Fleeting Cine-signs of Hyderabad

by

mridula garg

hyderabad urban lab

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A series of writing exercises concluded into the need to understand the lives of visual signmakers in the city who practiced hand-painted work and the transformations they underwent after flex printed images took over.

The study was conducted as a series of interviews with artists, digital designers, a film director, businessmen and a few women related to them. As these key informants were scattered across the city, it turned into an opportunity to know the city through a profession— work, living and leisure spaces. Done over a period of six months, October 2016-March 2017, the study took many serendipitous turns along the way.

ess

genesis of the project

ork in pr

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for the banner boys of hyderabad, who provide an enthralling vision of the city; blurred only by time, not memory.

letter writer and has a small setup near the polytechnic hostel

painted models of nallakunta market

multi-lingualism

r pain of po at hi the elegant young man highlights a tailoring business

the pretty lady adorns an optics shop

for it’s only

hand-done

abstract

contents

The artists transpose us to a different Hyderabad, one that fuelled a unique companionship of brush, paint and the streets.

When in the opening decade of the 21st century, the city limits expanded massively, allowing the real estate values to shoot up unabated and flex printing technologies gained dominance, an abrupt end of a two thousand plus creative workforce was brought about. What remains are occasional plywood cutouts of telugu superstars displayed at rtc x roads (shipped from Andhra), hand-painted advertising on shop shutters and RTC buses (older than 5 years) and political or religious orders in lieu of large rallies. Single screen cinemas, which were party to flourishing of banner art, are at gunpoint of dissolution. City’s nallahs, flyovers, road edges, dividers, rooftops, facades, railway stations and tracks have all been leased out for commercial advertising.

Within this proliferation of mass produced images, our artists provide a refreshing alternate to understanding the visuals in an urban setting. What did it mean to be a cinema banner artist in Hyderabad between 1950s—1990s?

abstract city gimmicks introduction the setting: hyderabad locating them single screen talkies lifeworlds no women becoming an artist artist profiles decline & change where from here? credits

2 3 8 11 15 18 24 28 31 36 44 48 51 2

becoming becoming becoming an artist an artist anartist artist artist artist ban ban gaya! bangaya! gaya!

the the setting: setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad locating locating locating them them them

de de dd & & ch cc &ch artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles city city city city gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks advertising in hyderabad: 2016-17

Few could have missed the large single columns of steel standing as decapitated sentinels on the roads leading into and out of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad in September 2016.

Barely a few weeks ago, over 2000 such columns known as unipoles erected by advertising agencies1 – had been protruding grotesquely out of their immediate context across the city, holding up massive billboards. A freak monsoon event involving gusts of wind apparently caused several of these, located in the posh Jubilee hills and Banjara hills areas to crash, destroying some cars and property and killing one person. Following this, the government ordered a safety evaluation on the unipoles and pending the report, put a

temporary ban on all large hoardings.

Less than three months later, in December, hoardings had made an unapologetic, full-fledged comeback in public viewing. The government issued a statement saying that verification by experts from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) has been introduced as a mandatory need for approval of any new unipoles.

Part A Hyderabad’s policy on public advertising has been a work in progress for many years. One of the policy imperatives is the need to enhance the revenue stream from hoarding tax for Greater Hyderabad Municipal

Corporation (GHMC). Another is a judicial imperative. The Supreme Court of India had passed an order2 in 2013 barring State Governments from permitting construction of any statues or structures other than those required as public amenities. In 2014, the High Court of undivided Andhra Pradesh interpreted this directive 3 as applicable to the illegal cutouts and flex boards of the city. Following this, in 2015, the state of Telangana identified4 all public publicity material which had been put up without permission of the government and made a plan of action regarding its removal. Against this backdrop, it is easy to see how the GHMC struggles to balance safety concerns and revenue potential stream

and in the process gives the short shrift to small advertisers by bracketing their display as illegal even as the large unipoles are allowed to continue.

There are around 3000 small-scale flex printing units in and around Hyderabad registered with the ‘Telangana Flex Printers and Employees Association’.

Each setup would have approximately 10-12 employees; one or two proprietors, two-three designers, cleaning staff and machine operators, not to forget the scene from Sandhya 35mm, a cinema theatre at the RTC X Roads in Hyderabad. The flex banners completely cover the building facade rendering it invisible. The plywood cutouts are of telugu filmstars Chiranjeevi and Sharwanand. The garland around Chiranjeevi’s cutout is in lieu of celebrating his 150th film, Khaidi no. 150.

