 74-by-59-inch oil on canvas that had been estimated at $250,000/350,000. The price stunned many collectors and dealers, including Protetch himself, who told ARTnewsletter at the time: “It took me by surprise. I thought we were getting good prices last year [2005]”.

In 2007 the artist joined the Pace Gallery, where he had his first solo show, in New York, in 2008. Since 2006, at least 50 paintings by Zhang Xiaogang have sold for over $1 million each at auction according to a database. The day following the Ullens sale, another piece from the artist’s “Bloodline Series” brought $7.3 million.

Apart from Zhang Xiaogang, additional records were set for artists including: Zhang Peili (b. 1957) for Series “X?” No. 3, 1986, which sold for HK$23 million ($2.97 million); Geng Jianyi (b. 1962) for Two People Under a Light, 1985, which realized HK$18.6 million ($2.38 million); Ding Yi (b. 1962) for Appearance of Crosses 90-6, 1990, an acrylic on canvas which sold for HK$17.46 million ($2.23 million); Yu Youhan (b. 1943) for 1985-4, acrylic on canvas, 1985, that sold for HK$14.1 million ($1.8 million); and Liu Wei (b. 1965) for No Smoking, 1998, which sold for HK$14.1 million ($1.8 million).

A work by Wang Guangyi (b. 1957), Mao Zedong: P2, 1988, sold for HK$19.1 million ($2.5 million), the third-highest auction price for the artist.

Fine art category totals included modern Chinese paintings which took HK$648 million ($83 million); 20th-century Chinese art, which realized HK$236 million ($30.2 million); contemporary Asian art, which took in HK$183 million ($23.5 million); modern and contemporary southeast Asian paintings, which took in HK$108 million ($13.8 million); as well as Chinese ceramics and works of art, which brought HK$583 million ($75 million).

In the contemporary Asian art sale, which was 88 percent sold by lot, and 93 percent sold by value, a record was set for Li Songsong (b. 1973). Li’s China Past [diptych], 2006, was sold for HK$4.2 million ($541,026). Untitled No. 11, 2001, an oil by Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964), went for HK$10.8 million ($1.4 million).

The modern Chinese paintings auction was 99.7 percent sold by lot, and 99.2 percent sold by value. The top lot was Spring Mountains in Sichuan, 1953, ink and color on paper, hanging scroll, 1953, by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), which sold for HK$64.5 million ($8.3 million) at three times the HK$18 million estimate. It was followed by The Lion Grove Garden, 1987, ink and color on paper, by Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010) sold for HK$28.7 million ($3.7 million).

C.K. Cheung, head of the fine Chinese paintings department said the sale “went from strength to strength with bidding pushing many prices past pre-sale estimates. While buying in today’s sale was overwhelmingly Asian, the ultimate prices were due to active participation of under-bidders from around the world.”

In the 20th-century Chinese art sale, which was 89 percent sold by lot and 94 percent sold by value, most works surpassed estimates. Appearing in the market for the first time in decades, the diptych, Inspiration Hivernale, oil on canvas, painted between 1987 and 1990 by Chu Teh-chun (b. 1920) and signed in pinyin and Chinese, was bought by a private Asian buyer for HK$28.7 million ($3.7 million). Pins Landais, 1955, oil on canvas by Zao Wou-ki (b. 1921) sold at five times the HK$4 million high estimate for HK$23 million ($3 million) and Amitie, oil on canvas, executed in 2003 by Chen Yifei (1946-2005) was bought for HK$17.5 million ($2.2 million).

The modern and contemporary southeast Asian sale posted two new artist records for Hendra Gunawan and Filipino artist Ronald Ventura. Penari Ular (Snake Dancer), oil on canvas, 1977, by Gunawan (1918-1983) sold for HK$16.3 million ($2 million) while Ventura’s Grayground, 2011, graphite, acrylic and oil on canvas, sold for HK$8.4 million ($1 million) at twenty-four times the high estimate of HK$350,000. Mok Kim Chuan, head of southeast Asian paintings said “Grayground was competed for by 15 bidders and our strong results both for established names and for younger artists making their first appearance at auction demonstrate a market in a healthy state of expansion.”

Uptick in Asian Art Auctions As Market Rebound Continues

2011-04-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—The latest Asia Week art auctions (March 22–25) were upbeat, and overall sale volume continued to bounce back from levels seen during the market downturn. Christie’s posted a total of $117 million compared with $60 million last year, and Sotheby’s took in $84 million compared with $22.6 million a year ago (ANL, 4/6/10).

Christie’s held a total of seven sales: South Asian modern and contemporary art ($9.8 million); Japanese and Korean art ($14.8 million); Indian and Southeast Asian art ($11.2 million); Chinese ceramics and works of art ($53.7 million); and sales of works from three private collections ($28 million).

At Sotheby’s, a major portion of the sale volume was realized for auctions focused on Chinese ceramics, which totaled $71.4 million. Modern and contemporary South Asian art accounted for $4 million, while Indian and Southeast Asian works of art realized $9.4 million.

At Christie’s Japanese and Korean art sale, the top lot was a pair of six-panel screens (ink, color, gold and gold leaf on paper) attributed to Kano Naizen (1570–1616) and entitled Southern Barbarians Come to Trade, which realized $4.8 million compared with the unpublished estimate “in the region of $4 million,” according to a Christie’s spokesman, and setting a record for Japanese painting.

Katsura Yamaguchi, international director of Japanese and Korean art, said the consignor of the screens will donate part of the proceeds to the ongoing tsunami and earthquake relief efforts in Japan. Yamaguchi noted that the total was Christie’s second highest in this sale category.

Among Korean works, the top lot was a rare blue-and-white porcelain dragon jar, 18th century, which sold for $3.9 million, against an unpublished estimate of $3 million. Korean art specialist Heakyum Kim, said bidding was “very active and buyers came from all over the globe.”

Among modern works that were well received was an oil by Kim Whanki, 2-V-73 #313, 1973, which sold for $1.4 million (estimate: $800,000/1 million).

The top-selling work of the Indian and Southeast Asian art auction was a gray schist figure of the Emaciated Siddhartha, or “Fasting Buddha,” third/fourth century, standing 31½ inches high, which sold for $4.5 million, compared with an estimate of $4 million.

The South Asian modern and contemporary art sale was led by a diptych by Tyeb Mehta (1925–2009), Bulls, 2005–7, bought for a record $2.8 million, compared with an unpublished estimate of $2 million.

An untitled oil on canvas, 1987, by abstract painter Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924-2001) sold for $722,500 (estimate: $300,000/500,000), and an oil on canvas Untitled (Gaja Lakshmi), 2004, by Manjit Bawa (1941–2008) sold for $476,500 compared with an estimate of $270,000/350,000.

All of the top ten works sold at prices that exceeded high estimate. Deepanjana Klein, head of the sale and a specialist in the South Asian modern and contemporary art department said the auction “reflected the continued strength and breadth of this collecting field and witnessed lively bidding by international buyers on the telephone.”

At the modern and contemporary South Asian art sale at Sotheby’s, Untitled (Reclining Nude), 1960, oil on canvas by Akbar Padamsee (b. 1928), sold for $1.4 million (estimate: $500,000/700,000).

Also among the top lots was an untitled oil by Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915) that sold for $602,500 (estimate: $500,000/700,000) and Death Scene, by Rabindranath Tagore (1891–1941) that sold for $338,500, compared with an estimate of $300,000/500,000.

Black and white are equally pretty in art

2011-02-27T04:16:00.000-08:00

In a world dominated by colour, can you think in black and white?

As you cruise south on the IT corridor in Chennai you would have perhaps noticed a mural titled 'Mother and Child'. It was created by contemporary artist Asma Menon for Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Limited (TNRDC) few years ago. Apart from murals and installation, Asma is known for her vibrant colours and intriguing canvases.

Featured as Artist of the Month by Cholamandal Artists Village for this month, on February 26th and 27th, Asma dwells on printmaking and the influence and impact of this medium with the aid of a slideshow. In her exhibition titled 'Absence and presence of colour' Asma presents her etchings and black-and-white works.

The works take the viewer into the vortex of the "reading of the cards". The journey is of clairvoyance. Stark black-and-white line drawing against vivid borders is akin to a stage set for the unveiling of the answers to one's queries. Or is it! How often is one motivated to think in black-and-white in a world dominated by colour? But this exhibition does.

The art village, established in 1966, gives art aficionados a chance to understand the artist firsthand and her expression and the whys governing it. Located in Injambakkam, nine kms from Chennai proper, the art village's creations have been shown in Europe, the U.S. and South America. Several skilled craftsmen and artists live in a commune-type arrangement and create art as a matter of fun and pride.

Asma's creations reflect her bubbly personality and most of her oeuvre is brimming with a busy feel that needs to constantly communicate. Her strength seems to lie in packing a lot of elements on a crowded canvas much like a busy Chennai street during rush hour. Her symbolic streaks inform while yelling for attention.

A B.Sc. graduate in Visual Communications and M.A. in Fine Art from Chennai's Government Arts College, Asma has had her share of solo shows in several cities of Europe ranging from France to Spain to Italy and to the Middle East and Far East, Egypt, Malaysia, Japan and the Republic of Macedonia.

Some of Asma's composites occasionally mimic caricatures as an inevitable compliment to her sense of humour. Or is it all planned like an exit line of a play? Her persona is represented in the blend of hues that she teases the onlooker with.

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RAJ S RANGARAJAN

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

Indians cannot buy Indian antiquities

2011-01-23T01:28:00.001-08:00

Indian antiquities have a good market abroad but we ourselves cannot buy them... A look at why

There is continued interest among American buyers - private individuals and institutions - in bronzes and copper artifacts as evidenced by purchases of a Bronze Figure of 'Balakrishna' from South India, Tamil Nadu (Chola Period, 12th century) as also a Copper Figure of Indra (Nepal, 14th/15th century). Few months back, each of these sold for USD 122,500 (INR 5.6 million) at a price higher than auctioneer Christie's estimate.

Both these art pieces - the Chola bronze (16-1/2 in. or 42 cm high) and Indra (10-3/4 in. or 27.2 cm high) were bought by America-based bidders. Interestingly, even if they wished to, art lovers of Indian origin based in India could not have bought these rare pieces. Reason: embargos by the Indian government following the passing of the Archeological Survey of India's Antiquities Act of 1972.

This writer asked two gallery owners - one from New York and the other from Bangalore - the same question: How come bronzes tend to be purchased mostly by western art lovers or U.S. institutions, not say by investors of Asian origin?

Manhattan Gallery owner Deepak Talwar says, "Perhaps Western buyers and institutions tend to prefer antiquities in view of the provenance and restrictions by the Indian government in owning antiquities. It is also possible American institutions and collectors want to buy Asian antiquities as they have little of their own art and antiquities from 500 or say, 1,000 years ago."

M. Maher Dadha, Chairman & Managing Director of a Bangalore gallery, Bid & Hammer Auctioneers (P) Ltd., laid out additional reasons: "Firstly, Indians are skeptical of buying Bronzes, Copper or Mixed Alloy statues, especially of Hindu gods and goddesses, as they are considered sacred. Secondly, most of the ancient stone statues being offered are either partially damaged or broken while excavating. In such instances, owning a broken or damaged statue is considered very inauspicious by the owner. In other words strong religious and cultural beliefs are detrimental factors."

Indians are unable to buy items here. Since reportedly most of the statues or bronzes have been stolen from temples and illegally smuggled out of India before the 1972 Act became effective, art lovers here just cannot buy them even if they travel abroad to do so.

Dadha adds, "The Indian government could actually now afford to bring back priceless, historically significant items of Indian heritage like some other governments do but the political will is lacking."

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

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RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Volume Soars at Christie’s Hong Kong Auctions

2010-12-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Fall sales of Asian contemporary art and Chinese 20th-century art in evening and day sales at Christie’s Hong Kong Nov. 27–30 brought in a total of HK$512.4 million ($65.9 million), up considerably from the HK$389.3 million ($50.2 million) total reported last fall. Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art brought in HK$56.7 million ($7.3 million) and Chinese modern paintings fetched HK$568 million ($73 million); Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy brought in HK$100.9 million ($13 million). In all, the fine-art sales totaled HK$1.13 billion ($146.5 million).
The evening sale of contemporary and 20th century Chinese art on Nov. 27 totaled HK$281.2 million ($36.2 million). It was 84 percent sold by lot, 78 percent by value. Among the records was a new auction high for a work by Sanyu (1901–66). His oil on masonite Potted Chrysanthemum in a Blue and White Jardinière, 1950s, sold for HK$53.3 million ($6.9 million) on an unpublished estimate of HK$35 million/55 million. A record was also set for a work by Mao Xuhui (b. 1956), when his triptych ’92 Paternalism, 1992(3), was bought by a private European collector for HK$11.9 million ($1.5 million), twice the estimate of $HK3 million/5 million.

Eric Chang, Christie’s international director of Asian contemporary art and Chinese 20th-century art, reported “solid demand for both categories of art with seven records achieved for works by artists across a broad spectrum of Chinese artists.” In addition to the artist records for Sanyu and Mao, new records were also set for work by Chinese artists Yee Bon, Wang Guangyi, Zhan Wang, and Japanese artists Aya Takano and Tatsuo Miyajima. Chang added, “The market for Chinese 20th-century and contemporary art continues to be steady and healthy and Asian buying remains strong.”

Leading the Asian contemporary and Chinese 20th century day sale was A Man in Melancholy, 1990, an oil by Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964), which sold for HK$10.3 million ($1.3 million), four times the estimate of HK$1.6 million/2.4 million).

Works by Zao Wou-Ki (Zhao Wuji, b. 1920) remain among the most sought-after by collectors, with all of his works in this sale fetching prices above their high estimates. The Meeting Hall, 1993, a painting by Liu Dahong (b. 1962), set a new record of HK$2.8 million ($359,649), more than ten times the HK$180,000/260,000 estimate. Landscape, 2004, by Liu Wei (b. 1965) sold for HK$3.98 million ($514,893) against an estimate of HK$650,000/750,000.

The auction of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art was 87 percent sold by lot, and 98 percent by value. The total was HK$56.7 million ($7.3 million). The top lot was Balinesische Legende (Balinese Legend), 1929, an oil on canvas by Walter Spies (1895–1942), which sold for HK$16.9 million ($2.17 million) against an unpublished estimate of HK$16 million. Another painting that brought a “significant market response” from both private collectors and institutions was Wounded Lion, an oil by Indonesian artist Raden Saleh (ca. 1807–80), which sold for HK$6.6 million ($852,624) on an estimate of HK$6 million/8 million and underscored the strong prices for historically important modern works.

