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EDITORIAL PAGE
Movement to identity
Art Deco is a statement. It is a reflection of aspira-
tion. The height of the movement was when it
transcended artistic expression to become a func-
tional tool in engineering an identity. Akhila
Shankar reminiscences Mumbai’s long-standing
affair with this movement.
Mumbai congeries memories
on innumerable clichés-‘The
city of dreams’, ‘The city that
never sleeps’ and the less ro-
mantic ‘financial capital of
India’. However, what is often
overlooked is that Mumbai is
also the second largest hub for
Art Deco in the world after
Miami, a movement only kept
alive today by the architecture
that still stands.
A unique combi-
nation of fac-
tors led to the
adaptation of
the Art Deco
style of Ar-
chitecture in
Mumbai. In-
crease in
tourism and
travel in the early
half of the 20thcen-
tury had made Bombay
a cultural hub for western
artists. Many touring European
ballet, opera, theatrical and
musical troops entered the
Bombay scene. The social and
cultural ambience in Bombay
was hence very conducive to
the incorporation of Art Deco
into what would become quin-
tessentially Bombay.
Besides tourists, Bombay was
also becoming a political hub in
the pre-independence move-
ment at this time. The Chamber
Of Princes was the official body
responsible for negotiations be-
tween the Nawabs, princes and
maharajas of India and the
British government. These
Nawabs, princes and maharajas
started building houses here so
as to avoid staying in hotels. Al-
most all of these houses were
built in the Art Deco style, cre-
ating the appropriate
patronage for this
style.
The in-
creas ing
n u m b e r
of gradu-
ates in
Architec-
ture from
foreign uni-
v e r s i ti e s
brought in the
new wave of archi-
tecture in a way no one could
have thought of and with intel-
lectual ideas flying around
Bombay was soon to become
the Paris of India. In November
1937 the first Architectural Ex-
hibition ever to be held in India
which was organized by the In-
dian Institute of Architects at
town hall displayed the modern
trends in lifestyle all over the
world, and as unsurprising as it
would be- Art Deco was every-
where!
The movement’s standing testaments were the new of-
fice building in the fort, Bungalows on Malabar and
Cumballa Hill and Juhu, apartment blocks in Marine
drive, Backbay reclamation and most importantly all the
then new cinema halls such as Regal Cinema, Eros Cin-
ema and Metro Cinema.
Art Deco- A cinematic experience
The Regal Cinema was designed by Charles Steven, son
of Fredrick Steven (The man behind the design of Vic-
toria Terminus, now CST). For its time Regal was the ul-
timate epitome of glamour. It was probably the first
Indian cinema hall with completely air-conditioned the-
atres underground parking and even a lift. Following this
example the idea of cinema being a luxury set in and
cinema halls like Plaza Cinema (Dadar) Central Cinema
(Charni Road), New Empire Theater etc. followed suit.
Art Deco and Cinema reached a peak with Eros, which
was rightly termed as the great grandpa of luxury cin-
ema. Designed by Sohrabji Bedhwar, this building still
stands today as a living mark of the good old 30s. Like
Regal and Eros, Metro was the last word in luxury. The
2,943 square yard plot was formerly occupied by the Air
force and was acquired by Metro Goldwyn Corporation
on a lease for 999 with a ground rent of Rs.1 per year!
Thomas W Lamb, a New York based Architect laid the
plans for the Metro. The complete interiors were im-
ported from the Unites States. The most sticking feature
of the architecture is large mural paintings on both sides
of the auditorium.
The introduction of Art Deco architecture to the cinema
culture is probably one of the most important land-
marks in our cultural history. The idea of a movie date,
the idea of having the red lounge seats at movie halls
today, the idea of 5 star service at a movie, delivery at
seat amongst many other things dates back to the 30s
when the art deco reformation made cinema into more
of an experience and less of a medium for common
man.
