JANGARH :FILM ONE

             JANGARH:FILM ONE

Amit Dutta’s film Jangarh:Film One is a tribute to the late artist Jangarh Singh Shyam,so is this

review.Amit Dutta explores the roots of Jangarh,traces the trajectory of his success and documents

the memories his kith and kin have of him.They shared the memories of ‘him’ who left them without

a parting word.He worked like there’s no tomorrow but infact he needed no tomorrow.Life attracted

him towards her magnanimous bounty but death enticed him into a deceptive maze and he had no

Daedalus to save him.Unfortunately he couldn’t get out of the woods(couldn’t he? or didn’t he?).

He

had everything to make laymen go green with envy but eventually he evoked their pity.Why

Jangarh?Well! it’s easy to be an armchair critic sitting at home and commenting on other’s life !Let’s

not make much assetions about his death.Let’s watch the movie!

The opening scenes set the mood of the film by presenting a few momentous images of the

village.The pastoral setting is so enchanting that we are literally transported to Patangarh.We are

oblivious of the fact that we are watching a movie sitting at the comfort of our house.Throughout the

movie we wish to remain in the delusion that we are actually in Jangarh’s village.Perhaps this is what

Coleridge calls “Willing suspension of disbelief.”As usual Dutta’s film begins with an extreme long shot

portraying the beautiful landscape of Patangarh.It never will sound hyperbole if I call this scene

“Ethereal!”This establishing shot is so fascinating that we are tempted not to go beyond it.We are

prompted to stare at the image. The following scenes picturing the cattle grazing, intensify the pastoral atmosphere.This is an

aerial shot where we find the entire fold grazing.There is an air of stillness throughout the take.Later

at dusk we find ranchers coming and taking the cattle back to their barns.Then the film maker gives us

a glimpse of the village.This is a panoramic shot which paints the entire village infront of our eyes.This

seems to be the typical village idealized and advocated by Wordsworth and his contemporaries.The

next one is a dolly shot where the entire frame is jubilated with cheering children.We can’t help but

smile at the innocent children who were running after Dutta’s vehicle at a lightening

speed.See!Reading this description you are smiling…Aren’t you?

Without much beating around the bush let’s get into the actual story.Jangarh,a well-acclaimed

Gond painter was born in 1962 in a small village Patangarh,Madhya Pradesh.Utter penury at home

laid a check on his education and he was forced to quit schooling and take up agriculture at a very

tender age.The Gonds are blessed with indigenous art called Gond Art.Being a part of this tribe

nurtured in him an innate ability to paint this talent along with his incredible hard work and

impeccable imagination culminated in the best of paintings which make the viewers gape at them

with awe. An anthropologist called Verrier Elwin happened to live at Patangarh and documented the

lives of the people living there focusing mainly on the lifestyle of the Gonds.Later he married a Gond

girl and settled there.Having read the descriptions of Elwin,Modern artist J.Swaminathan ventured to

explore Patangarh after the establishment of Bharat Bhavan.As Janagarh’s brother recounts-Jangarh

used to paint on walls during weddings,funerals and on other auspicious events.When Swaminathan

arrived at Patangarh he went around the villiage to view the weather,the milieu and lifestyle of the

people.The beautiful paintings couldn’t escape his eyes.He inquired into it and enquired about the

artist and eventually met Jangarh.Later he asked Jangarh whether he would go with him to which

Jangarh agreed happily since he was unemployed.This rendezvous changed Jangarh’s fate first for

good and then for the worst!Jangarh was very zealous in experimenting with paints and created his

own school of painting called “Jangarh Kalam” The villagers were very amiable.They were much outspoken and never pretentious.They gave

away every minute detail regarding their lives and community.The first villager told about a certain

wound which was the result of an accident, more precisely the result of the recklessness of his elders

who accidentally placed him on a stove while he was a baby.How?We are to wonder about the

situation!The man took the crew through the village.Later a woman joined them and talked of

Jangarh’s talent.Jangarh was not the Jack but the master of all trades..He danced,sang and painted.Later the film maker met Jangarh’s nephew who also was a painter and then met his

family.

The interesting detail given by Jangarh’s brother is that of Jangarh’s nomenclature.Jangarh was

born at the time of Janganana (Census) so he was named Jangarh.Yet what’s in a name?it’s the deed

that matters.Centuries ago our master dramatist,Shakespeare has spoken of the insignificance of

name “What’s in a name? that which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”That’s

it for today.I hope you’ll watch this movie soon and I also wish Amit Dutta never stops winning hearts with his captivating movies!

-Santhwana Thomas