Ruoh-Ling Keong, Christie’s head of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, said the sale total of HK$56.7 million represented “almost a 70 percent increase over the same sale last year. With average prices roughly in line with those seen at the height of the market, the market for the finest works of art from Southeast Asia is indeed healthy and robust.”

In the contemporary section, Trombone, 2010, a painting by I. Nyoman Masriadi (b. 1973), fetched HK$2.7 million ($344,207) on an estimate of HK$800,000/1.4 million, and Membayang (Imagining), 2006, a two-part acrylic on canvas by Handiwirman Saputra, (b. 1975) sold to an Asian private buyer for HK$1.22 million ($157,869) against an estimate of HK$800,000/1.2 million.

Keong added, “The contemporary section saw global collectors responding in earnest to not only works from the established rock stars of the category, including I. Nyoman Masriadi and Handiwirman Saputra, but also those from newer artists.”

Christie’s auction of Chinese modern paintings was 96 percent sold by lot, and 97 percent by value, realizing a total of HK$568 million ($73 million). Works by Fu Baoshi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi were much sought after. The Song of the Pipa Player, 1945, a mounted and framed scroll by Fu (1904–65), sold for HK$70million ($9 million), a new auction record for the artist, on an estimate of HK$20 million/40 million. Temple at the Mountain Peak, a hanging scroll by Zhang (1899–1983), sold for HK$61.14 million ($7.9 million) against an estimate of HK$4 million/6 million.

Ben Kong, international specialist head of Chinese paintings at Christie’s Hong Kong, said the season’s “excellent results reflect a 92 percent increase from last year’s autumn sale, while the average lot value also increased by 42 percent compared to last year. Mainland Chinese buyers are a clear force driving this category, taking nine out of the top ten lots in our Chinese classical paintings sale.”

Sales of Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy totaled HK$100.9 million ($13 million). The top lot was Mynah, Poem in Running Script Calligraphy (a pair of album leaves mounted as a hanging scroll) by Bada Shanren (1626–1705), which sold for HK$11.3 million ($1.5 million) against an estimate of HK$1.2 million/1.5 million. A number of other artists, including Ni Yuanlu, Hua Yan and Lan Ying also brought strong prices that surpassed estimates.

Restored Tipu paintings fetch crores

2010-12-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

Recalling history through restored paintings of a historic battle that fetched crores at a recent auction

Indian history books have recorded Tipu Sultan’s victorious battles in Southern India in the 18th century, and we now have documentation of those successes in the form of 24 “preparatory” paintings that were sold recently in London.

The paintings depicting the Battle of Pollilur, also known as Battle of Perambakam, that took place on 10th September 1780 near present-day Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, were bought by an anonymous telephone bidder for INR 55,981,934 (£769,250 or US$1,224,184).

Tipu Sultan commanded the Kingdom of Mysore against Col. William Baille of the British East India Company, which history records, surrendered and suffered a high number of casualties. In a subsequent battle, Colonel Arthur Wellesley and the British defeated Tipu Sultan at the Battle of Seringapatam (now Srirangapatam) on 4th May 1799.

The 24 paintings, which were done on rice paper shortly after the battle were originally part of two long scrolls, each 7 ft. by 30 ft. The story goes that following the Pollilur battle, Tipu Sultan commissioned a mural to commemorate his father, Hyder Ali’s victory that was installed in the Daria Daulat Palace, Seringapatam in 1784. It is believed, the preparatory paintings were the work of an Indian artist.

The scrolls with the preparatory paintings were chopped up into 24 paintings which have survived in remarkably good condition. The paintings illustrate Hyder and Tipu, splendidly attired on their elephants, supported by their army and the French mercenaries. The restoration was done using the preparatory paintings for referencing and is attributed to one of the commanding officers who attended the siege in 1799 — Wellesley, later 1st Duke of Wellington, known for his military prowess.

History buffs will be interested in the paintings’ provenance: it was reportedly acquired around 1802 by Captain John William Freese, a member of the Madras Artillery, who played an important role in the siege of Seringapatam in 1799. The same year he was appointed by General Stuart as Commissary of Stores at Seringapatam. By descent the paintings went to 6th Earl of Lanesborough (grandson of Captain Freese) and remained in the family for a further 100 years until they were sold as part of a group lot in the Swithland Hall Estate Sale in 1978.

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

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RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Continued Vibrancy Seen at NY Fall Auction

2010-11-28T09:39:00.001-08:00

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

At the contemporary art sale in New York in mid-September, works by Indian artists held center stage at Christie's and Sotheby's with two artists creating auction records for their work. Bhupen Khakhar's Muslims Around a Mosque II, 2001(180 cm x 120 cm - oil on canvas depicting a mosque's environs) sold for $650,000 at more than twice the high estimate and Arpita Singh's Munna Apa's Garden, 1989 (158.1 cm x 173.4 cm - oil on canvas that shows the artist's milder side) was bought by an Indian collector for $506,500 at three times the high estimate. Singh (73) was born in West Bengal and studied art in New Delhi. She painted Bengali folk paintings in the '80s and took up oils in the '90s.

Auctioneers, collectors and galleries are upbeat about the vibrancy in the art market in spite of a sluggish recovery in other areas of the economy. With provenances for quality art items being recognized and appreciated, newer clients are seen investing in art. Lately, international institutions have gotten into the act of collection.

S. H. Raza and F. N. Souza were the $1 million-plus artists this Fall season with younger artists, Rashid Rana and T.V. Santhosh (both 1968-born) also creating a buzz among art lovers. Rana's Red Carpet III, 2007 (chromogenic print and Diasec mounted: 133 cm x 183 cm), in pixels of thousands of tiny digitized images, initially tends to crowd one's thoughts but soon, with concentration, one comprehends vividly what the artist is trying to convey. An American bought it for $182,500. Santhosh's Untitled oil, 2008 (122 cm x 183 cm.) that sold for $110,500, depicts in his customary red-and-green a common subject such as war with contemplative imagery.

In keeping with his signature installations dealing with everyday images such as stainless steel pans in households, Subodh Gupta's Two Cows that shows bronze, aluminium and chrome milk cans was bought by an European bidder for $542,500 against a high estimate of $350,000. Says the artist, "The bicycle is like a mechanized cow in the city.?in the country if I wanted milk, I would go to the cows to get it; in the city it is delivered to you by bicycle."

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

Vibrancy Returns to Autumn Asian Art Auctions

2010-10-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—The fall Asian art sales in New York, held Sept. 14–17, realized $98.4 million, with Christie’s contributing $70.75 million while Sotheby’s total was $27.65 million. Last year’s total was $77 million, of which Christie’s sales accounted for $57.3 million and Sotheby’s contributed $19.3 million (ANL, 9/22/09).

Christie’s Asian art categories were: South Asian Modern and contemporary art ($7.54 million), Indian and Southeast Asian art ($3.98 million); Japanese and Korean art including arts of the Meiji period ($3.68 million); Chinese ceramics and works of art ($34.11 million); the Sze Yuan Tang archaic bronzes from the Anthony Hardy collection ($20.75 million); and Chinese works including objects from the Arthur M. Sackler collections ($686,000).

Theow Tow, deputy chairman of Christie’s Americas and honorary chairman of Christie’s Asia said, “This season’s sales have shown the market for Asian art . . . remains extremely vibrant, with clients from Asia continuing to participate strongly just as American and European buyers were equally active.”

Seven-Figure Sums for Raza, Souza

At the South Asian modern and contemporary sale, works by contemporary Indian artists such as Subodh Gupta, T.V. Santhosh, Rashid Rana, Atul Dodiya, and Anju Dodiya did well.

La Terre, 1985, an acrylic by Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), sold for $1.93 million, (estimate: $2 million/2.5 million), and an oil, Untitled (Large Head) by Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), 1962, was bought by a U.S. collector for $1.43 million (estimate: $1.2 million/1.8 million). Two Cows by Gupta (b. 1964), 2005, an installation made of bronze and aluminum with chrome, was bought for $542,500 (estimate: $280,000/350,000), and an oil on canvas, Untitled (Durga) by Manjit Bawa (1941–2008), was bought by a U.S. trade buyer for $314,500 (estimate: $200,000/250,000).

Hugo Weihe, international director of Asian art and international specialist head, South Asian modern and contemporary art in New York, said that new clients entered the market “at a very high level, demonstrating confidence in a category that is well established. The sale saw lively bidding by international buyers in the room, on the telephone, and online, with strong participation from international institutions.”

In the Indian and Southeast Asian art category, a Roman silver Kantharos, Gandhara, ca. late 1st century b.c., was bought by an unidentified Asian institution for $434,500 (estimate: $150,000/250,000), and a gilt bronze figure of Vajrasattva, Mongolia, Zanabazar School, 18th century sold for $314,500 (estimate: $200,000/300,000). Sandhya Jain Patel, Indian and southeast Asian art specialist, said that “the auction attracted U.S. and Asian institutions, who were among the buyers of the top ten lots and represent a diversity of interests throughout the sale.”

In the Japanese and Korean art sales, a Joseon Dynasty, 1901, eight-panel screen, ink and color on silk—Royal Banquet for the Celebration of the 50th Birthday of the Emperor Gojong—was sold for $842,500 (estimate: $300,000/350,000).
Sotheby’s $27.65 million total included sales of Chinese ceramics and works of art ($15.17 million), South Asian art ($7.54 million) and Chinese snuff bottles from the Joe Grimberg collection ($4.93 million).

At Sotheby’s South Asian art sale, work by Indian artists Bhupen Khakhar (1934–2003) and Arpita Singh (b. 1937) set new records. Khakhar’s Muslims Around a Mosque II, 2001, sold for $650,500 (estimate: $150,000/250,000) and Singh’s oil Munna Apa’s Garden, 1989, was bought by an Indian bidder for $506,500 (estimate: $100,000/150,000). Also attaining a record price was a miniature opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper, an illustration to the Gita Govinda: Radha Proceeds to Her Tryst with Krishna, 1780, which fetched $290,500 (estimate: $150,000/250,000). Cinq Sens (Five Senses), 1958, by M.F. Husain (b. 1915), was bought by an Indian bidder for $782,500 exceeding the $500,000/700,000 estimate.

Citing the sale’s “exceptional results,” Zara Porter Hill, international head of Indian art at Sotheby’s, said, “Competitive international bidding resulted in more than half the lots sold achieving prices in excess of high estimates.”

My Name is Khan and “I am not a Terrorist.”

2010-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010

The film My Name is Khan is particularly relevant this week on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of 9/11. It is particularly befitting with the recent release of the DVD of the film -- first Bollywood production to gross $4 million.

by Raj S. Rangarajan

How five months make a world of difference. When My Name is Khan was released early in Spring this year Bollywood-watchers were waiting with trepidation – if not suspense – whether this film which such an obvious title would make it big at the box office. Now, after 150 days the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer continues to raise eyebrows in terms of storyline and box office value.

The film from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is now available on DVD and on Amazon.com and is the top Bollywood film for 2010 with $4 million gross. According to Gitesh Pandya the film guru who monitors and reports on Bollywood films, My Name is Khan surpassed SRK’s earlier record of $3.6 million for Om Shanti Om, released in 2007. It is also director Karan Johar’s biggest film ever.

But, with the new controversy over the mosque to be built at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan hogging the headlines in some sections of the media with pro- and anti-Muslim adherents, its anybody’s guess as to how DVD sales will be affected.

SRK and Kajol deliver powerful performances in this romance that proves true love knows no boundaries. Shah Rukh Khan (Rizvan Khan), an Indian with a unique way of looking at his world and Kajol Devgan (Mandira Rathore), a vivacious single mother, are the main characters and their chemistry on the screen is well-known.

They form a special bond and fall in love against all odds, but fate and tragedy conspire to tear them apart. Just when it appears as though all hope is lost, Rizwan embarks on a remarkable journey across America to win back the love of his life.

Made with a sensitive touch, the movie carries a polarizing influence perhaps more because of the theme and title. The fact that Khan’s last name is Muslim is perhaps incidental but that’s not how some cinemagoers view the movie whether they live in downtown, New York or in downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee where a mosque was recently vandalized.

The film is particularly relevant this week on the occasion of 9/11’s ninth anniversary. After September 11, 2001, more movies with a “terrorist” theme seem to sell better in the United States. Remember New York, the film, starring John Abraham and Katrina Kaif and Kurbaan 2009 with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

After their mother’s passing in India, Rizvan’s younger brother, portrayed by Jimmy Shergill invites Rizvan to move to San Francisco. When Rizvan wants to marry Mandira who runs a successful hairdressing outfit, Jimmy’s character objects but never explains why. A major twist in the story occurs when Mandira’s son is beaten up in a playground by boys of Caucasian origin. Motives are attributed to the incident without adequate explanations even by the law enforcement authorities.

No investigation is conducted by anyone and soon the boy’s death is a closed chapter for the authorities. But, not for Mandira who has been personally affected. The racial profiling mindset in the movie is telling in that when Mandira declares, “if my son’s name was Rathore – not Khan – he would have been alive.”

People who experience overt discrimination in some degree or other can relate to this movie directly. Each parent and child in North America has his or her own defence mechanism to deal with such real-life situations and this movie drives close to home. One cannot judge whether the incident was racially-motivated or whether it was the effect of a smaller boy – a South Asian kid – taking on a bigger boy, who happened to be Caucasian.

While Rizvan Khan is constantly muttering that he is not a terrorist but wants to meet the American president it is never explained why he wishes to meet the leader. Is it because his mother had inculcated in him a desire to do so? Or is it because Mandira, in a fit of pique, challenges him to do so. Kajol sparkles as usual and SRK tends to overact.

The Director's and cameramen's subtle nuances are touching. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogue is pithy and cinematographer, Ravi K. Chandran has proven once again that he is a classy performer.

An uplifting story of understanding and tolerance, the movie is mostly shot in San Francisco and runs 185 minutes. The DVD is closed-captioned and carries subtitles in English, Spanish and French ideal for any weekend viewing.

[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.]

Seven crores for sperm elephant sculpture

2010-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Retail Plus Chennai

Continuing the bullish trend in contemporary art sales Sotheby’s London recorded yet another successful auction recently. Among the impressive results was Bharti Kher’s life-sized female Indian elephant sculpture – The Skin Speaks a Language not its Own – that established not only a record for the artist but also a new record for any work by a contemporary female Indian artist at an auction. The 142 x 456.2 x 195 cm masterpiece sold for INR 7.1 crores (£993,250 or USD 1.5 million).