Art Deco and culture
Art Deco was a cultural statement. If not for the rest of
the world, at least for Bombay it was and will be. The
luxury which was native to this style was an expression
of the lifestyle and culture then. People wanted change,
people wanted to move away from the Victorian world
(The British Empire as a whole), people wanted to
travel, people wanted to exchange culture. People
wanted to look forward to a new independent age and
Art Deco was just the right style to exhibit this. The way
Robert McGregor would put it
“There was going to be no more poverty, no more igno-
rance, no more disease. Art Deco reflected that confi-
dence, vigor and optimism by using symbols of progress,
speed and power.”
JAPAN INTRODUCES CRICKET TO INDIA!
The year 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of
the Indo-Japanese relationship strengthening
the bilateral ties between the two countries
more than ever. This being a perfect occasion
of pride and celebration for both the cultur-
ally blessed countries, Japan seems to have decided to
gift India an unforgettable memento. The bequest is a
rendezvous of what the two countries do best: Anima-
tion for Japan and Cricket for India!
The land of the rising sun presents to India in this fall,
‘The Rising Star’ an anime on cricket. Based on one of
the most famous sports comics ‘Kyojin no Hoshi’ (the
Star of the Giants) Kodansha Ltd., a leading manga pub-
lication house is set to launch this unexplored theme in
our very own country. Kyojin no Hoshi originally a
manga of the 1960s which was later adapted into an
anime series were both extremely popular among the
boys in Japan.
While the story of Kyojin no Hoshi, a weekly shonen
manga, revolves around a boy who struggles to grow
into an ace baseball player, The Rising Star is centered
on a poor boy in Mumbai, named Salaji, who strives to
be a cricket star. The young protagonist who is a left-
handed cricket player aspires to be a cricket star like his
father. The original manga series was a creation written
Ikki Kajiwara and drawn Noburo Kawasaki which was
published from 1966-1971. Japan’s TMS Entertainment
Anime Studio had adapted Kyojin no Hoshi in an anime
TV series in 1968 and now it will be TMS Entertainment
again to handle the beginning of new show’s develop-
ment which includes the script and the storyboards. The
latter part of the production will be handled by Indian
local studios that will also bear half of the production
cost. For the start the new version of the anime will
have about 26 to 52 episodes which will be aired in the
autumn of 2012 in India.
What is going to make it interesting is that even though
the anime is an adaptation of an original series, there
are many alterations involved. The creators will not only
have to study the rules of cricket but they will have to
understand in detail the geographies, the culture and
the psyche of Indians. How to make the knowledge of
all of these appealing to the audience they wish to cap-
ture in an altogether new display of cricket is probably
going to be the real challenge.
Mohita Namjoshi
Over the years the American car-
toon culture has been highly influ-
ential in India. The superhero
cartoons had taken their toll on al-
most all the major local stations.
Most American cartoons used a lot
of science fiction and larger than life
events. Indians cartoon viewers are
accustomed to that cartoon content
which has big occurrences. As far as
there are noticeable and compre-
hendible happenings in the content,
the Indian viewers remain con-
tented, notwithstanding the level of
depth in the story.
There are a few newer cartoons
coming along in India, which plot
around characters from famous
Hindu mythologies. The viewers of
these shows or at least the supervi-
sors of the viewers are satisfied with
the matter being shown in these
shows. They believe that content
that revolves around their mytho-
logical characters is likely to incul-
cate values among their children,
thereby encouraging the viewership
of these cartoons. That way, an al-
ready established character comes
to the rescue.
Japanese animation series are, how-
ever, dealt with differently. They are
essentially made to cater to differ-
ent areas of interest. They don’t just
make animation for children or
adults but for sports lovers, Shake-
speare lovers, food lovers, music
lovers, Goth lovers, history lovers,
romantic comedy lovers, science
lovers and for every niche market
which is likely to exist. What they
put in is meticulous research behind
every creation because they are
used to targeting specialists of those
fields or potential information seek-
ers. Their magic has logic, their sci-
fies have real science put to use,
their detective stories are hard to
understand in a go, and their absurd
cartoons are an epitome of absurd-
ity. When an anime is made on a sto-
ryline which is as simple as the story
of ‘The Rising Star’, they will use
their research to make sure that
they are not exposing the content to
any loopholes. In their bid to attain
perfection let’s hope that they don’t
let the story drag, else, it may not at-
tract enough eyeballs. They will
have to strike an appropriate bal-
ance between appeal and precision,
which in fact they are good at!
