An artist and his visual odyssey is the canvas of Shyamaprasad’s film Artist . An adaptation of Dreams In Prussian Blue , a paperback novel by Paritosh Uttam, Artist paints the lonely but intensely colourful world of an artist driven by his inner demons.
Shot completely in Thiruvananthapuram, with several scenes set in the College of Fine Arts in the capital city, Artist traces the journey of two artists — Michael Agnelo, son of a Goan businessman, and Gayathri, who hails from a conservative Brahmin family. Fahadh Faasil and Ann Augustine play the lead pair in the film that peels away the many shades of trust and deception to lay bare the hues of an intimate and stormy relationship. The film also stars Siddarth Siva as the third protagonist in this emotional landscape.
“It is about the challenges and the inner journey of an artist who struggles to transform his artistry on the canvas. It is also the love story of two youngsters and their passage through life as they tackle egoism, selfishness and their artistic demands. Gayathri’s deep admiration for the big-talking Michael blossoms into a live-in relationship and they drop out of college,” says Shyamaprasad, who fills his canvas with a palette of emotions drawn from life itself. Artist is no different and as the filmmaker points out: “As a visual artist myself, I could relate to Michael’s challenges and frustrations as an artist.”
In a cheeky reference to Michaelangelo and how he almost went blind during the painting of the Sistine Chapel, Fahad’s Michael, gradually turns blind after an accident and the colour Prussian blue has a deep significance in the film as he races against time to complete his masterpiece before his world is shorn of colours.
Artist ’s multi-layered thematic collage also portrays the various shades of a relationship between two people from very different backgrounds and the issues that arise from that stress.
Bijibal’s score sets the musical backdrop for this artistic venture in which two songs accentuate the emotional contours of the film. Produced by M. Mani, the movie has been filmed by Shyam Dutt.