In this work that took ten months to create in her Gurgaon studio, Bharti focused on every fold and recess of the sunken pachyderm form and meticulously contoured it in intricately arranged patterns of thousands of “bindis” that organically swarm across the beast in a second skin.

The interesting twist is that Bharti’s bindis are sperm-shaped and on close observation one sees millions of swimming images that constitute a tired elephant about to recline. The artist easily combines two recognised, but powerful symbols of India – the Indian bindi and the Indian elephant. Her other well-known colourful bindi arrangement on a painted board is “Untitled” and adorns a gallery in the UK.

Emphasizing the importance of this sculpture, Director and Head of Sotheby’s Indian Art Department, Zara Porter-Hill said, “Despite our familiarity with elephants, nothing prepares the viewer for the emotional experience of seeing Bharti Kher’s elephant – huge and incongruous in the gallery space. With her head resting on her front foot, she is brought down to our level and the glassy black eye entreats a communion and proximity rarely encountered in the wild.”

Forty-year-old, Bharti was born in London, England, studied at the Middlesex Polytechnic, Cat Hill, London and did her B.A. Honours in Fine Art and Painting at Newcastle Polytechnic. Interestingly, Bharti’s is a reverse case of the émigré moving to India from the UK at age 23. The Indian milieu of having been in Delhi since 1993 has undoubtedly helped Bharti excel in her chosen endeavour though admittedly, in today’s global art marketplace where one pitches one’s tent is perhaps irrelevant.

The fact that she is married to renowned artist Subodh Gupta, known for his unique stainless utensils art, is perhaps incidental.

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

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RAJ S RANGARAJAN

Tagore's art creates records in London

2010-07-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Continued confidence in the Indian market and the ever-growing appetite for contemporary art both in India and elsewhere were in evidence when lively bidding between art collectors and trade buyers helped boost sales of South Asian art at Sotheby's, London two weeks ago.

Twelve of Tagore's paintings, portraits and landscapes were sold for £1.6 million (Rs. 11.13 crores). First time to appear at an auction, these Tagore pieces were part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a charitable organization based in South Devon in the UK. Tagore's Untitled (Portrait of a Woman) a watercolor and colored ink on paper, signed 'Rabindra' and dated '38' in Bengali, that measures 49.5 x 40 cm. (19-1/2 x 15-3/4) created a record for the late artist and sold at seven times the high estimate for £313,250 (Rs. 21.54 crores). The previous auction record for a work by Tagore for his Death Scene was £144,500 at Sotheby's in May 2008.

Most Indians know Rabindranath Tagore as a poet, philosopher and songwriter and perhaps as the first Indian Nobel Prize winner for literature (1913). But, did you know that Tagore took to creating art when he was 70?

At the auction, yet another Indian artist Somnath Hore (1921-2006) also created a record with his The Khajani Player, 1995 that was bought by an Indian collector for £157,250 (10.81 crores). The bronze sculpture that measures 125 x 96 cm (49-1/4 x 37-3/4 ) graphically details the strains a musician has to endure. But the top seller was an acrylic on canvas, painted in 1979-81 - Rajasthan - by Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922) that sold at £517,250 (Rs. 35.57 crores). About 48 inches square Raza's vibrant splash of orange and pink reminds one of Jaipur, the pink city.

Englishman Leonard Elmhirst was a close friend of Tagore's in the United States and after graduating from Cornell University in 1921, traveled to India to become Tagore's secretary. He and his wife Dorothy purchased an estate in Dartington to promote Tagore's interest in art, education and social reconstruction, subjects very close to Leonard's heart as well.

Holly Brackenbury, Deputy Director of Indian Art at Sotheby's, said, proceeds from these sales will be part of an investment for developing art and sustainability initiatives. The trust will celebrate Tagore's 150th birth anniversary between May 1 and 7 next year.

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

Pictures courtesy: Sotheby's
talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

Raavan or Raavanan: Film Review, July 2010

2010-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Toronto, Canada

Raavan or Raavanan – The Film Makes one Think

Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK: When one thinks of a Bollywood film one normally associates it with escapism, with fun or fantasy or both. So, when the film Raavan (Hindi) or Raavanan (Tamil) came along, one was forced to wear one’s thinking cap and wonder what exactly was director Mani Ratnam trying to convey.
In a first-of-its-kind, live experience with the actors and maker of Raavan, thanks to Cisco technology’s TelePresence – media from New York, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Dubai could see and hear clearly, in real-time, face-to-face interactions between participants: Director Mani Ratnam and Tamil actor Vikram in Chennai and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai, thousands of miles away.

To a question Ratnam explained why he was not into sending messages to society at large. “I am not providing any message, I merely share an emotion, share a thought, share laughter, that’s what we do.” The director has stretched the 138-minute film a bit to live up to the title since the 14-year Ramayana analogy had to be adapted to 14 days for the movie. The allegory is clear. You have the forest, the intrigue, the 14 years, the name of the film, the locations and the usual connection between good and evil except that one is left wondering whether good really triumphs over evil or is it love that conquers.

Ratnam suggests, one should see Raavan or Raavanan from Ragini's (Aishwarya) point of view. (She plays the same role in both: Hindi and Tamil.) Wife of a police inspector, Ragini has clear views on right and wrong. In her journey there is the hunter and the hunted and with roles and characters constantly changing, one wonders if the hunted becomes the hunter. The battle between good and evil continues, and when the lines between them tend to blur one wonders whom to favor: the cops (Inspector Dev played by Prithviraj in Hindi and Vikram in Tamil) or a tribal chief Beera Munda (Abhishek in Hindi) or Veeraiya (Vikram in Tamil) who fancies Ragini.

Actor Govinda could have been used better in the Hindi version. He pops up suddenly (like Hanuman) specially when he has to help the inspector-husband, Dev, who sees himself as the law, the punisher and the righteous. The untamed but popular tribal leader kidnaps Ragini, (an epitome of conscience and beauty) to avenge abuse of his sister played by Priyamani (Jamuna in Hindi and Vennila in Tamil) by the inspector’s men. Aishwarya shows emotion in a few scenes and Abhishek's effort at emotional conflict is commendable.

Both, the Tamil and Hindi versions were above par though Vikram, the Tamil actor (as Dev) has performed better than Abhishek in the same role. Ratnam brushed aside Vikram’s initial hesitation about playing Dev in Hindi. Says Vikram, “The most difficult thing for me was the Hindi version, I didn’t want to do it, but “Mani-sir” said, “You can do it and boosted my confidence.” Added Vikram, “I found every location beautiful. Wherever we went, we had to drive down in a car for two hours, then get into a jeep for an hour and walk for another 15 minutes, and the beautiful sites [in North India and South India] were visual treats.” Overall, it’s a plus for Vikram in two combative roles in the same movie.

Cinematographers Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan have done a terrific job with some of the footage literally breathtaking: the collapsing bridge, rivals hanging literally to the bridge in adverse weather and a romantic ambience showing love-birds about to sit down for wine and dinner while overlooking soothing waters.

To another journo query, Abhishek responded, “I feel the audience will question themselves after this film. I think whenever I saw the rushes or when dubbing the film or even while performing, I think Mani as a director, was asking the audience, “what is right, what is wrong and who is to decide? What is right for Beera in the film is completely wrong for Dev. Who is to decide that Dev is right and Beera is wrong? What is right and what is wrong and who are we to judge?”

Talking of their relationship as a "married couple" a question arose about their credibility and chemistry on screen specially since in Raavan, the roles are adversarial. Aishwarya responded: “We all work together as a team to commit and to deliver. We are creating cinema. At that point, its not about personal equations, or what kind of relationship you share outside the set. We are all actors, we are all committed to the craft. That’s what it is all about. Abhishek joked, “I am not chasing her in the film, I have already kidnapped her.”

On differences between Hindi and Tamil versions, Ratnam said, “the idea was to make people see both versions and compare…essentially the same film but I do not believe in imposing that this is how a scene should be done, in terms of content and spirit, its the same.” Which has indeed come through in both the versions.

Its not a straightforward story of good triumphing over evil, there are wheels within wheels, and one needs to really think as to what is happening in today’s world – the dances and the costumes (Sabyas Achi) and the music (A.R. Rahman) notwithstanding. Some of the scenes where gruesomely symbolic (cutting off a coward’s hand) or shooting a defenseless man point blank. One wondered who was the torturer: the tribal or the cop?
_____________________________

[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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Tagore Paintings Top $2 Million At South Asian Art Sale

2010-06-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s sale of South Asian art in London on June 15 realized a total of £5.5 million ($8.1 million), with 12 paintings by Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) selling for £1.6 million ($2.36 million)—a remarkable event considering that the artist is known more for his literature than his art. The auction was 90 percent sold by value and 78 percent sold by lot.

The top ten lots all sold at prices above estimates, with Tagore’s watercolor and colored ink drawing Untitled (Portrait of a Woman), 1938, selling for an artist-record £313,250 ($461,229), seven times the estimate of £30,000/40,000.

Holly Brackenbury, deputy director of Islamic and Indian Art at Sotheby’s, said the 12 Tagore paintings had “distinguished provenance” and had never appeared before on the open market. They were consigned by the Dartington Hall Trust to raise money for investment in the arts, social justice and sustainability, “issues that were very close to Tagore’s own heart,” Brackenbury said.

The first Asian ever to win a Nobel Prize for Literature, Tagore has long been lauded in India as a poet, novelist and musician. Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Tagore started painting later in life.

The top lot of the sale, however, was Rajasthan, 1979–81, an acrylic on canvas by Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), which took £517,250 ($761,599) on a £300,000/500,000 estimate, followed by Untitled (Nude), 1955, an oil on board by Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), which brought £373,250 ($549,573) on a £60,000/80,000 estimate. A record was set for Somnath Hore (1921–2006) when the bronze The Khajani Player, 1995, was purchased by an Indian private collector for £157,250 ($231,535), topping the estimate of £130,000/150,000. Zara Porter-Hill, director and head of South Asian art at Sotheby’s, said the “results demonstrate the continued confidence in the Indian market and the ever-growing appetite both in India and around the world for South Asian art. Bidding came from a healthy mix of private collectors and trade buyers and their interest produced lively bidding battles.”

Upbeat Results at Christie’s Hong Kong Spring Auctions

2010-06-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—The spring series of auctions at Christie’s in Hong Kong May 28–June 2 took in a total of HK$2.3 billion ($294 million). Sales of fine art totaled HK$994.6 million ($127.7 million), and records were set for works by Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Filipino artists. Last year’s sales of Asian art brought in a total of HK$401.2 million ($51.6 million) in comparison (ANL, 6/9/09).

The evening sale of Asian contemporary art and Chinese 20th-century art on May 29 was 100 percent sold both by lot and by value—a rare event. The 36-lot sale brought in a total of HK$303.4 million ($39 million). String Quartet, 1986, an oil on canvas by Chen Yifei (1946–2005), sold for ten times its estimate of HK$4 million/6 million, setting a new auction record for the artist. It was bought by an Asian trade buyer for HK$61.1 million ($7.9 million).

The second- and third-highest selling lots in the sale were both paintings by Sanyu: Vase of Lilies with Red Ground, 1940s (estimate: HK$12 million/18 million), and Pink Leopard, 1940s–’50s (estimate: HK$8 million/12 million), sold for above-estimate prices of HK$25.3 million ($3.25 million) and HK$21.9 million ($2.8 million), respectively. Three of the top ten lots were by Zao Wou-Ki (b. 1920). The oil 02-1-65, 1965, sold for HK$20.8 million ($2.7 million) on an HK$8 million/12 million estimate; 14-3-59, 1959, brought the same price against an estimate of HK$10 million/15 million. And 25-10-90, 1990, sold for HK$9.6 million ($1.2 million), within the estimate of HK$6.5 million/10 million.

Records were also set for Japanese artists Tomoko Konoike (b. 1960)—whose Chapter Three “Wreck,” 2005, a set of seven paintings, sold for HK$2.06 million ($266,000) on an estimate of HK$800,000/1.2 million—and Akira Yamaguchi (b. 1969), whose set of four paintings Shintenno (Jikokuten, Zochoten, Tamonten, Komokuten), 2006, was sold for HK$1.9 million ($239,096) against a HK$1.5 million/2.5 million estimate.

Eric Chang, Christie’s international director of Asian contemporary and Chinese 20th-century art, said, “With Asian buyers winning many of the lots among intensive international bidding, it is clear that collectors in the region are more sophisticated and diverse than ever before, and that the Hong Kong art market has now firmly established itself as a formidable hub in the contemporary art world.”

The day sale of Asian contemporary art yielded a total of HK$115 million ($14.76 million), with the top lot, Portrait of Andy Warhol, 2005, by Zeng Fanzhi (b. 1964), selling for HK$5.06 million ($649,704), three times the estimate of HK$1 million/1.5 million. A record was set for a work by Chinese artist Yu Youhan (b. 1943), whose Mao in an Easy Chair, 1992, sold for HK$4.2 million ($541,848), 14 times the HK$200,000/300,000 estimate. Records were also set for works by Ding Yi (b. 1962)—whose Appearance of Crosses, ca. 1990s, sold for HK$4.10 million ($526,440), six times the estimate of HK$400,000/600,000—and Guan Yong (b. 1975), whose Do You Know? We are so distressed, 2007, fetched HK$2.4 million ($310,728) on a HK$1.2 million/2.2 million estimate. Liu Wei’s Landscape, 2006, sold for HK$4.6 million ($588,700) on a HK$1.5 million/2 million estimate, and Zhang Xiaogang’s Bloodline Series, 1997, sold for HK$4.1 million ($526,000) against a HK$2.5 million/3.5 million estimate.

The day sale of Chinese 20th-century art on May 30 brought in a total of HK$105 million ($13.5 million), and was 80 percent sold by lot and 91 percent sold by value. Zao again dominated the high end of the sale, with six out of the top ten lots. All brought higher-than-expected prices, the highest being for La course de Chevaux (Horse Racing), 1952, which sold for HK$5.4 million ($695,928) on a HK$1.5 million/2 million estimate, followed by 3-1-61, 1961, which took HK$4.8 million ($618,888) on a HK$2.4 million/3.2 million estimate.