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chaiwallas and tiffin places, who find permanent customers among them.

According to an estimate from the printers association, 30,000 families are dependent on this industry. A majority of them work on bulk orders from local political leaders who need event publicity to mark their presence amongst the voters. Besides this, there is irregular commercial and brand advertising work. The director of Municipal Administration had issued a circular5 in 2016 indicating a ban on usage and manufacture of plastic and flex with effect from 01.01.2017, stating it to be in continuation of the

aforementioned orders. This also stated that the machines of the defaulters, i.e., those who will continue printing on flex will be seized. As it turns out, this was not in adherence with any law. The Flex Association which has its office at RTC x Roads, Musheerabad filed a petition6 against the State of Telangana and Director of Municipal Administration.

The High Court ruled it in their favour stating that the circular issued was contrary to the constitutional provision (right to trade) and without any statutory provision imposed restrictions on the manufacturing activity. The High Court suspended the circular.

Even so, the damage had been done.

Customers started declining, as they could no longer display flex boards in lucrative public areas and as a result many people had to shut their setups unable to recover running costs.

Others lay off some of their staff. The devastation doubled as it synchronized with the Central government’s decision of demonetization of high currency notes in November 2016, which has adversely hit traders throughout the country. Along with the printers, the advertising agencies that procure work from commercial establishments and sublet work to local artists felt the brunt

of both flex and note ban combined.

Advertising in Hyderabad has such widespread roots that a sizeable percentage of the population earns its income, partial or in whole, from it.

Concerns with beauty, cleanliness and environmental hygiene is infectious. It visits cities from time to time erasing particular activities at a single stroke before leaving. It comes each season with a new colour combination. The current visitation has come as part of the smart city discourse for this sudden beautification drive and has claimed plastic and flex advertising material. If

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no illegal flex or cutouts allowed in the city.

The director of Municipal Administration had issued a circular in 2016

indicating a ban on usage and manufacture of plastic and flex with effect from 01.01.2017, Telangana Govt.

Early 2017, GHMC launches

‘Let us Paint a Better Hyderabad’

Undivided A.P. High Court, 2014 the idea is to make the city more ‘presentable’

1.http://www.ghmc.gov.in/tender%20pdfs/ AdvtHoardings%20List.pdf 2 SLP© No. 8519/2006 dt. 18.01.2013 http://kmc.up.nic.in/PDF_Files/others/ SC%20orders%20%20%20regarding%20 construction%20of%20statue%20in%20 public%20places.pdf 3 W.P. No. 28447/2008 dt. 26.12.2014 4 order dt. 25.03.2015 5 Roc.No. 6790/2014/M3-2 dated 08.12.2016 6 WPMP.NO: 55612 of 2016 IN WP.NO: 45093 of 2016 7 http://www.ghmc.gov.in/tender%20pdfs/ LetuspaintabetterHyderabad.PDF

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fighting environmental pollution is the objective then a 30’X50’ authorized flex hoarding is as much a culprit as an illegal one. Hyderabad has had its share of unipoles and oversized flex boards damaging life and property, in light of which one would expect a more cautionary set of rules emerging rather than derailing off tangent by threatening livelihoods of a large workforce and not providing any viable scope for alternatives.

Part B In this context the general enthusiasm in Hyderabad for non-commercial Street Art is intriguing. This movement where large-scale walls and public property is painted by individual artists or in collaboration, has its roots in the contemporary urban graffiti popularized in the west. In October 2016, St+Art India Foundation did a three-week long art project in the M.S. Maqta colony adjacent to necklace road around Husain Sagar Lake. They followed a template of inviting international artists and engaging a few Indian artists. Here in Hyderabad, some fine arts practitioners from Telangana were given a long stretch of wall that runs along the road to paint. Cultural institutes of various countries and large corporate companies such as Asian Paints support their projects. The government in Hyderabad was perhaps the most keen amongst all the cities to jump on board and provide support as it

artists be selected. They also fail to provide any contact information if one would be interested in taking it up.

falls in line for their vision of Hyderabad as a Global City.

