Bengaluru: Octogenarian living, legendary artist S G Vasudev's two short films, 'Collages' and 'The Line, ' screened at the International Music and Arts Society and Bengaluru International Centre, left the viewers spellbound for the unusual way the filmmaker chose to tell (draw) his stories.
'Collages' get a shape during Covid: S G Vasudev indulged in collage-making from his artworks, hitherto an untouched form for him. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, when movement was restricted, he could not go to his studios in Koramangala to draw and paint. It was during this forced loneliness at home that he thought of collage. To start with, he made some and asked for his wife Ammu Joseph's feedback, which encouraged him to continue.
Tree, He, She...: Like most of his renowned works, the collages also deal with his favourite themes revolving around trees, men, and women, among many others. The equally interesting musical notes of Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh, a well-known veena player, take you to a different world in the film's ambience. Collage also demonstrates his specialized technique of arranging collages with drawings deploying roll pens and acrylic paint.
The Line from 1962: If collages are of the recent past, 'The Line' is a festival of his drawings from 1962 onwards. Some of them also deal with the poems of the late A K Ramanujan, the renowned poet, scholar and translator. Recitals of Sanjay Subrahamanyam, a veteran Carnatic vocalist, have enriched the viewing of this film.
Films of different kinds: Both 'Collages' and 'The Line' belong to a different genre in whatever way you would like to look at them. Forget the typical entertaining ones on the celluloid world or the documentaries with voice-over and sound bites or a recording of any performance; these films are a class of their own. They don't restrict themselves to any particular style or form, and just like the magical lines, dots and imaginary characters of S G Vasudev, they take you to a mesmerizing canvas of their own.
A confusion to enjoy what? However, at times, one gets into a perplexing state of confusion on whether to get engrossed in the drawings and paintings or listen to the melodious music in the background. S G Vasudev revealed, "I love to listen to music while working, but will never get influenced by the same on my works".
Blank canvas is my inspiration: In an interaction with the viewers after the screening, S G Vasudev, replying to a query, clarified, "A blank white or black canvas is my source of inspiration apart from being deterred by any background music". He also jovially remarked, "But, an artist should also know when and where to stop drawing/painting on the canvas".
Panelists laud acumen: The screening was followed by a panel discussion with artist-journalist Anupam Bijur and Dr Pramila Lochan, an art and music historian. Indira Chandrasekhar, writer and publisher of the online literary magazine Out of Print, moderated the session. Both panelists were unanimous in their admiration of the acumen of S G Vasudev.
Film connections since long: In a way, S G Vasudev's connection with the silver screen is nothing new, and the origins can be connected to the good old days of the Kannada film industry. In the early seventies, he was involved with making film posters. He also designed covers for U R Ananthamurthy's books, apart from designing theatre props for Girish Karnad's plays. His maiden venture as an Art Director was with the epoc making 'Samskara', based on the story written by U R Ananthamurthy. He had written it in 1965 as a student of the University of Birmingham for his Ph.D.
S G Vasudev ropes in acclaimed craftsmen: After receiving the manuscript in India, Girish Karnad interacts with Tikkavarapu Pattabhiram Reddy and S G Vasudev. Then, S G Vasudev, a painter, was also associated with Madras Players, a Madras-based amateur theatre group. T Pattabhiram Reddy, impressed by the story, resolved to produce and direct it. S G Vasudev became the art director and brought in Tom Cowan, a photographer with the Commonwealth Documentation Division, Australia, as the cinematographer, and Cowan brought in his friend Steven Cartaw as the editor.
Vamshavruksha, second and last film: After Samskara, S G Vasudeva also worked as an art director for another new wave Kannada film, Vamshavruksha. However, it only happened to be his second and last film. When quizzed about the too-short innings, S G Vasudev shot back: "I felt it enough and told Girish(Karnad), no more films", signalling the end of the art direction career abruptly.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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