Most Indians love cricket the way no
one does; few Indians love anime,
but when they do, they do so much
that they can easily compete the
otaku-race, pun intended, in Japan.
In the celebration of the 60th an-
niversary of Indo-Japan ties, the
Japan External Trade Organization,
more commonly referred to as
JETRO had organized a Cool Japan
festival in Mumbai. The event was
for three days and about 24,500 was
the total footfall count for the event.
That was the first time when the city
saw the madness of the otaku world
and the madness went up when the
TMS Entertainment kiosk showed in
loop the trailer of The Rising Star.
Eyebrows went up, jaws dropped
and the kiosk was surrounded with
a herd of otakus. The upcoming
anime was much talked of, and the
youngsters present there sent up-
roar of anticipation, clearly declaring
their eagerness.
Let’s hope that Japan’s ‘Indianized’
anime sets the foundation of larger
number of anime lovers in the coun-
try!
12 Areas Of Photography to Watch Out For
Photography is an expansive art form that includes more than just portraiture, landscape or glam-
our photography. Both professional and amateur photographers may favor specific types of pho-
tography over others. While a professional photographer may work in photojournalism, an
amateur may be particularly interested in macro-photography. Read on to know more!
Photojournalism
Although amateurs may break into this field without formal training, photojournalism is often limited
to professionals. One reason photojournalism is generally practiced by professionals is that serious pho-
tojournalists must be sure that their shots maintain the integrity of the original scene.
Photojournalism requires the photographer to shoot only the facts: no alteration or embellishment of
the photo is permitted. Photojournalism pictures are often powerful images that engage the viewer
with the news story. Knowing how to take such shots to capture the original emotion is often learned
only through years of practice and experience.
Documentary Photography
Documentary photographs tell stories with images. The main difference between photojournalism and
documentary photography is that documentary photography is meant to serve as a historical document
of a political or social era while photojournalism documents a particular scene or instance.
A documentary photographer may shoot a series of images of the inner city homeless or chronicle the
events of international combat. Any topic may be the subject of documentary photography. As with
photojournalism, documentary photography seeks to show the truth without manipulating the image.
Action Photography
While professionals who take action shots may specialize in a variety of different subjects, sports pho-
tography is one of the fastest and most exciting types of photography. As with any action shot, a good
sports photographer has to know his or her subject well enough to anticipate when to take pictures.
The same rule goes for photographers taking action shots of animals in nature or of a plane taking off.
Macrophotography
Macrophotography describes the field of photography in which pictures are taken at close range. Once
restricted to photographers with advanced and expensive equipment, macrophotography is now easier
for amateurs to practice with digital cameras with macro settings. Macrophotography subjects may in-
clude insects, flowers, the texture of a woven sweater or any object where close-up photography reveals
interesting details.
Microphotography
Microphotography uses specialized cameras and microscopes to capture images of extremely small sub-
jects. Most applications of microphotography are best suited for the scientific world. For example, mi-
crophotography is used in disciplines as diverse as astronomy, biology and medicine.
Aditya Sapkale
Glamour Photography
As the name implies, the goal of glamour photography is to depict the model in a glamorous light. Con-
sequently, many glamour shots carry flirtatious, mysterious and playful tones.
Aerial Photography
An aerial photographer specializes in taking photos from the air. Photos may be used for surveying or
construction, to capture birds or weather on film or for military purposes. Aerial photographers have
used planes, ultralights, parachutes, balloons and remote controlled aircraft to take pictures from the
air.
Underwater Photography
Underwater photography is usually employed by scuba divers or snorkelers. However, the cost of scuba
diving, coupled with often expensive and unwieldy underwater photography equipment, makes this one
of the less common types of photography. Similarly, if an amateur has the equipment and the scuba
know-how, taking shots underwater can be complicated, as scuba goggles are magnified and distort the
photographer’s vision.