Not long after this was completed, GHMC launched its own version for a quick make-over in the form of, ‘Let us Paint a Better Hyderabad’7 project which states in an extremely vague circular on their website, ‘…. As cities need to be more presentable, there is greater emphasis on upkeep of city environs and promotion of aesthetic outlook of public spaces.’

This idea is disturbing as in the name of a presentable city, many necessary conflicts risk being subdued. It might turn into a fanatic’s cleanliness drive as had previously happened in Delhi during 2010 Commonwealth games where any hints of spontaneity were being erased.

Coming back to the circular, in the next ambiguous statement it states, ‘To make the process easy for the private citizens, interested NGOs and public spirited activists, to actively participate in the process, the GHMC has finalized tenders and fixed a standard rate of Rs.80/per sft as a standard rate for getting the wall paintings done.

Further, the GHMC empanelled certain artists who are willing to undertake the work at the above rate in Hyderabad City.’

There is no list of identified stretches in the city given, nor does it state bluntly as to who is to pay and how would the

­­

What seems ironic here is the negligence that the government is showing towards its reservoir of skilled artists who have been up and about in the city, painting signboards, commercial advertising, political banners, cutouts and the now lost hand painted cinema hoardings.

The second half of the 20th century saw the maxima of their work and art.

The recovery from the hangover of the hand-painted world is not yet complete even though we have been drowned in digital and print information. Though they might not be as conspicuously visible as before, but who are these artists that Hyderabad should boast of and yet chooses to ignore? ­

Painting a TSRTC bus (around 35sq.m. surface area) takes around few day hours for preparation and 6-8 night hours of three people for which they are paid a sum total of mere 1700/-. This is quickly being replaced by vinyl sheet pasting which requires less time. While in the earlier situation many skilled painters were promised work but now a few printing houses can easily monopolize the advertising tenders.

They are the original harbingers of cyclically created street and public art tied with commerce of the city. The old plywood signboards and Bollywood posters that have been reduced to triggers of nostalgia for older times are also products of an endangered but pulsating work-culture. In the subsequent sections, the ­­ story of one of the most important designers of the city’s urban aesthetics--- the cinema banner painters of Hyderabad--- will be uncovered. The need primarily is to unlock alternate visions of the city and make them part of our imagination so that our debates for the future can hold more substance.

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you can spot a small artist’s sign and contact number on painted shrines and ads

urdu, english delhi tailors, masab tank

artist’s supplies rao arts, masab tank

artist’s signature from public walls

telugu, english kirana store, nallakunta

nagamaleshwar rao is a letter writer and has a small setup near the polytechnic hostel

painted models of nallakunta market

typography and multi-lingualism

rtc bus advertising painter, makes caricatures of politicians in free-time at his setup in nallakunta the elegant young man highlights a tailoring business

the pretty lady adorns an optics shop

for it’s only

hand-done

ramaprasad artist of ajay ads

‘I worked in Bombay right! Their and Hyderabadi styles are different. Brushing, light shade and English style in Bombay.

But here mast makeup! This didn’t work in Bombay’, shared Hanumana saab.

He is a 76 years old, retired artist residing in Padmashali Colony that lies in the central-east part of the city. The door of the house opens right on the street. A narrow dim-lit corridor where outside footwear is kept opens into the central living room space. A divan is placed against the backdrop wall filled with paintings of aquatic life and Mr. Bean, the British comic character.

Some framed mythological paintings are hung on the wall close by. A portrait of Rabindranath Tagore also hangs in the view. In this present setting, we spoke of his life as a banner artist in a bygone time. He was initially reluctant to share, as he could not make sense of this sudden curiosity of a stranger.

Perhaps, the trick with older people is to patiently wait for them to recollect their memories and then a freewheeling conversation happens.

All other artists that I had the opportunity to interview reiterated the difference in styles mentioned by him. Each city seemed to have its own visual appetite, carefully crafted and brought to life by its people working in commercial advertising. But, who were these artists? What social groups were they part of? What was the style adopted in Hyderabad? Were they natives or

migrants in the city? Was there an exchange, of ideas and skills, with other urban centers across the country?

I began looking for banner painters in Hyderabad soon after arriving in the city. I was intrigued by signboards.

Certain old neighborhoods and markets still retain hand crafted display boards as safeguards of an older aesthetic.

