17 April,2010 07:07 AM IST | | Shweta Shiware
Shanay Jhaveri's just-launched book is not an encyclopedia, but what he calls a rescue project that resurrects films on India that went unnoticed
Shanay Jhaveri's interview would be incomplete without an admission ufffd "I am a fun person". He is articulate in a way that's startling and enlightening at once. His Twitter account is deliberately low profile with just 18 followers, and there's limited information about him on the Internet.
Original postcards are interspersed with essays and photographs in
Outsider Films on India 1950-1990. pic/Bipin Kokate
Did we mention, he's only 25 and the editor of the recently launched, Outsider Films on India 1950-1990, a delectably intelligent book that profits from his passion for the arts and cinema? His degree in Art-Semiotics and the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University is a bonus.
"The book prides itself on not being an encyclopedia on Indian cinema. It's a rescue project, one that resurrects films on India made by major filmmakers, that went unnoticed," says Shanay, his voice bearing the same lyrical quality you see in his writing, especially in the introductory essay titled Wanting To Be A rememberer. Part of the "rescue project" plans include screening films that are featured in the book, followed by discussions with contributors at the Tate Museum of Modern Art, London, in the last week of June.
Featuring 11 essays written by academicians, critics and artists, the tome looks beyond stereotypes to discuss works by international filmmakers who captured India in her formative years, a country that had just won independence. Alain Corneau's French film Nocturne Indien, Marguerite Duras's India Song, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Notes for a Film on India, Jean Renoir's The River, Fritz Lang's Journey to the Lost City, Louis Malle's Phantom India celebrate a time when Indian modernism came to the forefront. "The book reintroduces films, and the core idea is to make people think. We might believe Western influences are specific to our generation but it was the Nehruvian government in 1947 that first allowed a cross cultural exchange," stresses Shanay.u00a0u00a0
The author chose to dissect Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's Shakespeare Wallah (1965). "It's a seldom explored film set in a time when imperialism found itself dislocated; when actors became icons in our country." He believes Indian cinema has forged a bond with Shakespeare's works, citing instances of male bonding and romantic complications in Dil Chahta Hai that he says were inspired by Much Ado About Nothing, and of course, Vishal Bharadwaj's Maqbool and Omkara, both adaptations of Macbeth and Othello respectively.u00a0
Shanay's upbringing and schooling at the Cathedral & John Connon School has the swish Malabar Hill twang. Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal films were a staple then. Today, he finds himself veering towards cinema that negotiates with cultural changes. "The last film I watched was Nandita Das' Firaaq. I liked the way she dealt with communal tension in Gujarat through a peculiar linguistic representation. I'd like to see My Name is Khan since it's set in America. Karan Johar's films are mostly about NRIs; again, an outsider's perspective of India."
The outsider's gaze has always fascinated Shanay, perhaps in the pursuit to understand his own relationship with this country. "I was born and raised in India, but have spent enough time in America and London too. I often find myself reflecting on 'am I an insider or an outsider?'"u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Currently working on a research fellowship at London's Royal College of Art, Shanay's PhD project takes him on an exploration of Indian fashion through self-portraits by artists from the 19th century to the present. His personal dress sense spells avant-garde; he wore Lanvin shirt and sandals ("It defines my mood and thoughts") over white tights from FabIndia. "I like adventurous clothes that use the body as a form. Lanvin, Vivienne Westwood, Raf Simons, Manish Arora and Sabyasachi Mukherjee are my favourites. And yes, Anokhi and FabIndia too."
Open house session with author today
Outsider Films on India: 1950-1990, Rs 1,000, is available at Bungalow 8u00a0 17th Arthur Bunder Road, 7 Grants Building, opposite Basilico, Colaba. Film students and enthusiasts can drop in at B8 between 12 noon and 7 pm, today, for a chat with Shanay Jhaveri at an open house session. You also get to enjoy a 10% discount on the book price, just for today. Call: 22819880