Portraiture
Portraiture is one of the oldest types of photography. Whether the subject is your family or your pet,
the goal of portraiture is to capture the personality of the subject or group of subjects on film.
Wedding Photography
Wedding photography is a blend of different types of photography. Although the wedding album is a
documentary of the wedding day, wedding photos can be retouched and edited to produce a variety of
effects. For example, a photographer may treat some of the pictures with sepia toning to give them a
more classic, timeless look.In addition, a wedding photographer must have portrait photography skills.
He may also have to employ glamour photography techniques to capture the bride and groom at their
best.
Advertising Photography
Because photography plays a vital role in advertising, many professional photographers devote their ca-
reers to advertising photography. The need for unique and eye-catching advertising copy means the pho-
tographer may work with multiple types of photography, including macrophotography and glamour
photography.
Travel Photography
Travel photography may span several categories of photography, including advertising, documentary or
vernacular photography that depicts a particularly local or historical flavor. A travel photographer can
capture the feel of a location with both landscapes and portraiture.
Much ado about Dokra
Most who don’t know much
about India, consider it is
a mystical land of ele-
phants, cows and snake charmers
who somehow co-exist with the
high tech world of computer geeks
and call centres. In the art world,
contemporary Indian art is synony-
mous with the old vanguard of M F
Hussain, Raza and Tyeb Mehta,
these days, Subodh Gupta (who
some term the Indian Damien Hirst),
Riyas Komu, Atul Dodiya are making
waves at international auctions. The
traditional arts of India are so di-
verse that even most Indians are not
aware of the many myriad hues and
forms that traditional India has to
offer. This vast subcontinent is di-
vided into states, communities (over
600), districts, dialects, tribes; which
has given rise to a rich diversity in
art forms as well.
What is Dhokra?
Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting
using the lost-wax casting tech-
nique. This sort of metal casting has
been used in India for over 4,000
years and is still used. Its name
comes from the Dhokra Damar
tribes are the traditional metal-
smiths of West Bengal. The tribe ex-
tends from Jharkhand to West
Bengal and Orissa; members are dis-
tant cousins of the Chattisgarh
Dhokras. A few hundred years ago
the Dhokras of Central and Eastern
India traveled south as far as Kerla
and north as far as Rajasthan and
hence are now found all over India.
What is so special?
The USP of Dhokra metal craft is
that no two pieces of Dhokra art are
alike. Each and every single piece of
Dhokra craft is unique. The product
of dhokra artisans are in great de-
mand in domestic and foreign mar-
kets because of primitive simplicity,
enchanting folk motifs and forceful
form.
Tanvi Hegde
Dokra craft is so coveted by collec-
tors is because of its powerful form,
charming folk motifs and primitive
simplicity – all of which let you ex-
plore and peek a glimpse into the in-
digenous folk culture of India and
particularly Bengal. Intricate designs
and every fine detail on each article
holds its unique and distact identity.
This individualistic touch is due to
the hand crafted dexterity and skill
that these Dokra artifacts boast of.
However, although metal casting is
used in Dokra craft, they are differ-
ent from other types of metal craft.
Although it is mostly brass scrap and
bell metal that are used to manufac-
ture Dokra craft, there remains a
hollow core inside the metal casting
consisting of a clay core.
How to make your Dhokra art
piece?
The process of making Dhokra art
piece is even more interesting.
Dhokra metal crafts follow the tradi-
tional method of lost or vanishing
wax technique. First the clay core is
designed and then is layered by wax,
resin and nut oil. Wax is then carved
and every fine detail is given again
this is covered by clay it works as a
mould for metal art piece. Clay is
then cooked and wax comes out
from the drain ducts. Molten metal
is poured inside the mould. After the
netal has taken shape and has
cooled down, outer clay layer is
chipped off. Metal art piece is then
polished and finished. Thus this
method has a big disadvantage that
mould can be used only once and
hence two pieces will not be exactly
the same.
Where is Dhokra now?
