A vivid life: A retrospective of the artistic oeuvre of Muzaffar Ali

Muzaffar Ali’s art and aesthetics are a lesson in history, culture and philosophy. A Sufi at heart, his creations reflect his fine taste, not just as an artist, filmmaker, sculptor, poet, designer and illustrator, but most importantly, as an equine lover. His latest exhibition, ‘Farasnama — The Legend of the Horse’, is an ode to the majestic steeds that fascinate and enamour him. It includes paintings and sketches drawn over four decades, along with bronze sculptures, calligraphic art and portraits of his unfinished film, ‘Zooni’. Curated by art historian Uma Nair, it has been designed in tandem with designer Meera Ali, his wife.

The show opened on October 19, two days before Muzaffar’s 80th birthday. He was born in the princely state of Lakhimpur at Kotwara, situated in the erstwhile Awadh. Horses were integral to the royal household and his great grandfather had nurtured an enviable herd. “No cars were allowed inside the complex, lest the horses get disturbed. And this continued till he died in 1924,” Muzaffar says.

After graduating from Aligarh Muslim University, he joined the Clarion McCann advertising agency in Kolkata in 1966; movie maestro Satyajit Ray was on the board of the company. This is where Muzaffar’s interest in films and filmmaking gained firm ground. He went on to work at Air India in Mumbai thereafter and spent 10 years in the publicity department. At heart, however, he was always an artist.

His 1978 directorial ‘Gaman’ was a sensitive portrayal of the immigrants hailing from rural India to metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai in pursuit of their dreams and livelihood. This was followed by the iconic ‘Umrao Jaan’ in 1981, wherein he amalgamated his passion for music, textiles, design, culture and history in recreating the life of a courtesan portrayed by Rekha, with Farooq Sheikh playing her beloved. Muzaffar had recreated the erstwhile Lucknow in all its architectural, cultural and historical glory. The attention to detail is evident in every frame.

The Padma Shri awardee shares: “For me, every frame is like a painting. I visualise every scene as per that vision and create mood boards for my films, which I hand-sketch. Every part of my childhood, every part of my state of wonder has been connected with art and painting.”

Later, Muzaffar Ali started the Dwar Pe Rozi  initiative to provide employment through craft weaving and embroidery. His interest in craft and garments, particularly in films like ‘Anjuman’, ‘Jaanisar’ and ‘Umrao Jaan’, led to his label Kotwara, known for its finesse in couture creations. In 2001, he initiated Jahan-e-Khusrau, an annual international music festival in Delhi under the aegis of the Rumi Foundation.

The present show is akin to a retrospective of his entire artistic oeuvre. Amongst the four thematic sections, that are known as maqaams or stations in life, is ‘Equus’. It features portraits of horses from Central Asia, Arab steeds, besides those from Kathiawar and Marwar regions to Deccani, Sikang and Sindhi. “All the horses I have sketched and painted belong to the Indian subcontinent, adding soul to the landscapes. I have always loved their free spirit and their inherent traits of love and loyalty,” he says.

The bronze equine sculptures are inspired from his painting ‘Hoshruba’. These portray horses in submission and fury or simply communicating with the cerebral, the celestial. As Muzaffar says, “I am not a horse whisperer, rather the horses whisper to me.” The calligraphy section includes fresh works that are imbued with a sense of spirituality and have a very calming quality that is almost lyrical.

The ‘Zooni’ portraits throw the spotlight on his unfinished magnum opus based on the life of poetess Habba Khatoon. He had cast Dimple Kapadia in the titular role, along with the dashing Vinod Khanna. Set in Kashmir valley, the poetess is very close to Muzaffar’s heart and he believes there is a Zooni in all of us. “Her poetry is a metaphor for Kashmiriyat and this is a project that I studied and researched in detail. The entire team of writers, musicians, actors, technicians, et al, were flown to Kashmir in 1989, where we shot nearly 70 per cent of the film, but were unable to complete it. I hope to recreate it through conversations with Dimple to fill in the missing pieces. My son Shaad Ali will be helming this,” says Muzaffar, who hopes to bring it to the world by 2025.

“The idea behind this larger-than-life film was to present the spirit and essence of Kashmir and share the Sufiyana musings of Habba Khatoon, whose pathos and music can be heard in the valley till date,” says Muzaffar Ali.

Here is a man who is revelling in aesthetics and lives life on his own terms, at his own pace. As he believes, “I like to work on my terms, on my turf.”

The exhibition is on view at Bikaner House in New Delhi till October 28.