But many of the busy areas in the city sported flex printed or CNC cut signs.

Who were the people behind the hand painted sign boards? Where did they live? It was a continuation of a childhood curiosity. In Chandigarh, the city where I grew up, the small plaque with painter written found under trees along the major city roads, always fascinated me.

And here I was in Hyderabad through sheer serendipity; I ended up looking for the anonymous painters as part of my research.

The key here was the same as in Chandigarh : the phone number next to the signature of the artist on boards.

To try my luck, I went on scanning the roads from Musheerabad X Roads towards Gandhinagar for these wall advertisements or religious drawings

on small shrines by the roadside. The contact numbers turned out to be either unreachable or wrong as most of these looked weathered by time. However, one Sri Ram Arts replied saying that he was currently working near Ramnagar on a large commission and gave directions to reach him. This was in October 2016 when Hyderabad was recovering from the damage caused by unprecedented rainfall. My companion and I took shelter from the rain at AMPM tea point, one of the innumerous proletariat cafes of Hyderabad. The undulating topography of the city is most evident when water accumulates on the roads in the sunken areas. From RTC X Roads­towards VST (Vazir Sultan Tobacco) there is a steep downward slope that clogged very quickly.

VST is renowned for its Charminar Cigarettes, once endorsed by filmactor Jackie Shroff. It lies in Azamabad, one of the earliest industrial areas of the city established in 1931. We arrived at a large open ground that lay on the rear side of a row of lumber factories.

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tank bund

indira park

gandhinagar ramnagar azamabad art company

chinna cine-arts

rtc x roads chikadpally

On reaching the site, it was akin to entering a scaled-up arts college workshop space. We were met with a lot of commotion. In a large open space, a group of carpenters was busy creating wooden frames for billboards on one side. To the left, was an industrial shed that had huge cutouts of the torso of the current Telangana Chief Minister, KCR, stacked against its external tin façade. Men were constantly moving around with artistic equipment, paint buckets and brushes in hand. Sri Ram Arts turned out to be a man called Dattatreya, about 5’5�, bald, of dark chocolate complexion, wearing a white vest smeared with paint, loose brown pants and a pencil tucked behind his ear. (Incidentally, he happens to be on the cover page of the publication) He was working as a letter artist as part of a large group that was busy preparing an order for the State Government to be delivered in two days.

v.s.t.

What brought those men together to create such magnificent images at the shed? What training and experience did they have? Were there more such companies in the city? Where were they located? The one common thing that ties them all together is the hand painted cinema banners industry of the city deemed extinct over a decade ago.

Each man, 40 or above in age in the shed at Ramnagar/Azamabad was once associated to this publicity chain of the Indian film industry. It holds true for a very large percentage of the population who worked in visual sign production till late 1990s in Hyderabad. This phenomenon was spread across major Indian cities: Madras (now Chennai) for Tamil, Vijayawada for Telugu, Bangalore for Kannada, Kolkata for Bengali and Bombay for Hindi Bollywood movies.

Cinema publicity had two major wingsposters and banners.

Photograph taken at the azamabad art company.

The order being prepared was in lieu of the new districts formation of Telangana state in 2016.

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The posters are finalized directly with the approval of the producer and director of the film. The designer conceptualizes multiple posters in discussions with the core film crew.

Dhani Aeley, a Telugu films publicity designer, recounts how poster design was manually done over 20 years ago.

An album of numbered stills from the movie was handed to the designer. Negatives for the same set would be rest with the photographer. Few sketch were created based on the story and theme of the film. After a go ahead from the director, the designer would then ask for, say no. 512 in 8X12” and 374 in 16X20” stills depending on the sketch. The photographer developed them. A strong bond of trust exists between the designer and film crew as he receives film stills well in advance of the film release. Then, silhouettes of actors were cut out from the photographs. Before pasting, outlines were marked on a 300gsm ivory card by placing the cutouts according to the sketch. A desired background effect was done with a paint spray gun and the cut stills were pasted on it with rubber solution. Final highlights were added to drapery, hairstyle, etc. The title and logo were prepared separately by sketching and xerox technique. After completion, photographic negative of the final composition were prepared and a printing plate of the desired poster size was created from it. They were screen-printed in Sivakasi (Safire Printers) or Vijaywada (National Litho Printers).

