If things go as planned, you can soon own a catalogue of exclusive photographs that visually interprets the literary works of lyricist and poet Gulzar in collaboration with theatre director Salim Arif. Working on a joint project with graduating students from NIFT and Whistling Woods, Salim Arif had commissioned an entire collection of photographs from in and around Mumbai that is a visual portrayal of Gulzar’s views on Mumbai and his ode to the spirit of the city post the 26/11 attacks.
For his most recent play Atthanniyaan, Arif borrowed his script from several of Gulzar’s works, poems and snippets from his experiences staying in Mumbai over more than five decades. As part of their year- ending project, the students went around the city with their cameras to take photographs of places and monuments that best represented the quintessential Mumbai.
Arif says, “I am a visiting faculty at the NIFT. Some of the graduating students from here and Whistling Woods asked me if they could collaborate on the play as part of their year-ending project.”
The common theme however across all images is an eight anna coin that is representative of the title of the play. So from places like the Juhu Beach, the night life on city streets, to landmark monuments like classical architectural buildings in town and especially the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the city finds several interpretations.
Gulzar had told After Hrs on the eve of the premier of the play, “For more than five decades of my life here in the city, I used to cross by landmarks like the Town Hall and the Custom Houses daily. I have been informed that several students are working on the visual representation of my experiences in the city.”
A recent exhibition of the same photographs at Prithvi Theatre was well received.
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