The sale of Chinese modern paintings on May 28 totaled HK$215.1 million ($27.6 million). Lady Holding Lotus, 1954, a scroll painting by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), sold to a Chinese collector for HK$14.1 million ($1.81 million), more than four times the estimate of HK$2 million/3 million. Cormorants, 1935, a scroll painting by Xu Bei Hong (1895–1953), sold for HK$13.5 million ($1.74 million) against an identical estimate. Ben Kong, Christie’s international specialist head of Chinese paintings, said the “sales showed continuing strength with active bidding, with many lots going well over the high estimates.”

The sale of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art on May 30 brought in a total of HK$44.5 million ($5.7 million). The top lot was Young Balinese Girl with Hibiscus, 1939, by Italian painter Romualdo Locatelli (1905–43), which set an artist record, selling to an Asian collector for HK$6 million ($773,000) against an estimate of HK$2.2 million/3.2 million. The oil on canvas was one of the first portraits the artist painted in Bali. Lavenderas, 1923, by Filipino painter Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (1892–1972), also set a record, selling for HK$3.4 million ($437,000) against an estimate of HK$300,000/500,000.

The sale of Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy on May 28 totaled HK$115.9 million ($14.9 million), led by Birds and Flowers, 1748, by Hua Yan (1682–1756) which sold for HK$19.1 million ($2.45 million), three times estimate. The Young Hercules, 1732, by Leng Mei (17th–18th century) sold for HK$16.9 million ($2.17 million), 11 times the high estimate.

The Songde Tang Collection of Chinese modern paintings took in HK$95.7 million ($12.3 million), and was 95 percent sold by lot, 99 percent by value. The top lot, Amaranth, Crickets, Persimmon and Peaches, a scroll by Qi Baishi (1863–1957), sold for HK$10.6 million ($1.36 million) on an estimate of HK$800,000/1 million.

Interviews of Mani Ratnam, Aishwarya, Abhishek, Vikram: Raavan, June 11, 2010

2010-06-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010

Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor - Aishwarya

by Raj S. Rangarajan

In a first-of-its-kind, live experience with the actors and maker of the movie Raavan - being released all over the world, June 18, journalists from New York, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai were treated to rare, candid footage. The occasion was a promo for the 138-minute movie being released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. Thanks to Cisco technology's TelePresence - we could see and hear clearly, in real-time, face-to-face interactions between participants: Director Mani Ratnam and actor Vikram in Chennai and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai, thousands of miles away.

Marked by interesting discussions, the interviews were laced with free-flowing friendly banter, and camaraderie much of it unstructured but interesting and informative. For instance, did you know that Mani Ratnam was not into sending subtle messages to the public at large through his films, but primarily to entertain; or that as a couple Abhishek and Aishwarya are constantly complementing each other which is perhaps a great quality, or that Aishwarya tends to break into peels of laughter when completing a sentence thus preventing us from hearing the end of the sentence; or that for Aishwarya, it was a toss-up between pursuing her studies in architecture or joining the film industry. "If not for Mani Ratnam I would have been in architecture."

Did you know that "Mani-sir" as Mani Ratnam is affectionately known in the industry had to advise "AB" as he calls Abhishek, to loosen up and not be constantly "propah" all the time. Says Mani, "actually when I made the first film with Abhishek, I was very, very worried that he was a proper, straightforward guy, so I asked him to learn to use bad words; I didn't know (however) there was a "monster" inside!"

Mani Ratnam suggests, one should see Raavan from Ragini's (Aishwarya) point of view. An ordinary woman who has clear views on right and wrong. In her journey there is the hunter and the hunted and with roles constantly changing, characters keep changing, and the hunted becomes the hunter. The battle between good and evil continues, and when the lines between them tend to blur one wonders whom to favor: whether the cops or the residents of a jungle in North India, whether a police inspector, Dev or a tribal chief, Beera who fancies Ragini. And, love is the battle that nobody seems to win, but everyone fights for. Cinematographers Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan and A.R. Rahman's music are exemplary, not to ignore the editing and dance scenes.

Literal Cliffhangers

To a question to the two men about the tough cliff-hanging scenes, Vikram said, "the worst was the Hindi dubbing, not the fights." But, Abhishek said, "I wasn't apprehensive at all. I was the complete opposite, I was looking forward to this stuff, because, if we are doing this active stuff like sliding down a cliff, we were not "doing the scene" though I regretted it for four days after that since I couldn't sit properly, but anything to get out of the scene was good enough for us. I was happy with no dialogues."

Journalist: You have been working with Abhishek for quite some time now. How do you actually see yourself as a couple on screen? How do you critique your performances with him?
Aishwarya: Wow, that's intense. I don't know, its suddenly making me want to say that we do.
Abhishek: We don't need to critique ourselves. We have other people to do it for us. (laughter). As a wife she has always been very supportive and has been equally supporting as a co-star; I have always said, she's one of the few co-stars who is very interactive; she's known to stand behind the camera and give off-camera dialogues."

Talking of their relationship as a "married couple" a question arose about their credibility and chemistry on screen specially since in Raavan, the roles are adversarial.
Aishwarya responded: We all work together as a team to commit and to deliver. We are creating cinema. At that point, its not about personal equations, or what kind of a relationship you share outside off the set. We are all actors, we are all here to commit to a craft. That's what it is all about. Abhishek joked, "I am not chasing her in the film, I have already kidnapped her."

In a related question, according to Abhishek, Ragini, in Raavan is Aishwarwa's best performance to date. Before that I felt, her performance in Guru was exceptional, and never got the due it deserved. In Guru, Mithun-da and she were by far the best in the film. My character was also tough but I got the easier part. But in Raavan, she has blown the Guru performance out of the water, pun fully intended. "I think, its amazing, despite physically going through whatever she does as a character in the film, hold on to your the dignity and still maintain her character as a strong person, its easy to become a whiner in such a situation."

Aishwarya returned the compliment soon with "Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor. I have always believed he is a very free actor, he is somebody who is ready to go out there, dive right in and accept roles and characters in a variety of genre, without limiting himself...what I like is, he works as a team member, working like all of us, under the guidance and fulfilling the director's vision, and that's what gives us absolute joy working together." Coming back to your basic question, "We don't rate each other...we enjoy working with each other as co-actors."

Rough Going As a Tribal

To a question as to what he discovered about himself, Abhishek in a lighter note said, "What I learnt was very scientific actually. I learnt that reverse osmosis can happen with the human skin. And we do prune up after 15 minutes in the water. There is no such thing as water retention, and that snakes can swim apart from sea-snakes, and rats may attack human beings, also that leeches are in the habit of getting into rather uncomfortable areas!"

But, on a serious note, Abhishek added: "I am not trying to be over-sentimental. When you have love and respect for someone like Mani, I would be willing to do whatever he said, and I stick to that. I know the three actors sitting in this room, and because of our love and respect for Mani - no matter what he told us to do - we would do it with a smile on our face, for love of the craft. Mani is never going to allow us to do anything that he is not 100% sure of in terms of our safety. We conveniently stood on dry land and I have photos of Mani standing in the waterfall while the entire unit was running for shelter. And, he would stand there the whole day."

Continuing the compliment, Abhishek says, "Mani leads by example. Nothing is impossible, nothing is a difficult task, Mani would be at the location way ahead of you. One would notice his very protective expression every time, we were doing these impossible tasks. Mani will be there, totally concerned, extremely protective, and that's what we were constantly reassured of, when we work with someone like him. There is the love, there is the caring, well-looked after personally and as actors. We feel honored to work with him, we do films because we believe in it, I believe in Mani Ratnam, I love his cinema, I love the work he gives me and have a great time working with him, I like to believe that in me, he sees an actor who can fulfill his vision. He's a story-teller, I am an actor, and we work for the audience and they are the most important. We are here for the audience, we are not here to satisfy our egos."

Iruvar to Raavan

When asked about her journey from her first Tamil film, Iruvar to Raavan, Aishwarya let it flow: "My journey has been a wonderful journey, and have been very grateful for the kind of work I have had and hopefully, learning something from Mani my first guru, my first teacher will really be the one to throw more light. After Iruvar, getting to working with a film titled Guru couldn't have been more apt."

Asked to rate Mani Ratnam's role in her career, Aishwarya said, "Even before I got to work with him, I was more than thankful, it was a godsend that he even called on me, I couldn't believe it because I was a fan. Across borders people absolutely love his cinema, It will not be fair to rate him at all in any kind of role. His cinema itself speaks volumes, as an audience to enjoy his creativity, and as actors, to have gotten the opportunity as creative people we thoroughly enjoy it and cherish it."

To a question whether the two actors, Abhishek and Vikram who played the same role compared notes, Abhishek responded, "I have always been the kind of actor who likes the villain. I am a team player, I like a collaborative effort, and "Kenny-sar" (Vikram's other name) is someone I have huge amount of respect for. I have seen all his films and he's somebody I look up to him to as an actor. I would be foolish if I didn't consult him and seek his guidance on the set.

Q to actors: What do you think the audience will take away from this movie?
Vikram: I agree. All of us have put in a lot of hard work, and it's a very inspired film. Even while working in the film I forgot that I was an actor, I just felt, I was part of the film, I wanted to watch every aspect of the movie, its making, I felt like I was like in a workshop, knowing so much more about cinema, something told me, I am not even thinking of the commercial viability of the film. I just saw it as a lovely experience, and I know that everyone watching the film is gonna take away that feeling, they are going to go home, thinking and wondering what this film is all about, the sounds, the visuals, the shots, it could be just the drama between the three of us, or the performances.
Aishwarya: It has been a work of passion by the entire team, we obviously make our films for the audience, not for private viewing, so you hope that you enjoy and cherish the experience of the entire film as much as we all did making it.
Abhishek: I also feel the audience will question themselves after this film. I think whenever I saw the rushes or when dubbing the film or even while performing, I think Mani, as a director, is asking the audience the question, and the question is, "what is right, what is wrong and who is to decide? What is right for Beera in the film is completely wrong for Dev. Who is to decide that Dev is right and Beera is wrong? Or, the other way around? What is right and what is wrong and who are we to judge? And, should we be judging? View a situation from a particular point of view before judging and then view it from another person's point of view before passing judgment on that. That's what I took away after performing in this film."

When Mani Ratnam Calls You Answer

Q for all 3 actors:
When Mani Ratnam calls, you never refuse. So, what does he do as a director to each of you? What happens on the set? You have all worked with so many other directors, but some of your best performances are with Mani. What does he find within you?
Aishwarya: Working with Mani firstly whets your appetite, your hunger as an actor, as a creative person, he feeds that hunger and then only builds your appetite. Each time you work with him, one feels, so much work, so much to learn, so much more to do and feeds that urge for creative satisfaction, he really encourages, it is demanding whether physically, creatively, whatever it is, but at the end of the day, one feels that you have done some good work. You come away giving a part of yourself to creativity and of course learning from him as an experience. But then it spoils you, and he only wants more. That's how it working with Mani Ratnam each time.
Abhishek: My answer is a lot simpler. The first time I worked with Mani, and the first time it was released, I saw Yuva, I said, really, I can do that? Did I really do that? Mani has always given me this huge boost in confidence as a creative person or as an artist, and I am convinced that Mani knows me better than I do myself. He knows my boundaries and my potential much better than myself. To be very honest, be it Lalit Singh of Yuva or Gurukant Desai of Guru, or Beera of Raavan, had anybody else offered me that role, I would have said, "No, way, I can't do that, nor would I have dared to perform that role."

Vikram: Since college I have always felt, if only I do a movie with Mr. Mani Ratnam, I can actually retire after that, but I take that back now. My priorities are very different I want to be with this master craftsman, this fantastic director, I want to do a film with him, take Nayakan or Agni Nakshatram or Mouna Raagam, and as I was growing up as an artiste and got into movies, I realized he had already sent up a benchmark, specially in Tamil cinema or even in Indian cinema. When working with him I realized, he is just not thinking of all that, he is always being innovative, he is always thinking on his feet, he kinda pushes the envelope every time, and when I watched the film being made, this man is a genius who doesn't know that. We have to constantly remind him of that. He doesn't want to hear that even now. Here's a man who is actually treating Raavan as his first film... like do-or-die, this film is going to make my career, is what he thinks. When I work with him I realize that it's just direction, it could be sound, an audio release, something that he does has to be different, think about him, everyone is looking up to him, and every time he has to do something different, and he does it, and even with Raavan, he has really done it this time. I think it was such a pleasure and honor working with him.
Aishwarya: Actually Mani Ratnam helped me make a decision to join films. I used to be very confused, I was getting offers, the day I knew there was a possibility of working with Mani Ratnam, the genius director that he is, kinda decided it for me. I didn't even think of pursuing my education in architecture. He's the reason why I am in movies today.

DVDs and Commentaries

Q to Mani Ratnam:
With so few scripts that come out published as books today, I mean, there's Kandukondain, Three Idiots recently, so few DVDs with directors' commentaries, e.g., Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om, I am just wondering why do you think that both of these are lacking so much in Hindi, Tamil, basically most Indian cinema. Will you do a commentary track on the DVD for Raavan?
Mani Ratnam: I think, most of the time when you finish a film, you are so relieved to get out of the film, that you don?t want to get back there and work on the commentary on it again, one needs a little gap, a little distance before you do it. But, I think, it will start happening, things are changing and if scripts are getting published, commentaries are adding value, more and more people are seeing films on DVD, and its good to be able to share something more than just the drama that we see on screen. Eventually, all of us will have to do that to make the film wholesome.

Q: Any specific differences between the Tamil and Hindi versions?
Mani Ratnam:The idea was to make people see both versions, compare similarities and differences... there will be differences...and that too two different actors and with two different approaches. Essentially the same film but I do not believe in imposing that this is how a scene should be done...but if he they put themselves into the character, and get that out, which both of them actually have done, so, there will be that difference in language, also in the Tamil version, and some words will be different which is right for each of the languages, but essentially in terms of content, in terms of the spirit, it is the same.

Q: You have done several films with complex roles. How does this role compare to some of the other movies?
Abhishek: All previous roles put into one, and amplified by 100: that is Beera of Raavan, he is completely wild, crazy, unpredictable, I have run out of words to describe the man, definitely the most challenging film and character that I have ever done. And the wonderful thing is, I said the same thing when I did Guru, said the same thing when I did Yuva. I love that about Mani; he is always giving me career-defining work, he's always giving me work that I am still remembered by, and I really feel, Beera is bigger and hopefully, will be better than the previous two.

