Kumar Shahani: A filmmaker rooted in Indian aesthetics

Shahani lives through his outstanding contributions to Indian cinema.

Though Kumar Shahani did not identify himself as a parallel, new wave, alternate or a formalist filmmaker, many film critics, scholars and cineastes describe him as one such. Beyond all these descriptions, Shahani who died on February 24 stood out as an avant garde filmmaker. He was 83.

After studying political science and history at the  University of Bombay, Shahani joined the screenplay writing and advanced direction course at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. There, under the tutelage of Ritwik Ghatak, a non-conformist filmmaker of repute, he studied along with John Abraham, the director who later went on to become the enfant terrible of Malayalam cinema. Shahani also had exposure to various academic works and pursuits of the polymath D D Kosambi.

Shahani then landed in France to pursue higher studies on a French government scholarship at Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques (IDHE). He had an opportunity to work as an assistant director for the French film Une Femme Douce (‘The Gentle Woman’, 1969) helmed by Robert Bresson (famed for his minimalist films). During this period, he was influenced by the filmmaking styles of directors like Robert Bresson, Roberto Rossellini, Sergei Parajanov, Straub Huillet and Alexander Sokurov among others.

After his return from France in 1972, he ventured into directing his first feature film, Maya Darpan (The Illusory Mirror).  The film is based on a story of the renowned Hindi litterateur Nirmal Verma. Set in a town in north India just after independence, the film follows Taran who lives with her father, a rich landlord and a widowed aunt. They belong to a conservative upper caste family.  Taran tries to break the shackles of patriarchy, class and caste consciousness. The contrast between the worldview of the feudal era and the modern individual consciousness is showcased adroitly in the film. The antagonism between the individual and the society is conveyed through sound, music, colour patterns, poetic monologues, non-diegetic inserts and dance among others. The film has shots showing characters crossing railway tracks and interplay of black and white footage of World War II and Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement. Though the film has all the elements of new wave/parallel cinema, it has the stamp of individuality of Shahani’s inclination to use native cultural subtleties.

Though the film received accolades, it had its detractors too. The foremost among them was Satyajit Ray. In his book Our Films, Their Films, though he praised the efforts of Shahani, he castigated the depiction of the restlessness of the  protagonist by terming it incorrect.

Shahani’s next film came after a gap of twelve years. Tarang (1984) tells the story of a family of industrialists and the divided workers in the factory owned by them. The film depicts the class struggle at multiple levels and also explores feudal patriarchy in the metropolitan landscape of Bombay (now Mumbai).  The film has a film within it.  Deviating from the abstraction of Maya Darpan, the film has an impressive star cast — Amol Palekar, Smita Patil, Shreeram Lagoo, Girish Karnad and Om Puri.  It also has song sequences. But the film also deals with themes like idealism, opportunism, false consciousness, pseudo intellectuality, clash between progressives and reactionaries.

Khayal Gatha (The Saga of Khayal, 1989) is an interesting film which is about the history of Khayal, a major form of Hindustani classical music in an abstract format. This film is known for its visual poetry and varied mythology. Bhavantarana (1991) documents the life and contributions of the Odissi dancer and scholar, the late Kelucharan Mohapatra.

His next feature film Kasba (The Town, 1991)  is based on a short story In the Ravine  by Anton Chekov.  It tells the story of Tejo who runs her father-in-law’s family business in the absence of his sons and seeks new economic opportunities which results in a shift in patriarchal power dynamics in a tradition bound family. One of the significant elements in the film is the interior shots showcasing the miniature art of the Kangra valley. 

Besides feature films, Shahani has also directed many short films. He taught and delivered lectures in film schools and has also written insightful articles. His book The Shock of Desire and other essays has fifty one essays on contemporary turbulent cultural history. The experimental dimension of his films which involve various facets of Indian culture has drawn the attention of cinephiles. He lives through his outstanding contributions to Indian cinema.