A woman with one of her kids on her lap and a baby lying on its belly at a distance, stare at you with a reluctant smile and confusion on their faces. This is one of the enduring images that would stay with you from ‘I/Eye See Myself in You’, an exhibition of photographs by the famed cinematographer Fowzia Fathima that was held recently at the Buddha Art Gallery in Fort Kochi.
This is the first time Fowzia has displayed these photographs in public. She made her début as an independent camera person in 2002 with the film, ‘Mitr, My Friend’, directed by Revathy, with an all female technical crew. Most of the pictures are of working women from the lower strata of society. Fowzia says it was a deliberate, and mutually conscious, act as the subjects are known to her, “I have been close to the subject of women working for as long as I have been working and in a sense they are my inspiration. In a way they have made the act of photography meaningful,” she feels and adds, “in this case making images not with the intention of making pretty pictures or documenting realism tied to tragic tales: rather, I choose to see and share the valour of these women whose day-to-day actions elevate them from abject poverty.” These words echo in the images of a teashop owner who does business 24/7 from a shack that is also her house.
Fowzia, who has learnt her craft in FTII, Pune and taught at SRFTI, Kolkata, feels that digital technology is democratising the field and blurring the line between professionals and also that amateurs should be welcomed as they bring new talent. “Good or bad, the line has thinned. Democratising the arena is welcome; (it) encourages lots of talent to enter the pool. Also those who can afford the equipment can attempt to do it. Now, in the immediate view it appears easy to do, like putting pen to paper or fingers on the keyboard, but the outcome determines which side of the line one has reached. Every work reveals the person’s dedication, knowledge of the medium, passion, commitment, integrity, ethics, politics etc. So the end product determines its own fate (I am including the entire paraphernalia of marketing of the product as merchandise.) So it is a mix of other people’s efforts also where professional/amateur tag is not so simple to define a work.”
The ace cinematographer was happy with the response her work got in Kochi and hopes to display it in Chennai next. When asked if still-photography is liberating in comparison to cinematography, Fowzia replied in the affirmative, “Yes very much. (There are) no tags attached. It’s my script, my lens. It is direct, so far no staging, hence personal . And, I too am a subject. There’s equity in the gaze,” as she signs off.