Aparajit to Raavan

Q to Vikram: From Aparajit to Raavan, what difference have you seen in Hindi films over the years? Do you think it?s a good experience, a pleasant one? Would we see you in more Hindi films after Raavan?
Vikram: Actually, Aparajit was a dubbed version of a Tamil film called Anniyan. There, I had to be very dramatic but underplayed but in Raavan I could show my dramatic talent. I didn't really direct contact with the Hindi film world then. Because of the variety of roles that are available now one has to look up to Hindi films, and we have started loving films such as Paa, and Cheeni Kum, which are so very different. I often wonder why we can't make a Laagan in South India? We have had people like Mani-sar who have always done great films. As regard the future I'll wait for another day, if another Raavan or a Aparajit happens, and if Mani-sar calls me I am always there.

Q to Abhishek and Vikram: What is one favorite quality of the character you play in Raavan?
Vikram: I would say, he is very volatile, which in the sense is not one quality, I love that. Most of the scenes, Mani-sar would say...Sometimes we'll be in a serious tone, sometimes very melodramatic, then Mani would say, why don't you try all the serious tones, since we may have to be high on emotion, or flat. Beera had to be a flat or a minor, but I liked that thing about him. Something I had never been able to do with any other characters I have done.
Abhishek: I would agree with Kenny-sar (read Vikram). The greatest quality about Beera was that he was directed by Mani Ratnam.

Q: What was the most challenging experience? What was the most beautiful experience?
Aishwarya: This movie will be the most beautiful experience which we all will treasure for ever. The most difficult part was we were challenged creatively, and submitting to what he is looking for creatively. The entire team, the crew, the setting guys, the lights guys, everybody is the true hero of this film.
Vikram: The most difficult thing for me was the Hindi version, I didn't want to do it, but Mani said, "You can do it." And gave me some confidence. I found every location beautiful. Wherever we went, we had to drive down into a car for two hours, then get into a jeep for an hour and walk for another 15 minutes, I have seen some of the most beautiful sites such as Malshei Ghats or Orchha or Arjunkali, and the movie itself was such a visual treat.

To a question if Mani Ratnam was tacking current issues and providing a message and providing entertainment, the director emphasized, "I am not providing a message, I merely share an emotion, share a thought, share laughter, that's what we do."

In relation to working with A.R. Rahman for the music composition of Raavan, Ratnam said, "it was just like working with him for Roja, no different, I think he was as brilliant then as he is now, and is as easy and as difficult to work with then and as he is now. He is more and more into it, and the more he wants to do, the more he is willing to experiment, try something lateral, something unconventional. His understanding of cinema is very good and every time he is able to do something different to push the envelope."

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Contemporary art values upwardly mobile, The Hindu, May 30, 2010

2010-06-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Indian artists engender discussion in a market where 'buying' has been a positive index.

It's May, temperatures are warming up all over and contemporary Indian art is hot again. In art capitals - London, New York and Hong Kong - artists of Indian and Chinese origin have been performing exceedingly well on the "Buy" index from an art investor's standpoint.

The traditional and the modern are getting popular again and collectors and galleries are watching the art market with cautious optimism. At Aicon Gallery in New York an interesting art discussion examined the point of convergence and intellectual synergy between the Western Modernist avant-garde movement and Indian indigenous and tribal folk art.

Works from late artists Jamini Roy (1887-1972) and Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) were among the displays. Originally from Bankura in West Bengal, Roy studied at Government School of Art in 1903 in what was then Calcutta. He was initially drawn to the Post-Impressionist genre of landscapes and portraits and when he was 38, Roy moved to pop bazaar art that was sold outside the Kalighat temple. He used to follow Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne before he went more individualistic. By 1930, he switched to indigenous materials using woven mats, cloth and wood coated with lime as his media.

Roy's Bengali folk paintings are well-known and among his favourite subjects were religious Hindu and Christian themes as also tribal Santhals in rural West Bengal. His St. Ann and the Blessed Virgin and Radha-Krishna themes were equally popular. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1955.

Simla-born Swaminathan was more multi-faceted initially in his career in that he tried to dabble in medicine, politics, writing and art till he settled down as an artist. He was with the Communist Party in 1948 and in 1966, published a magazine - Contra - with Mexican poet and Ambassador to India, Octavio Paz challenging then existent views of modernity through articles on art and aesthetics.

Marrying his wife Bhawani in 1955 was a steadying influence evidently for soon Swaminathan excelled as an artist and a writer of children's stories. Known for his simplistic imagery, Swaminathan's mastery of poignant space reflected an absence of clutter and a clinical portrayal of his thoughts. Swaminathan studied art in Delhi and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. During 1968-70, he was awarded the Nehru Fellowship for work on a project titled, The Significance of the Traditional Numen in Contemporary Art.

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

Kites: Soaring High This Week, South Asian Outlook, May 2010

2010-05-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy: Kites - Official website

NEW YORK: It had all the trappings: the red carpet, the fawning crowds, popcorn and soda and the hero – Hrithik Roshan and heroine, Barbara Mori a Bollywood debutante. It was the premiere of Kites at a Times Square cinema hall last Sunday and after a late arrival for the event by an hour, the duo and Rakesh Roshan, producer and director Anurag Basu spoke briefly.

Said Hrithik, “After 2-1/2 years, this is it: we offer you Kites in 2 hours” – 130 minutes to be precise. Though earlier media reports speculated that Barbara may not be able to handle speaking in English she did so with panache.

Launched on Friday, May 21 on 1,800 cinema screens in India and over 500 screens overseas, the film produced by Rakesh Roshan and distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures (Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group) is reportedly the biggest ever global Indian release. Directed by Anurag Basu who made Gangster, the international cut was edited by Brett Ratner (Red Dragon).

A well-planned and executed film, Kites is fast-paced and delightfully unpredictable. One wonders if it’s a love story with action or an action film with amorous scenes featuring Hrithik, the handsome hunk and Barbara, the Uruguan-born, now Mexican-domiciled charmer.

Considered a conman who lives by his wits, Jai (Hrithik) marries girls who are “illegals” to make them legit. One of the girls he marries is Natasha (Barbara). Jai feels the pang of emotion and love when he suddenly notices Natasha in an under-water scene that qualifies as a “Eureka” moment. Regrettably she is already betrothed to Tony, son of a Las Vegas casino owner, played by Kabir Bedi. “Everyone in Vegas calls me Bob,” declares Bedi.

Tony (Australian Nick Brown) supplies the muscle for Kites and after he realizes that Barbara is actually interested in Jai, the chases and shootings begin, the toppling of vehicles from rigs when in motion and desperate, incredible acts of bravado follow. There is so much shooting that I wondered if I had wandered into an episode of the 1954 classic Vera Cruz with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.

In the interim, Gina (Kangana Ranaut) who has been learning the salsa dance from Jai is mad with him for spurning her and makes clear her intentions that what she wants she gets thanks to her powerful and influential dad who is capable of fixing anything including Jai’s future, and perhaps his face.

At one-on-one interviews, Rakesh Roshan was upbeat that for the first time, an international version of Kites is being released simultaneously. The International version runs for 90 minutes without songs or dance and this version is expected to be “racier, edgier and spunkier”.

To a query why he picked Anurag for directing Kites, Rakesh Roshan said, “I loved Anurag’s work in Gangster and was keen on his working on a larger project with Hrithik. “Why pick Barbara Mori” was the next question. Rakesh Roshan said: “I was inspired by her role in the 2005 Spanish film, La mujer de mi hermano (My Brother’s Wife) and interestingly, when Barbara first read the Kites script she hadn’t known how to speak English.”

About why she chose to work on the film, Barbara said, “the script and the story; I was touched by the beautiful story between two human beings who fall in love even though they don’t speak the same language; it touched my heart and it was honest.”

For a 36-year-old, Hrithik Roshan seemed to turn philosopher early. He waxed eloquent about why he took on certain roles even if the film industry thought he shouldn’t from an image standpoint. In a refreshingly candid response, Hrithik said, “my career is not about Hollywood or Bollywood. I am an actor. If that takes me to a Chinese film, I’ll do a Chinese film. I am looking for something that reflects that side of me. If I can find a vehicle where I can vent some emotion, something that has touched me in my life, and I want to give it expression, or if I identify with the sensitivity of the language of a film, I’ll take that up, and try to explore my talent and my work, my art.”

Basu explained how kites became the metaphor for the film: Kites fly high against but not with the wind, and higher the wind, higher the flight. “I normally use a metaphor when writing, and the more the obstacles the couple faced, their love became stronger.”

Shot completely on location in Las Vegas, Sante Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, Hrithik said, “both of us did 90% of the stunt scenes.” To a question on why he continued to do actual dangerous scenes when he was recovering after knee surgery, the star spoke glowingly about “being honest to one’s craft” and calling. “I consider myself a slave to the vision in the head. If I can see it in my head then I have to work to make it happen, and that’s what life is about.”

Rajesh Roshan composed the music and Nasir Faraaz and Asif Ali Beg wrote the lyrics.

_____________________________

[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, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

The Indian Small Car

2010-05-16T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wide small car choices for motorists

Choice galore can confuse the small car buyer, and here is our overview.

The Indian motorist has never had it better: with international choices - Volkswagen (German), Ford Figo and Chevrolet Beat (American), Fiat Punto (Italian), Skoda Fabia, Honda Jazz or Tata Nano and several others - he or she is confused and perhaps conflicted. Understandably so. Should fuel efficiency trump safety or should German reputation score over styling?

With chock-a-block traffic a daily occurrence in major cities, is owning a fancy Benz better than a cost-efficient Nano? Quite often, buying a car is an emotional decision, howsoever one tries to defend it as being practical. Should we be swayed by slick advertising, or by a satisfied user's recommendation or by a trusted mechanic?

While one's practical side(Mars) urges us to think of family first in the form of air bags and antilock braking system or the 6-year anti-corrosion warranties, the Venus in each of us (emotional) wants to play on the wild side while dreaming of a Bluetooth receiver, MP3 player, power windows, halogen headlights, electronic anti-theft immobilizer, et al.

Priced at Rs.4.34 lakhs, The New Polo offers keyless central locking and tilt-and-telescopic steering. It has trademark German looks but Ford Figo is distinctly American. New Polo is more rounded and gives the impression of being roomy. The Chevrolet Beat, at a starting price of Rs. 3.34 lakhs, looks boxy and utilitarian with high steel strength and would be a worthy foil to the old Ambassadors that never seem to give up.

Fiat India is now offering a 1.2-litre petrol option, evidently to use the excise advantage as also the 1.3-litre Multi-jet (diesel) and the 1.4-litre Fire (petrol). The Active trim model will sell at Rs. 3.99 lakhs plus and the Fire Petrol at Rs. 4.66 lakhs. However, Ford's Chennai plant offers the 1.2-litre petrol engine and the 1.4-litre diesel and prices range from Rs. 3.49 to 4.48 lakhs depending on amount of extra bells and whistles (read frills).

In spite of recent complaints about fire hazards in some Nanos, the new entrant is bound to succeed as a lower-end vehicle, price-wise specially if the aspiring first-time car owner wishes to graduate from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler or as a second car for the family.

With several modes of transport continuing to vie for attention on India's national highways and side streets, is the small car in India now the norm, specially with 70 percent of cars sold in the country being small cars? Or, are they a nuisance?

What is trickier however for the motorist in major cities is the challenge he or she faces when irresponsible drivers come straight at you: the larger the vehicle the greater the intimidation and when a small Nano challenges the Innova on a busy street it's virtually poetry in motion with its accompanying after-effects.

With so many small cars on the roads, isn't it time infrastructure improvement for arterial roads is put on the fast track with overnight shifts working to meet deadlines? Or is it too much to ask?

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

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

Desiclub.com Exclusive: Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori Interviews, May 14, 2010

2010-05-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010

Kites, a Tribute to Honesty and Love: “Feel the Breeze on Your Face” says Hrithik. Throughout (shooting of) Kites, my dad has never been on the sets - Hrithik Roshan

Desiclub.com spoke with lead actors of Kites. For a 36-year-old, Hrithik Roshan, had a lot of "philosophical takes" on being an actor. Articulate, candid and serious-minded he reiterated his conviction that one should be honest to oneself in one's craft.

Barbara Mori worked as a model before studying acting at El Centro de Estudios de Formación Actoral, Mexico. Her acting debut was in the telenovela, "Al Norte del Corazón".? While there was initial speculation in the press and on blogs that Barbara didn't speak English, she turned out to be quite fluent.

Here is what they said:

Desiclub.com: Kites, being a different kind of film, how did you approach the script?
Hrithik: I had some unlearning to do. Training my mind to switch off - to let go; in my past films, I have done a lot of work where I knew was right - the right chord to hit and the reaction that it would evoke. There was this whole circle of this craft that was going off, but, sporadically in the middle, somewhere in Koi Mil Gaya and in Laksh I touched upon another area to this art.
I truly ventured out and enjoyed the flight of an actor, where there was no mind and I was creating something for the moment. I came out and didn't know what I had done because I had not planned that. It was something that came out of my mind spontaneously. And, I loved that. I said (to myself), what is that? There is something more to this art than earlier. All the work that I did, I kept being attracted to that, tried to relive that. Over time, I think, I was preparing myself to finally being ready for a film like Kites, where I had to completely just let go. Perform from the heart.
(Director of Kites), Anurag Basu's vision was demanding that. He wanted it to be a completely honest film, he did not want to see a star in it. He didn't want to see dialogues said perfectly. I just knew then that there was a destiny to this film.
Referring to his female lead, Barbara Mori, Hrithik added, "Then we had someone like her who entered our team, who provided the right kind of push and impetus toward the right direction, because she comes from the same school of thought. She's a very honest person. Whatever you create is only a reflection of the person you are inside. Her films have all been honest and convincing, the person she truly is.

Desiclub.com: How difficult was it for you to work with your dad?
Hrithik: Difficult? It wasn't difficult at all. In fact, I have been quite comfortable. My dad and I have a system in place, where we work without any egos. I can tell him anything that comes to my mind, about camera placement, about my lines and we connect as professionals. Either he convinces me or I convince him. We are both tied into equal loads of passion.
When we asked his dad, Rakesh Roshan the same question, Rakesh responded, "Not difficult at all. He's one person who just listens to the director. We call him at 6 a.m. and he'll show up on time. Also, he does one film at a time so his inputs are very valuable. He is constantly thinking of the film, and while we are thinking of other aspects he is focused on his job, getting prepared for his "character." He gives us a chance to improvise with the director.