Dhokra craft so far, was dying a slow,
nevertheless steady death due to
lack of patronage and government
encouragement, however the huge
demand for Dhokra craft along with
other types of brassware handicrafts
in foreign shores has resulted in a
flourishing, resurgence and resur-
rection of this ancient art of metal
crafting. The reasons for this are
plenty. Dhokra craft, just like any
other type of Indian handicrafts, was
dying a slow death. Even a few years
back, it was difficult to find quality
or even accomplished Dhokra crafts-
men and metal smiths. The dearth
or paucity of skilled labor resulted in
dwindling supplies and the prices of
the end products sky rocketed up-
wards. Naturally, the demand also
went down because of the escalat-
ing prices. Even the designs and pat-
terns on Dhokra items had become
outdated. But there has been a turn-
around for this industry, which was
nothing short of a wonder. And this
wonder has been brought about by
latest and advanced technology,
adoption of latest product designs
and patterns and newness/innova-
tion of motifs. The line of products
has undergone sea change and
there has been a sudden burst in
manufacture of beautiful napkin
rings, serving sets, good quality
vases etc. The proliferation of new
design developments along with the
latest technologies have enabled the
Dhokra craftsmen to bring out lines
of Dhokra products that are usable
and which can be put to good use by
clients in the contemporary world
markets.
A new design artist called Mukul
Goyal is helping out the Dhokra
craftsmen in their endeavor to de-
velop altered and contemporary
ranges of Dhokra art and Dokra
craft. The Dokra craftsmen are also
being helped by Mr. Goyal in the
marketing of Dokra items in foreign
markets. These people have to-
gether developed and brought out
10 new ranges or product lines.
Some of those items in the product
lines are door handles, flower vases,
napkin rings, lamps, food grade etc.
There are however limitations to the
art, as practiced by these Dokra
craftsmen. All the Dokra art pieces
are hand crafted, and so the finish-
ing isn’t of excellent quality. So,
those Dokra products which have to
be exported have to undergo detail-
ing and final finishing by machines in
some other place.
Art In Cinema
An Indian Art magazine
without Indian cinema in it
is unrealistic. Film is con-
sidered to be an important art
form, a source of popular enter-
tainment and a powerful method
for educating or indoctrinating cit-
izens. Film making is also an
“ART”. You need talent and fore-
sight to make a movie. Talent of
making film a piece of art work
and foresight for knowing how
much will it be loved by the audi-
ence. Intuitively, some films qual-
ify as artworks and others do not.
All film is art, though some of it is
better art or higher art. This, it
turns out, is not just a question for
those with a special interest in
film. It has interest for aesthetic
value more broadly, because film
can serve as a test case for defini-
tions of art. A film can be termed
as masterpiece only when all the
aspects in the making of the film
are on dot. These aspects are the
story, the sets, the costume, the
cinematography and lot others.
This is not to say that a work be-
comes art when it’s taken up by
an art-consuming audience.
Moreover, audiences do not
transform works into art; rather
they discover that a works de-
serves to be regarded in that way.
If this intuition is right, the key to
understanding what makes a film
count as art is what goes on in this
discovery process.
India is well known for its com-
mercial cinema. Almost every In-
dian is well versed with onscreen
“running around the trees singing
songs”, the fight sequences, twins
meeting each other after years,
topped with some dose of mush
and lots and lots of spice. These
movies are made completely to
entertain the Indian audience.
India is full of art and that is de-
picted in Indian movies. Whether
commercial or non commercial
movie, both need art.. Both have
got distinct way of describing art
through movies. There are a num-
ber of genres and styles of Indian
cinema that a viewer encounters,
such as, romantic comedies, gang-
ster films, horror films, westerns,
melodramas, musicals and histor-
ical films. While some of these
genres are present in Indian cin-
ema, often as a consequence of
the impact of the western films,
the Indian filmmakers have also
created some styles of their own,
that are acknowledged as their
own. This is clearly discernible in
the popular tradition of filmmak-
ing in India. These movies spend a
lot over creating huge sets, mak-
ing dancers dance in the back-
ground, give audience too many
colors, emotions and entertain-
ment. The Indian Art Cinema has
had a humble beginning. This
genre doesn’t boast of foreign lo-
cales, hopelessly expensive
clothes or the big star cast. The
sole strength of these kinds of
films is the story.
