All of us, at one time or the other in our lives have been mesmerized by the magic of Cinema. Gazing awe-struck at the gigantic images on the screen, we have been enthralled, amazed and entertained by turns. But seldom have we carried this sense of wonder, the sense of curiosity about something that we have confronted as a ‘Realistic Illusion’ beyond our childhood. An exception to this norm has produced one of the finest visual story-tellers of our time, Govind Nihalani. Apart from being someone who formulated the visual vocabulary of the path-breaking films with which Shyam Benegal made his foray into the parallel cinema in Bollywood, Nihalani has been film-maker of repute in his own right. As a conscious-keeper of the society and as the art-house cinema out of the ivory tower that it was enshrined in till then. Nihalani was in Bangalore recently to take part in the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of his alma mater, Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic, known familiarly as SJP. The celebrations were organized by the ex-students of cinematography & sound recording departments of the polytechnic. Srinath, the renowned actor and B. Basvaraju, an acclaimed cinematographer who has worked for over a 100 Kannada movies put the event together. Srinath incidentally, graduated as a cinematographer from SJP before he pursued a career as an actor. He recalled that he faced the camera as an actor for the first time in the Diploma project of Nihalani who said that his deep-connect with the garden city is more than five decades strong owing to this unique institution.
Nihalani was born in Karachi, of undivided India. Walking down the memory lane, he recalled his childhood when he was transfixed looking at an image in the film ‘Narsi Bhagat’, which incidentally was produced in 1940, the year that he was born in. The image was that of an optical transition wherein the protagonist from being an adolescent kid matures into an adult saint, all in a matter of few seconds!It triggered his imagination . He wanted to master the requisite art and science that would enable him to recreate this illusory world. Upon the completion of his inter-mediate course, his father suggested that he pursue studies in a technical subject as he had shown an aptitude for science. It was at this juncture that he saw an advertisement in a newspaper about admission to a course in Cinematography. It was not easy to convince his father who thought that it was not relevant as a profession. The family counsellor who interpreted his horoscope was instrumental in him coming to Bangalore where SJP was offering a course in cinematography. That was in the year 1959.
Govind Nihalani, film director.
The Platinum Jubilee celebrations were inaugurated by Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar , the 27th Maharaja of Mysore.
Mr. Nihalani, in his address, urged the people to ensure that the rich legacy left behind by pioneering masters such as V. K. Murthy continue and inspire the forthcoming generations. He exhorted all those who were present to take steps to restore the past glory by initiating new methods of teaching Cinematography that were more amenable to the demands of the digital age and augment it with proper infrastructural support. A standing ovation greeted Ms. Chaya, the daughter of the legendary cinematographer, V K Murthy as she received the memento on her father’s behalf.
Nihalani -- in a conversation -- shared his views on the relationship of visual arts and science in the era of technological evolution. Here is an excerpt:
“The scientific environment today is such that it implores us to get rid of the element of fear – the fear of making a mistake, of making a wrong choice, of getting a colour rendition which makes you feel that you have gone wrong at the image-acquisition point. The point that I am emphasising upon is that today science has given you so much of choice. It has opened the vistas to alter any given image that you simply need not worry.
There is no such thing as ideal colour or an ideal image. It can vary from artist to artist even though both of them are using similar tools and technical facilities. It simply is a matter of being faithful to your vision as an artist. It is the visual artist who decides the pictorial composition, the colour palette, the texture etc. that serves his purpose the best. As an artist, we need to have control over all these elements. This is where the digital technology has played a crucial role. It has rendered the possibilities limitless. You can virtually play around with the image that you have acquired like a child who has been given a lump of clay to construct the shapes at his will. We have been living through the Age of Possibilities.
Indian Bollywood film directors Govind Nihalani (L), Shekhar Kapoor (2L), Sudhir Mishra (2R) and producer Manmohan Shetty (R) pose for a photograph during a promotional event for the forthcoming film 'Kochadaiiyaan' in Mumbai on late March 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/STR
In the analog era, you could only do that much once an image is acquired. But now, the possibilities are infinite. This in turn has given rise to an era of maximum experimentation. We, as visual artists, always dreamt of the freedom to express ourselves in a manner that was unique. Today, the technology has put that choice at our doorstep. Now, the only limitation is the limitation of our own imagination! A decade or two ago, science would take time to answer your call and even then, would reach only up to sixty or seventy per cent of what you had demanded. But today, the tables have been turned around. Technology is challenging the artist to rise beyond his potential. Science seems to be ever ready to oblige him. It seems the answer in the negative has disappeared from the lexicon of sciences. It is a frightening situation in a way because, as an artist your imagination cannot be infinite!”