Desiclub.com: You work very closely with your father. Coming from our Indian way of life, how did you manage the love scene with your dad watching?
Hrithik: As easy or as difficult as jumping off a 50-storey building. Barbara intercepted: he wasn't watching, he was not on the set. Throughout (shooting of) Kites, my dad has never been on the sets. He did not want to influence Anurag's vision. The only scenes he was present for were the action sequences, and even there he was like an assistant director running around to make sure that Anurag had whatever he needs. If Anurag wants a chopper, he had to make an urgent call to make a chopper happen. Because Anurag is so forgetful. He'll come to the set, and then he'll say, "wait a minute, I need a helicopter." My dad is like, "How the hell am I going to get a helicopter, we have this location for one day?" He was a father to all of us. He just made the children make the film, and he was supervising, he was there for all of us.

Desiclub.com: When playing a developmentally-disabled young man in Koi Mil Gaya weren't you taking a risk with your career since you are perceived as a dynamic action hero?
Hrithik: There's a lot of mental conditioning that my industry succumbs to - here its all about trying to fit into the mould, as to who eventually becomes a hero. Its all evolving; slowly we have transcended this and we are becoming more real. Films are about a slice of life, its something you need to identify with and live a journey that will inspire you and help you vent your emotions in your own life. I have been a movie star but it's a consequence of being an honest actor. What came first, the chicken or the egg? You'll never know.
I have been taking risks, which appear as risks from somebody else's perspective, but its not a risk for me because I have my passion there. For Koi Mil Kaya I was passionate about it, and I knew that. How can this be a risk? It's a risk if I am afraid but I was completely convinced about Koi Mil Haya.

Desiclub.com: How do you manage to stay so honest to yourself, so grounded?
Hrithik: I think I have become aware of my journey. We have to come to terms with one's perspective of the world, and finally realize that we are all basically the same, you and I are the same - all of us here are the same - basically at the core of things, we just have these little walls built around us that we need to build so that we feel protected. We are in our little boxes trying to connect with the walls afraid to show each other what we are truly about.
So, from God's point of view, we look pretty stupid. We are in boxes, all the time, still trying to show our good side, and hide the other aspects, which are part of all of us. I think that's a thought that grounds me. I am not a star - I am me - and you are you - and we are the same, there's no reason to feel fear. I have lost the need to rely on my own judgment of other people, everyone has their own point of view, and that is the truth, so all's well.

Desiclub.com: What do you expect out of Kites?
Hrithik: My 2-1/2 years of effort and my heart, it's a different kind of film, its something I am very proud of. I can promise you that it's a good picture and I hope you'll come to watch.

Desiclub.com: After all that you have done, do you feel you have finally reached your goals in Kites?
Hrithik: Yes, that's what life is about. In my earlier years, I was looking at a Finish Line. It was a race for me and there is a dog behind me, coming at me, and I am running and he is gonna get me - and I have to reach that Finish Line or he's going to bite, and I have to reach my goal; that's how I was working before. I had to get there, there was fear, there was anxiety, and all that. Now when I work, I realize, there is no Finish Line, there is no dog and I am running because I like the breeze on my face.
We are always trying to get somewhere, and if we feel fear that if we don't, somebody will pull us down and life will attack you and you'll fail and you'll lose. Life is not about that. There are no bad experiences. Everything is good if you can just enjoy the breeze on your face, no matter what.

Desiclub.com: Would you say Kites is a Bollywood movie?
Hrithik: No, it's not fair to put labels on any kind of creative work. I don't think Kites is a Bollywood love story, it's a human love story. A film about human beings, that's supposed to touch your heart - a film that is honest and made from the heart. Whether from China or Hollywood or Bollywood, it will find its audience. It could be identifiable on an international platform. The Indian version is being distributed all over the globe. The U.S. release has Brett Ratner's interpretation that will cater to a select western audience.

Desiclub.com to Barbara Mori: How did you prepare for this role?
Barbara: I read the script, saw a bit of the movie shooting, took salsa classes in Mexico for the movie, went to New Mexico on rehearsals, discovering things about car chases.

Desiclub.com: How did you get to talk in English?
Hrithik answered for her. It was basically a translation of the English that Anurag had written, so Barbara gave it heart. She just interpreted it in the right way. She was basically the writer of all her lines.

Desiclub.com: Is acting in different languages different?
Hrithik answered again: It definitely changes things in that when I speak in Hindi and in English, there is a shift in stance. For her it must have been more than that, she was acting the entire film in English, which is not her first language.
Barbara added, Of course, its a bit different. Acting in your language and being directed in another language. For instance Anurag speaks English, but he sounded like he was speaking in Hindi, because he speaks so fast. Too many times I said, Anurag "I am not Indian, speak in English, and he would say, "I am speaking in English"." It was a bit difficult initially but once I applied myself it became easy. I went to New Mexico, and started shooting and was scared. But soon realized the fears are in my mind.

Desiclub.com: This was your first Hindi film. What made you decide to work in this film?
Barbara: Well the script, the story. I read the script and I was touched by the story, beautiful love story between two human beings who fall in love even if they don't speak the same language, and I found that beautiful. It touched my heart and I said, I want to be part of this. True love and honest.

Desiclub.com: How different is it from the kind of work you have been doing?
Barbara: Its completely different. Its my first English movie, my first action movie, my first Bollywood movie and big budget movie. So, there's a lot of difference between this movie and what I have done before. But, I think, they will love it, because, in Mexico, we love all this action also. Kites has this bit of everything, humor, we also love stories, drama and laughter and everyone will feel like they want to fall in love again. Because love is universal.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Desiclub.com Exclusive: The Director and the Father, Rakesh Roshan, May 14, 2010

2010-05-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010
Music is an efficient part of our movies, and it brings lot of money to the producer - Anurag Basu

by Raj S. Rangarajan

Continuing our series on Kites (Hindi) and its just-released Hollywood version - Kites, The Remix - Producer of the movie, Rakesh Roshan, Director Anurag Basu and Rajesh Roshan, Music Director tell us why they made the film.

Desiclub.com: How come you didn't direct Kites?
Rakesh: So happened I saw Anurag's Gangster and loved his work. He is one youngster who knows what filmmaking is all about. I told him, "I would like Hrithik to work with you in your next project." His response, "I make only small films, so for Hrithik I'd need to make a large film with a large canvas." Once I narrated the storyline Anurag was hooked and agreed to direct. I don't have to achieve anything; we have to make a good film, whoever directs is not important. I liked the way he worked.
In India, mostly, we give breaks to new actors or actresses, but we never think of giving a break to a new talented director. In those days movies were 5 crores of rupees, nowadays movies are more than 20 crores to make. We have to suppress our ego and give the project to somebody else, its not an easy thing. Once the script and vision were embedded in his mind he (Anurag) went along. I know what a filmmaker requires. I gave them the best location, best shooting facility, I should not deprive him of anything. I said, I am behind you like a rock. Don't worry about time and money, just spend money as need at the right place.

Desiclub.com: Your father was also in films and so is your son. All fathers have faith in their children, but at what stage did you decide that Hrithik, the actor is ready to become Hrithik, the star?
Rakesh: Well, when we are at home, we are having breakfast and lunch, together at the same table, we are father and son, we discuss so many things, but the moment we are at the set, he is an actor for me. There I don't see him as a son.
I have worked with Shahrukh (Khan), Salman (Khan), Anil (Kapoor), they are very good, we understand each other very well. Right from the word "Script", he (Hrithik) is there - he is in the place of the character.

Desiclub.com: Why an International version?
Rakesh: Because we wanted to be the first to go global. China and Korea have made International versions, India is lagging behind. After Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai, (where Hrithik debuted in 2000) and Koi Mil Gaya and 15 films (as director), its time specially since we have an Indian diaspora. I had to keep the Indian audience, cannot make a movie just for the foreign audience. Once we are successful, a time will come when we have to make just one version.

Desiclub.com: How difficult was it to shoot in Nevada? Are permissions easy to obtain?
Rakesh: I went and saw the location, and it took 2 months to obtain permissions. To a question on whether it was a meaningful experience to shoot in Mexico, Rakesh said, "it all depends on the script since the scripts demands what kind of location to choose. For instance I went to New Zealand for the first time to shoot for Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai and, for Koyi Mil Gaya, to Singapore. Some scenes were shot in English for Kites and some for the Hindi version. I felt only a love story would appeal to a global market and I wouldn't mind if one day my grandchildren entered the film industry."

Desiclub.com: Do you think music and melody has changed?
Rajesh Roshan, music director for the film, who was present, defended the concept that "we have all grown with the times, and have become more westernised, but that doesn't mean we have lost our tradition and soul. For instance, Rahman's music has scored very high marks for Slumdog; melody in Indian films and music has surpassed its limit, and will continue to survive. On the music aspect, Rajesh Roshan, Rakesh's brother explained how the sound track was original in that the beat had to be individually synchronized."
Expanding on their family unit, Rakesh added, "In our family as brothers we are very cohesive." In an interesting take on how film makers nowadays come to Rajesh Roshan with a pre-recorded tape of a western tune, and ask him to work on a similar melody for their film, Rajesh said, it was degrading for a music director. Rakesh calls his brother, the king of melody.

Rajesh ads, "It is not like a Bollywood film in that we had to add some extra scenes for the Hindi filmgoer to understand. We just went with our instincts since the songs are mostly in the background. Background scores in both versions are different. The mixing was done in Los Angeles and the background score for the English version was done by New Zealander, Graeme Revell, a film music composer.

Anurag declares: A film becomes big or small with ideas not with a large budget.

Desiclub.com: It was a huge budget film, what was the challenge?
Anurag: Making smaller films are more difficult because of shoestring budgets. Here, it was easy, had a free hand, and all I had to do was write. When asked about the budget, Rakeshji just said, "don't think of the film, you just write the script."

Desiclub.com: How you feel about the International cut? Do you have any inputs at all?
Anurag: All the songs in Kites are taking the story ahead, they are background songs, and it wasn't difficult to replace the score and have a fresh background score for the English version. When we write screenplay for Indian movies, we structure it differently. We plan for pre-interval, then for 15 minutes you are disconnected with the movie and then you start again. So, it has to be edited differently for the English version - something with Hollywood sensibilities.
For the International version, its the same film, but some sequences have been cut differently, and we have about 4 or 5 songs in the Hindi version, but all in the background. The international version has no songs and no dancing, but is expected be "racier, edgier and spunkier" than the Hindi edit. The English version was edited by Brett Ratner (using a remix formula originated by the international Kung Faux television series).

Desiclub.com: Brett Ratner is responsible for the International version. Now, looking at the International version, do you feel its like your film?
Anurag: Yes, its my film, most of the edits are mine, but, yes, in some places the background music could have been different?its very subjective?in some places I didn't like the background in the English version.

Desiclub.com: Was it a love story with action or an action story with love?
Anurag: I will not use action at all in the genre description, it's a love story all over. Who's betraying whom is the interesting aspect? Kites is written as a metaphor of the film. It took 30 days to write the script and it was easier in this case since the flow was fast. While writing I thought, kites fly high against and not with the wind - higher the wind, higher the flight - I normally use a metaphor when writing, and its interesting -- the more the obstacles the couple faced, their love became stronger. They fly all over, they come together, and they separate again like kites normally do but somehow their destiny is not in their hands. The title also starts with a 'K', sort of played conveniently into Rakesh Roshan's practice that all his films start with the letter 'K'.

Desiclub.com: Working with Hrithik what did he bring as an actor and how did you direct him?
Anurag: In fact, now with any story, any character I can see Hrithik in it. He is such a versatile actor. Initially I was apprehensive working with a big star, I used to avoid it - as an independent film maker, but Hrithik is a complete team-man, he knows his medium very well, he has a bit of director, a bit of a cameraman, editor, everything in him, he has a film-brain, all of which helps. All of this helped me as a filmmaker.
Hrithik was honest and organic. Barbara complained that I was messy. Our Bollywood acting comes over the top and loud sometimes, but this movie was real and unorganic. So, when you are working with a superstar, normally you see only the superstar, not the character. In Hrithik's case, all you see is the character, not the superstar.

Desiclub.com: Should Indian cinema go global?
Anurag: Why not, everything in India is becoming global, why not Indian cinema as well? Take China and Korea, we make ten times more movies than them but they make ten times more money since their audiences are global. I feel we are concentrating too much on the domestic market. Its an exciting time for Indian cinema?all of us young directors think that we have become global, but we are far from being global. Our audiences are just NRIs now who live here.

Desiclub.com: Is there a reluctance on the part of the global audience to look down on Bollywood for instance, Luck By Chance and Rock On? Do you think Kites will help that perception?
Anurag: They were good movies and we have to continuously churn out such movies to help our image. When they talk of Bollywood directors, they only think of Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, they have only two names; they don't know me, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. We are too busy making movies for our own market in India, and we all want to cater to larger audiences. But, a different kind of marketing is needed to reach the large audience that would enjoy a Luck by Chance or a Rock On.

Desiclub.com: What next for Anurag Basu?
Anurag: Working on one, no title yet but with Ranbir and a new girl. It's a love story and a mixed genre, interesting character and story, have a metaphor too, you are up there as a film maker, but everyone is waiting and watching to see how Kites will perform at the Box office. A film becomes big or small with ideas not with a large budget.
Music is an efficient part of our movies. And, it brings lot of money to the producer, and also it has to be used differently every time. I love watching the dances and all the sequences including MTV but when I go on the floor to shoot I find it difficult to shoot the dance sequence. Its perhaps my drawback.
In Bollywood, you record the song, and then go for shooting. But for two sequences I didn't want to do that. I shot the sequences, and edited it but I had had a rough tempo in my mind. Rajesh Roshan suggested tempos too but it was tougher for him to compose, and we didn't have to edit or tweak too much. You can't make out that the song was done later.

Desiclub.com: Did you have to do lot of research since Barbara speaks only Spanish?
Anurag: Barbara herself did not speak much of English, now she's speaking good English, now she's real. My job in the film is a little overrated because I just captured her onscreen chemistry in the best possible way. They were amazing on the screen, I just had to shoot it because it was all real, and happening. They were trying to communicate in spite of the difficulties. I didn't want to make it appear staged. So, I briefed them and they understood, and I shot the scene.

Desiclub.com: So, is the headline, Kites helps Barbara speak English?
Anurag said, Yes.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Hybrids, a major draw at auto show

2010-04-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

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Retail Plus Chennai

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Raj S. Rangarajan

The Hybrid car could be the answer to our fuel problems - a look at the brands available and how it will impact our lives

It is customary for the New York Auto Show to coincide with the Easter weekend, and this year was no exception. While the economy seems to be sputtering there was a certain bounce and bonhomie among auto manufacturers and the public. The week's ambient interactions radiated hope.