The Indian Art Cinema has beauti-
fully transformed and re-invented
itself. From socially relevant topics
of Child Marriage, Dowry, Female
Feticide, Widow Re-marriage to a
simple love story. A true admirers
of cinema and a person who con-
sider movie-making as an art call
it the “Offbeat” or “The Art House
Cinema”. Many people in India
plainly call such films as "art films"
as opposed to mainstream com-
mercial cinema. From the 1960s
through the 1980s, the art film or
the parallel cinema was usually
government-aided cinema. Such
directors could get federal or state
government grants to produce
non-commercial films on Indian
themes. Their films were show-
cased at state film festivals and on
the government-run TV. These
films also had limited runs in art
house theatres in India and over-
seas. The Art film-makers have
done it all. It’s amazing to see how
some of the very talented film-
makers have gifted their audi-
ences with some of their
magnificent work. The generation
today are more intelligent and
open to a wide variety of topics.
At the end of the day the purpose
of the film and the audience
should be served. From the very
inception of this genre, there has
been a difference between art
and commercial cinema. The au-
dience wants a good story and a
really good way of putting it and
that’s what the film makers are
supposed to do. Yes masala flicks
are welcome but too much of
masala can cause acidity! A good
mixture of masala movies and in-
telligent cinema is what the audi-
ence wants.
Vaidehi Tendulkar
In this new context of art-
house appeal to the main-
stream, “of limited box-office
appeal” is striking, if not, per-
haps, inaccurate. On the other
hand, general conceptions of
“art house” have come to de-
scribe films simply on the
basis of their production out-
side the Bollywood system, re-
gardless of their status as
conventional dramas or
slightly offbeat comedies.
However with changing times
this gap has been bridged. The
themes of art movies have
witnessed a change. The audi-
ences today look out for
“good” films rather than the
serious or popular films.
Hence once a while a multi-
starrer movie bombs and a
small budget movie like Aamir
is much appreciated by the
cine goers. The need for better
subjects, the desire to watch
something more feasible on
the screen and the boredom
that has set in with the regular
candyfloss cinema are some
of the reasons for this appar-
ent change. If this trend con-
tinues then the day is no far
when there will be no com-
mercial cinema or art cinema,
but just good cinema and bad
cinema.
The knowledge of Indian cin-
ema gives you an opportunity
to enter into the thought-
worlds and performance-
worlds to the people
interested in this art. Many In-
dian film directors, right from
the pioneers such as Dadasa-
heb Phalke to the modern
ones like Yash Chopra, have
deployed their creativity along
with traditional forms of
dance, folk & classical music to
enhance the communicated
experience. Indian popular
cinema has evolved into a dis-
tinctively Indian mode of en-
tertainment by imaginatively
amalgamating music dances
also and because of the works
of veteran directors like
V.Shantaram. Guru Dutt and
Raj Kapoor. So, through Indian
cinema one can also enter the
larger world of Indian aesthet-
ics. Film makers like Ketan
Mehta has made a movie on
the life of 19th century painter
Raja Ravi Varma named it as
Rang Rasiya. It’s a very artistic
movie showing us the reality
of the society in the 19th cen-
tury. He had also directed
Mangal Pande which was
again very artistic from the
sets to costume everything
gave you the feel on the 18th
century. Aushitosh
Gowarikar’s Jodha Akbar is an-
other epic story in which art
played a very important role.
To add on the list is devdas
Sanjay Leela Bhansali did a
brilliant job with art direction.
Indian cinema has presented a
detailed version of India from
its different historical movies
to its present scenario movies.
The distinct genres of films de-
picted by the different film-
makers have helped in the
study of India from a different
and distinct angle of vision.
Thus, one cannot help but re-
alize the fact that indeed it has
been the old traditions and
the cultures that have actually
framed the Indian cinema,
which have been an encour-
agement to uplift India and
make it one of the renowned
countries in the world. By see-
ing the cultures and traditions
of the distinct societies, peo-
ple can examine their own
country`s culture with fresh
eyes and with a special vision
and approach.