Portrait…on DVD

It had taken three years from concep­tualization to the presentation of the exhibition "Portrait of a Community,” in October 2002. Mounted at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA — the former Cowasjee Jehan­gir Hall), the labor of love of 15 committee members led by Khorshed and Kekoo Gandhy of the Chemould Art Gallery had served to add a "visual dimension to our understanding of the Parsi community,” as NGMA committee chairman B. G. Deshmukh had then observed. A beautiful coffee-table presentation of selected items from the exhibition, along with a script by art historian Priya Maholay placing the exhibits into the context of art history, had simultaneously emerged from what had originally been planned as a catalog.

Now, four years later, the original committee has presented an archival film that not only documents the visuals displayed at the exhibition but includes the vistas and landmarks of Bombay that we all take so much for granted. The hour-long presentation, with a commentary that places the accomplishments of individuals into the history of the evolving city, was previewed by an invited audience on November 21, 2006 at the NGMA. Apart from the exhibits of 2002 the film also includes stills from the seminal publication A Zoroastrian Tapestry and has drawn upon footage from the TV serials on the community by Frohar Films.

"The Parsi community may be declining in number but it has produced outstanding stalwarts in building the nation and the city of Bombay which is a challenge to the filmmaker. The first attempt was not satisfactory,” noted Khorshed Gandhy, adding, "There were so many parts and depths, we didn’t know where to start and where to go!” In the process, what had optimistically been viewed as a two-week project not only stretched into more than two months, it entailed 14 to 18-hour days and made narrators very nervous! Finally, "we had to push and squeeze to edit!” said Khorshed.

The completed film, whose estimated cost is a little over 10 lakh rupees as per Khorshed Gandhy, eventually saw the light of day thanks to the dedication of the Gandhys’ London based daughter Behroze and filmmaker Ganethan Jehman who "took it up as a challenge,” as noted Khorshed. With a few additional shots and voiceovers by Saker Mistri, A Zoroastrian Tapestry editors Pheroza Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree, Dara Gandhy and artist Mehlli Gobhai, the DVD addresses the need to document the community’s work and status in India in a medium acceptable to current society.

Referring humorously to the "dizzying heights of inexperience of the committee,” Dara Gandhy thanked the NGMA and all the professionals who saw the venture to fruition and, in traditional style, invited the gathering to celebrate with snacks and drinks.

The DVD is available at the Chemould Art Gallery for Rs 250.

Arnavaz S. Mama