The usual crowds and hoopla, balloons and razzmatazz were on display though a trifle subdued. This time the focus was on hybrids and electric cars. Several top names such as Porsche, Mercedes and Lexus introduced hybrid models of the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle).

With the concept of the SUV ingrained in the American psyche, where the average American is used to everything large including his/her vehicle, it is not surprising that car makers known for their larger sedans were taking the next vital step: to go hybrid. BMW, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Nissan have gotten into or about to enter the world of hybrids. Market conditions and public opinion are in the automaker's favour specially with global warming a serious concern.

Over the years reams of paper have been consumed singing the praises of the cute, unusual looks and performance of the Porsche. But, now comes word that a new Porsche with a family feel is about to hit the American auto scene - the 2011 Cayenne Hybrid.

In simple terms, the Hybrid car is a blend of two forms of energy - gasoline (petrol) and electricity. The Cayenne's electric motor and its V6 engine are connected by a decoupling clutch which ensures that the vehicle could be driven either by electric power or by the combustion engine or by both units together. This car can cover short distances on electric power alone, free of emissions or noise and can speed up to 60 km/h.

It uses a 288-volt nickel metal-hydride (NiMh) battery fitted beneath the luggage compartment that constantly regenerates energy when braking and under normal driving conditions. Unlike Porsche's Cayenne, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid uses lithium polymer batteries which adds robustness and power on long hauls.

The New ML450 Hybrid from Mercedes-Benz boasts 46 percent better fuel economy than a comparable V8 ML550 model with a 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine, two magneto-electric motors and sophisticated electronics. While parking or on a low-speed operation, the ML450 runs on electric drive alone.

Volkswagen has joined the bandwagon in the hybrid market with its Touareg SUV, aiming at efficiency and performance with a fuel economy rate of mid-to-20 mph and top speeds of 150 mph.

Nissan debuted its Infiniti M35 Hybrid at Geneva in March and says, "it is designed and engineered to add to, not take away from, the driving experience, a key part of any Infiniti's appeal." According to the U.S. Department of Energy, gains from this dual technology can be as efficiently high as 50 percent. Any hybrid is expected to pay back in terms of cost-efficient savings in the long run.

While it is fashionable and perhaps PC (politically correct) to talk about hybrid vehicles, about the depletion of the ozone layer and the environment, the average vehicle-user who uses petrol (gasoline) may not see an immediate change in his/her bank balance. Not for ten years perhaps.

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

Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sales Hit Record $256 Million

2010-04-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

XXXV No. 17
(April 20, 2010)

Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sales Hit Record $256 Million
by Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Sotheby’s spring series of auctions in Hong Kong April 3–8 took in a record total of HK$2billion ($256.2million), much higher than last year’s total of HK$317.33 million ($40.6 million). Sales of fine Chinese art and contemporary art brought in HK$735million ($94.2million). The sale of Chinese paintings on April 6 was 97 percent sold by lot and 99 percent sold by value, and realized a total of HK$304.9million ($39.2million). Chess Playing, 1943, an ink and pigment on paper by Fu Baoshi (1904–65) sold to a private Asian buyer for HK$38.74million ($4.97million), five times the estimate of HK$5million/7million. Four works by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983) figured among the top ten lots, with Landscape, 1981, a splashed ink and pigment on paper hanging scroll, selling for HK$21.9million ($2.8million), more than four times the estimate of HK$3.2million/4.5million. Hen on the Rock, 1956, an ink and pigment on paper hanging scroll by Pan Tianshou (1897–1971) sold for HK$17.5million ($2.2million) on an estimate of HK$5million/7million.
A separate session dedicated to paintings from the Robert Chang collection brought in a total of HK$113.3million ($14.5million). Tiger, 1950, an ink and pigment on paper by Qi Baishi (1864–1957), was the top lot of the Chang sale, fetching HK$32million ($4.1million) against an unpublished estimate in excess of HK$28million.
Patti Wong, chairman, Sotheby’s Asia, said “participation by established collectors and numerous new buyers provoked fierce bidding which resulted in our setting many records for individual artists and objects.” The sales, she said, “emphasized the growing importance of Hong Kong as one of the vibrant auction centers.” Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby’s Asia, noted “growing involvement and participation by mainland Chinese.”
Blue-Chip Contemporary Art Fuels $19M Sale
The sale of contemporary Asian art on April 5 totaled HK$144.9million ($18.6million), with 129, or 76 percent, of the 170 lots sold. By value the auction was 88 percent sold. Bright Road, 1995, an acrylic and oil on canvas by Liu Ye (b. 1978) set a record for the artist, bringing HK$19.1million ($2.5million) against an estimate of HK$4.5million/6.5million. The top ten lots included two paintings by Cai Guo-Qiang (b. 1957). A Certain Lunar Eclipse: Project for Humankind No. 2, 1991, a gunpowder and ink drawing on Japanese paper mounted on seven wood panels, was bought by an Asian bidder for HK$18.58 million ($2.38 million). Two works by Yue Minjun (b. 1962) were also in the top ten, including On the Lake, 1994, an oil on canvas, which sold for HK$14.7million ($1.9million) on an estimate of HK$7million/10million.
Evelyn Lin, Sotheby’s head of Asian contemporary art, said the results “demonstrated a strong return for blue-chip contemporary Chinese artists after a period of adjustment in which we experienced constricted supply.” Results showed a “pent-up demand for great art with bidders from China, Indonesia, Korea, Europe, the United States and Taiwan in heated competition for top talents.”
The sale of 20th-century Chinese art on April 5 realized HK$102.6million ($13.15million), with 52, or 80 percent, of the 65 lots finding buyers. By value the auction was 84 percent sold.
Four of the top ten lots were works by Zao Wou-Ki (Zhao Wuji, b. 1921), which represented various periods of the artist’s career ranging from figurative work from the early 1950s to his later abstract paintings. These included the top lot of the sale, 4.4.1959, 1959, an oil on canvas, which sold for HK$20.8million ($2.7million) against an estimate of HK$5.8million/9million. Zao’s abstract painting 10-3-78, 1978, sold for HK$15.2million ($1.95 million) against an estimate of HK$7million/10million. And his oil The Lillies, ca. 1950, sold for HK$9.84million ($1.26million) against an estimate of HK$2.5million/4million.
The sale of modern and contemporary South east Asian paintings on April 5 took in a total of HK$69.3million ($8.88million) for 141 lots. Of those, 124, or 88 percent, found buyers, and the auction was 99 percent sold by value. The top lot was Bali Life, ca. 1960s, an oil by Lee Man Fong (1913–88), which set a record for a Southeast Asian painting at auction as well as an artist record. The lot opened at HK$4million, and sparked strong competition; after 31 bids the winner was an Asian collector on the phone, who bought the work for HK$25.3million ($3.24million). Mok Kim Chuan, Sotheby’s head of southeast Asian paintings, said that “in today’s more mature market, collectors are selective and discerning but eager to compete for quality works.”

2010-04-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

XXXV No. 16 - April 6, 2010

Sharp Rebound in Volume at Asian-Art Auctions
by Eileen Kinsella and Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—The results of auctions held at Sotheby’s and Christie’s during the semiannual Asia Week series March 23–26 indicated a recovery from the tepid sales of last year (ANL, 3/31/09). The houses reported total sales of $82.5million, roughly double the $43.6million total achieved last March.

Christie’s posted a total of $60million for six sales, up considerably from the $36.4 million achieved last year for five sales. This year the house offered sales of modern and contemporary South Asian art, Indian and Southeast Asian art, Japanese and Korean art, and Chinese ceramics and works of art, as well as two single-owner sales of art from the collections of Robert Blumenfield and Arthur M. Sackler.

Sotheby’s experienced an even larger spike in sales volume, posting a total of $22.6million for two sales—of Chinese ceramics and Indian and Southeast Asian art—well over the estimate of $10.6million/15million and triple the $7.2million achieved last year for two sales in the same categories.

Although the traditional collecting category of Chinese ceramics and works of art continues to account for the bulk of Asia Week sales—this season contributing $22.6million at Christie’s and $14.4million at Sotheby’s—modern and contemporary South Asian art continues to be a bright spot. Meanwhile Chinese contemporary art, whether in larger sales or in dedicated auctions, was notable for its absence in New York salerooms after its considerable appreciation in price in recent years. In 2008, Sotheby’s announced it was moving its Chinese-contemporary sales to Hong Kong, where specialists believe the highest prices can be attained. Christie’s specialists also say most of their Chinese-contemporary sales are now handled through their Hong Kong branch.

Henry Howard-Sneyd, Sotheby’s vice chairman of Asian art, said that from time to time “a few of the more international and iconic pieces” are included in sales in London and New York, but “Hong Kong has become the focal point.” Sneyd noted that one pronounced effect of the recent financial crisis on this market is collectors’ decision to “hold onto their pieces and not sell. This has meant there is a shortage of high-quality material on the market.” However, he added, “Prices for the top end, often sold privately, actually remain very strong and above 2008 levels.”

Modern Indian Paintings Lead Sotheby’s Sale

Modern works dominated Sotheby’s $8.2million sale of Indian and Southeast Asian art on March 24. Of 180 lots on offer, 131, or 73 percent, found buyers. By value the auction was 84 percent sold.

The house set a new record for a work by Manjit Bawa (1941–2008) when an untitled oil depicting a woman standing atop two white horses against a dark red background doubled the $200,000/300,000 estimate to sell for $602,500. Specialist Zara Porter-Hill called it “by far the most important work by Bawa to have appeared at auction in the past ten years and it attracted interest from all around the world.”

The top lot of the sale was an untitled 1955 oil by Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915), which soared past its $150,000/200,000 estimate to sell for $1.06million. Works by Tyeb Mehta (1925–2009) and Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922) also figured among the top lots, at prices that exceeded estimates. An untitled 1959 painting by Mehta depicting a reclining woman sold for $566,500 against a $100,000/120,000 estimate, and Raza’s acrylic on canvas L’inconnu, 1971, sold for $458,500 against an estimate of $120,000/180,000.

Raza was also the top-selling artist at Christie’s sale of South Asian modern and contemporary art on March 23, which took in $8.9million for 91 lots. Of these, 75, or 82 percent, found buyers; the auction was 95 percent sold by value. Raza’s later abstract painting Gestation, 1989, sold for $1.2million on an estimate of $600,000/800,000. That was followed by Husain’s painting Sita Hanuman, 1979, which sold for $842,500 on an estimate of $600,000/800,000.

Projjal Dutta, a partner in Aicon Gallery, New York, which specializes in Asian contemporary art, told ARTnewsletter, “the moderns—artists such as Husain, Raza and [Vasudeo S.] Gaitonde, who worked in the decades immediately preceding Indian independence in August 1947, have had the greatest successes recently.” Gaitonde’s Blue Abstract, 1965, was also among the top selling lots at Christie’s, bringing $554,500 against a $250,000/350,000 estimate. Another untitled painting by Bawa, from 1999, sold for $434,500, also far surpassing its estimate of $120,000/180,000. Christie’s specialist Hugo Weihe called the sale “well-edited,” and said it drew “immense and competitive bidding for some of the finest modern and contemporary works from India and South Asia.”

In the more traditional Asian art collecting categories, Sotheby’s sold a classical Chinese painting, Two Mynas on a Rock, 1692, by Bada Shanren (1626–1705), to a private Asian collector for $3million against a $400,000/600,000 estimate.

Christie’s sale of works from the Blumenfield collection totaled $13.86million for 157 lots offered. A new U.S. auction record for a classical Chinese painting was set by Yu Zhiding (1647-1716), Happiness through Chan Practice: Portrait of Wang Shizhen. The hand scroll in ink and pigment on silk sold for $3.44million, 20 times its estimate of $120,000/150,000.

Christie’s sale of Chinese ceramics and works of art was led by a large white jade figure of Buddha, 18th or 19th century, which sold to an Asian collector for $2.3million on a $150,000/200,000 estimate.

THE HINDU, REALTY SPEAK, Property Plus, Bangalore

2010-03-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

THE HINDU, Bangalore Edition
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 27, 2007

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PROPERTY PLUS, BANGALORE

REALTY SPEAK

Why do people ’build’ this dream?

RAJ S. RANGARAJAN

Why is it that people want to own a house and live in it? What exactly is the drive?

Have you noticed how owing property seems to be a global hope? Everyone and anyone – whether from Bangalore or Boston or Bermuda – dreams of owning a piece of land. Some like to build on it, others think of using it as an investment. Indian legends of yore and generic grandma stories have held forth benevolently on the advantages and benefits of owning land. Looks like these days, many of the old dictates are being taken to heart with Indians buying land as tho ugh it is going out of style. More so in some states of the Indian union.
Wonder why the fascination with land. Why not a pond or a river? We have heard of millionaires who own ranches and rivers, of celebrities who own castles and build lakes, but land – with brick and mortar – seems to be the common man’s dream. Let’s face it: a river or a stream is also property, but it is not hard-core. Not too many people know what to do with a body of water, unless they are creative architects who may be able to work wonders with water. Proponents of vasthu sastra talk favourably of water playing a significant role in a practitioner’s well-being or of the institution he or she owns or belongs to.

In the United States, the “American dream” presupposes owning property. At least that is the collective wisdom on the subject. Why is owning property so important? Why cannot one pass one’s time on earth without owning property? Is it the same syndrome that forces a schoolboy to scratch his name on his desk for immortality? Is it because we are basically earth-prone and of the earth? For some reason common behaviour has it that one should own property – a roof over one’s head – the famous makhaan that rounds up roti and kapda in populist culture.

Now, thanks to India’s plunge into material success and obviously liking it, the country’s rich and famous and wannabee celebrities are upping the ante to the next level. Apart from land – a house or a bungalow (I gather, these days the operative word is villa), Indians these days aspire to build a lovely, cosy and warm villa with petunias and geraniums (read garden!). And, in this home, they want to fill in luxury items from different parts of the world: perhaps Muranos from Venice, Wedgewoods from Britain or Farsh rugs from Persia, and of course the mandatory mementos of their trips to lands far and away.

Cosmic connection?
What is it that makes the human spirit want to build a home and decorate it? Is it listening to dictates of what is popular and acceptable or is it the cosmic connection to establish a place to stay? Perhaps a psychologist can tackle this better? With affluence has come an interest and obsession to expand one’s horizons. If you have a good home, what is wrong in having one with luxury items? Till the other day, “we couldn’t afford those lovely items” was the common refrain. Now anything is affordable. Hedonism and splurging are in, being a home bird and saving money are out.

Thus, we find Indians buying wall hangings and paintings, attending art shows, admiring antiques and discussing art. There always existed the artistic class, but more and more people have joined the bandwagon in exposing themselves to culture. Whether one is discussing figurative art, abstractionist art or even installations, we now have a new breed of Indians walking that extra mile to expose themselves to aesthetic pleasure.

At five-stars we overhear people discussing younger artists such as Raqib Shaw, Atul Dodiya and Jitish Kallat with older men Husain, Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta having crossed into the big leagues – the million-plus dollar threshold.

In conclusion the question remains: Why does one have to own property? Any takers?

(The author can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com)

The Love Guru – A Delightful Spoof

2010-03-18T13:58:00.001-07:00

BY RAJ S. RANGARAJAN *

The Love Guru is primarily a spoof – not to be taken seriously. Once you accept that you may enjoy the movie. Some followers of Hinduism and others who are touchy about the Hindu faith and beliefs may not approve of the film.

Mike Myers and Jessica Alba

After his success as a “foreign agent” Austin Powers (Mike Myers) has taken up a new avatar: Guru Maurice Pitka. The guru’s words of wisdom are expected to help a high profile couple in Canada get back together after marital troubles. Myers plays the role of healer and is charged with the responsibility of getting back reputed ice hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) of the Toronto Maple Leafs team with his estranged partner, Prudence, played by Meagan Good (Eye’s Bayou with Samuel L. Jackson), who is now dating the L.A. Kings’ goalie from Quebec, Jacques “Le Coq” Grande, played by Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog, multiple Grammy winner with platinum albums).

Guru Pitka creates a new-found philosophy which he encapsulates into DRAMA – D-istraction, R-egression, A-djustment, M-aturity, A-ction to get his message across. Darren has lost his enthusiasm to win hockey games for the team, and that concerns the team’s owner, Jane Bullard played by actress, Jessica Alba (Dark Angel, Sin City) and the 32-inch actor coach Cherkov, played by Verne Troyer. There are plenty of jokes about midgets, smallness and body parts. Jane is anxious to win the Stanley Cup for her father, the former owner of the team.
On another front, Guru Pitka’s aide (John Olivers) is looking for a payback in the form of an appearance on the Oprah show so that he could prove that he is bigger than Deepak Chopra, the new age guru who also makes a cameo appearance.
The real-life Mariska Hargitay, a fixture in NBC’s “Law and Order” makes an appearance and Guru Pitka does not stop chanting her name after meeting her since she is gorgeous and the name is supposed to resemble a Hindu mantra. His mode of transportation – a carpet on wheels – is original and he deserves a plus for creativity.

While the film’s publicity department talks of an all-star cast that includes Alba, Timberlake, Ben Kingsley who played Gandhi, Malco (The 40-year-old Origin) there is no mention, in the credits, of a relative newcomer Manu Narayan, the Bombay Dreams Broadway star, who has a major role in the film.

As Rajneesh, Manu has several significant lines and while the movie could turn out to be a flop Manu’s role may well catapult him into a meaningful career. His talent as a singer comes in handy. Kingsley, as cross-eyed Guru Tugginmypuddha teaches a young Maurice Pitka and a young Deepak Chopra the ABCs of “guruhood” but the fact remains that this foray into comedy may not sully his famous Academy Award winning “Gandhi” role.

While some of the dance scenes (read Bollywood) were off the wall, the viewer is always conscious that the movie is just a light comedy, and one ought to look at it through that prism. With Bollywood being such a vital part of entertainment in India, its not surprising that India’s Reliance ADA group owned by Anil Ambani is in talks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen at Dreamworks SKG to form a new movie enterprise.

Marco Schnabel, who graduated from the USC’s School of Cinema/Television, makes his directorial debut for this feature film that was co-written and co-produced by Mike Myers who was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario (Toronto). His original comedy sketches, work on “Saturday Night Live”, his Emmy in 1989 and the Austin Powers role are almost legendary.

Its perhaps incidental that the storyline demanded crude language and a scene where two elephants are seen in a seemingly sexual act in a stadium filled with cheering fans. Knowing Mike Myers’ past antics, one can always expect the unexpected. All of the above must have contributed for a PG-13 rating.

Deepak Chopra, who has a considerable following in Hollywood and outside comes in for envy and praise by wannabee Guru Pitka. Chopra talks favorably of the film and has in fact criticized the Hindu zealots who have called for a boycott of the film. The average English-speaking filmgoer is perhaps not affected by such protests.

In 88 minutes the movie manages to mock Hindus and offer humor – a kind of slapstick, but not mature enough for the average viewer’s comfort. With Hindu groups protesting the film’s content in some countries it may end up garnering free publicity, for, such controversies tend to help the box office.

[Raj S. Rangarajan, a New York-based trends writer, covers art and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for publications in the United States, Canada, Australia and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.]

Drama & Suspense in New York – the Bollywood movie

2010-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

Drama & Suspense in New York
– the Bollywood movie

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 down-town 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.

_____________________________
[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.]

2010-03-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

My Name is Khan and “I am not a Terrorist.”

Raj S. Rangarajan

A regular Bollywood film with a 9/11 flavor thrown in – My Name is Khan – will perhaps be more popular in North America than in India. After that fateful day in 2001, more movies seem to sell better here. Remember New York starring John Abraham and Katrina Kaif and Kurbaan 2009 with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, to name merely two.

While screening of the film ran into problems last month in Mumbai following boycotts, it has virtually been running to packed cinema houses in North America over weekends. According to Gitesh Pandya, who monitors all film billings for Hollywood and Bollywood movies, 17 days following release, this was Shah Rukh Khan’s top-grossing film in North America with total sales of $3,636,000 that surpassed SRK's old record of $3,597,372 for 2007's Om Shanti Om. It continues to play in 119 theaters across the U.S. and Canada in its third week of screening. This is reportedly Karan Johar’s biggest film ever.

Shah Rukh Khan (Rizvan Khan) and Kajol Devgan (Mandira Rathore) are the main characters in Khan and their chemistry on the screen is a subject of many a speculative, albeit favorable story in the film press, and that aspect is just one of the reasons why director Karan Johar had no hesitation in casting this pair.

As a child Rizvan (SRK) suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a kind of autism disorder that makes the patient behave clumsily sometimes in social interactions. In Khan, Rizvan tends to repeat his behavior patterns just as Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) constantly did in the 1988 Hollywood hit movie, Rain Main, that also starred Tom Cruise.

A story of love between a man and a woman and of that between mother and son – something many a Hindi-movie fan can relate to – is the basic theme that writers, Shibani Bathija and Karan Johar (who is also the director) have captured admirably. Rizvan, who happens to be a Muslim woos Mandira who happens to be a Hindu in spite of handicaps in his life. She is a single mother with a son.

After their mother’s passing in India, Rizvan’s younger brother, portrayed by Jimmy Shergill invites Rizvan to move to San Francisco. When Rizvan wants to marry Mandira who runs a successful hairdressing outfit, Jimmy’s character objects but never explains why. The story faces its major twist when Mandira’s son is beaten up in a playground by boys of Caucasian origin. Motives are attributed to the incident since the post-9/11 scenario in America is an easy excuse.

No investigation is conducted by anyone and soon the boy’s death is a closed chapter for the authorities. But, not for Mandira who has been personally affected. The racial profiling mindset in the movie is telling in that when Mandira declares, if my son’s name was Rathore – not Khan – he would have been alive. In a sense that reality is constantly faced and thought of by residents in North America though perhaps not articulated in public for obvious reasons.

People who constantly experience overt discrimination in some degree or other can relate to this movie directly. Each parent and child in North America has his or her own defence mechanism to deal with such real-life situations and this movie drives close to home. After all its just a movie is the normal rationalization of mature adults.

In another scene, in a mosque some Muslims are seen praying and plotting. In a dramatic exchange when the Muslim doctor who preaches revenge against white folk in the confines of a place of worship, Rizvan boldly lays out his understanding of what the Prophet really said and meant.

In small measure, that verbal exchange in the movie epitomizes conflicts one sees in schools, colleges or in communities in North America and perhaps in other countries as well. One is often concerned about how to behave in a social situation – whether at a movie, among friends and peers or even on a playground. What is politically correct these days?

In the movie, however, one cannot judge whether the incident was racially-motivated or whether it was the effect of a smaller boy – a South Asian kid – taking on a bigger boy, who happened to be Caucasian.

Traditional Southern hospitality gets a shot in the arm when a black family welcomes in to their fold a drifting Rizvan who is temporarily confused and lost after his wife throws him out. To prove himself, he single-handedly helps a community suffering in a flood (though he is sometimes spaced out) and attempts to win back his beau.

While Rizvan Khan is constantly muttering that he is not a terrorist but wants to meet the American president it is never explained why he wishes to meet the leader. Is it because his mother had inculcated in him a desire to do so? Or is it because Mandira, in a fit of pique, challenges him to do so.

In happy scenes a fetching Kajol sparkles, but SRK tends to overact specially when he overdoes the autistic bit -- which is perhaps difficult -- specially since the movie is not about the disease but about relationships.

One is impressed with subtle nuances the director and cameramen have accomplished in terms of capturing emotions on the playing ground where a boy is beaten up mercilessly or after the emotional suffixes that help the boys confess. Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogue is pithy and cinematographer, Ravi K. Chandran has proven once again that he is a classy performer. Mostly shot in San Francisco, the 2-1/2 hour Fox Searchlight film moves fast and doesn’t follow any formula – a lofty tribute to director Karan.
_____________________________

[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.]

My Name is Khan and “I am not a Terrorist"

2010-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Raj S. Rangarajan

A regular Bollywood film with a 9/11 flavor thrown in – My Name is Khan – will perhaps be more popular in North America than in India. After that fateful day in 2001, more movies seem to sell better here. Remember New York starring John Abraham and Katrina Kaif and Kurbaan 2009 with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, to name merely two.

While screening of the film ran into problems last month in Mumbai following boycotts, it has virtually been running to packed cinema houses in North America over weekends. According to Gitesh Pandya, who monitors all film billings for Hollywood and Bollywood movies, 17 days following release, this was Shah Rukh Khan’s top-grossing film in North America with total sales of $3,636,000 that surpassed SRK's old record of $3,597,372 for 2007's Om Shanti Om. It continues to play in 119 theaters across the U.S. and Canada in its third week of screening. This is reportedly Karan Johar’s biggest film ever.

Shah Rukh Khan (Rizvan Khan) and Kajol Devgan (Mandira Rathore) are the main characters in Khan and their chemistry on the screen is a subject of many a speculative, albeit favorable story in the film press, and that aspect is just one of the reasons why director Karan Johar had no hesitation in casting this pair.

As a child Rizvan (SRK) suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a kind of autism disorder that makes the patient behave clumsily sometimes in social interactions. In Khan, Rizvan tends to repeat his behavior patterns just as Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) constantly did in the 1988 Hollywood hit movie, Rain Main, that also starred Tom Cruise.

A story of love between a man and a woman and of that between mother and son – something many a Hindi-movie fan can relate to – is the basic theme that writers, Shibani Bathija and Karan Johar (who is also the director) have captured admirably. Rizvan, who happens to be a Muslim woos Mandira who happens to be a Hindu in spite of handicaps in his life. She is a single mother with a son.

After their mother’s passing in India, Rizvan’s younger brother, portrayed by Jimmy Shergill invites Rizvan to move to San Francisco. When Rizvan wants to marry Mandira who runs a successful hairdressing outfit, Jimmy’s character objects but never explains why. The story faces its major twist when Mandira’s son is beaten up in a playground by boys of Caucasian origin. Motives are attributed to the incident since the post-9/11 scenario in America is an easy excuse.

No investigation is conducted by anyone and soon the boy’s death is a closed chapter for the authorities. But, not for Mandira who has been personally affected. The racial profiling mindset in the movie is telling in that when Mandira declares, if my son’s name was Rathore – not Khan – he would have been alive. In a sense that reality is constantly faced and thought of by residents in North America though perhaps not articulated in public for obvious reasons.

People who constantly experience overt discrimination in some degree or other can relate to this movie directly. Each parent and child in North America has his or her own defence mechanism to deal with such real-life situations and this movie drives close to home. After all its just a movie is the normal rationalization of mature adults.

In another scene, in a mosque some Muslims are seen praying and plotting. In a dramatic exchange when the Muslim doctor who preaches revenge against white folk in the confines of a place of worship, Rizvan boldly lays out his understanding of what the Prophet really said and meant.

In small measure, that verbal exchange in the movie epitomizes conflicts one sees in schools, colleges or in communities in North America and perhaps in other countries as well. One is often concerned about how to behave in a social situation – whether at a movie, among friends and peers or even on a playground. What is politically correct these days?

In the movie, however, one cannot judge whether the incident was racially-motivated or whether it was the effect of a smaller boy – a South Asian kid – taking on a bigger boy, who happened to be Caucasian.

Traditional Southern hospitality gets a shot in the arm when a black family welcomes in to their fold a drifting Rizvan who is temporarily confused and lost after his wife throws him out. To prove himself, he single-handedly helps a community suffering in a flood (though he is sometimes spaced out) and attempts to win back his beau.

While Rizvan Khan is constantly muttering that he is not a terrorist but wants to meet the American president it is never explained why he wishes to meet the leader. Is it because his mother had inculcated in him a desire to do so? Or is it because Mandira, in a fit of pique, challenges him to do so.

In happy scenes a fetching Kajol sparkles, but SRK tends to overact specially when he overdoes the autistic bit -- which is perhaps difficult -- specially since the movie is not about the disease but about relationships.

One is impressed with subtle nuances the director and cameramen have accomplished in terms of capturing emotions on the playing ground where a boy is beaten up mercilessly or after the emotional suffixes that help the boys confess. Niranjan Iyengar’s dialogue is pithy and cinematographer, Ravi K. Chandran has proven once again that he is a classy performer. Mostly shot in San Francisco, the 2-1/2 hour Fox Searchlight film moves fast and doesn’t follow any formula – a lofty tribute to director Karan.
_____________________________

[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.]

Breezy Summer Comedy

2009-09-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

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.
_____________________________
[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

2009-08-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

"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.

talktoretailplus@yahoo.com

(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

2009-08-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

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.

_____________________________
[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

2009-07-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

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.)

Last Supper & Bollywood Depiction in London

2009-06-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

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