The other publicity unit of cinema banners was under the film distributors. These banners were put up at fixed locations in the city and at the theatres on the day of release. The distributor dealt directly with the banner company owner without the interference of the film director/producer.

Visualise a four-storey (~40’) tall plywood cutout of your favourite film star kept flat on the ground. The coherent picture is made up of three neatly overlapped parts. One artist is covering up the overlaps with paint; another is filling up the shirt white and the third is incharge of highlights in a darker shade, representing the folds in the drapery. An artist exuding an aura of seniority is seated with a 6’ tall face placed in front of him. A stool kept next to him has a colour pallet, paintbrushes, a cloth rag, linseed oil and small cups full of paint. Through his diligent efforts, slowly emerges an enticing portrayal of a cine star.

The resemblance to the star on the screen is uncanny, yet this painted image looks more appealing than the reel one.

photographs from Dhani Aeley’s archives

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What were these cinema banner companies like? What were the hierarchies and relationships within the system? Where were these set up in Hyderabad? What social networks were they part of? How did they disintegrate?

What happened to those who were part of it? What was the requirement for setting up a banners company? What social customs of Hyderabad intersected with work culture within these workspaces?

The expanding and altering of city limits and linguistics reflected in the imagery of cine-signs over the decades here. The interdependency of the two- the city of Hyderabad and the banner companies – on each other for definition and growth will be dug out from narratives and interviews with those who were actively involved in the profession and are primary source of information for this research. Our artists were agents of change in the city and through them it is possible to capture a very unique story of the visual culture of Hyderabad from 1950s to 1990s. The last generation of artists who were immersed in the profession at its peak is now old and retired. Rest of them have left the world.

Hence, there is an urgency to document the artist’s lives and stories for posterity sake. And figure out ways of reviving the culture that created space for the ordinary masses to indulge in creative pursuits.

becoming becoming becoming an an artist an artist anartist artist artist artist artist ban ban gaya! bangaya! gaya!

the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad what was the city like in which this creative magic flourished?

Expansion of Hyderabad city can be mapped around two water bodies: river Musi that cuts the city into two unequal north-south parts and the Hussain Sagar Lake lying at the approximate geographical center. It acts as the compass-rose for understanding the cardinal directions in the city. In 1591, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shahi dynasty established Hyderabad city as a small peripheral area around the renowned Charminar monument (on the southern bank of Musi). Since then, it has expanded into a massive enclosure of 650sq. km under the municipality limits in the year 2016. Cantonment for the British troops was created in Secunderabad to the east of the Hussain Sagar lake in early 19th century. Consequently, the city started developing in two major patches with a lot of vacant land in between. By the onset of 20th century, city limits from the southern side had risen to meet the bottom tip of the lake.

The space between Secunderabad and Hyderabad was to be filled shortly by the migrants from surrounding Telugu speaking regions. The twin city of Secunderabad, today, falls as a slice of pie in the municipality limits of GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation).

secunderabad husain sagar

lake built in 1563

hyderabad

musi river,

tributary of river krishna

Multilingualism flourishes extensively in Hyderabad. Urdu, Dakhni – (a mixture of Urdu, Marathi, Hindi and Telugu), Telugu, English and Marathi were the dominant languages under the princely state of the Nizam and traces of Tamil and Kannada were found in different regions. The Hyderabad state under Nizams comprised of parts from present day Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. It was only after creation of linguistic states in the country that Hyderabad state was split up and the city of Hyderabad was deemed the capital of Andhra Pradesh (composed of Telangana, Rayalseema and Andhra) in 1956, a Telugu speaking state.

afzal sagar tank,

completely built over now

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Unlike the popular understanding of Indian history in two major post and pre-Independence phases, Hyderabadis refer to the ‘Police action’ as the most significant turning event to bifurcate history. In September 1948, as a military operation the Indian Armed Forces invaded the State of Hyderabad, annexing the state into the Indian Union. Thus, ending the rule of Nizams which created an identity crisis for their subjects. Indian National Congress remained the governing party in the state after that for a very long time.

During 1950s with the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, a lot of surplus agriculture money from coastal

Andhra started moving into real estate in Hyderabad and the Telugu Cinema Industry in Madras (now Chennai).

The ‘Separate Telangana movement’ that took momentum in 1969 created hostility towards Andhra people who had settled in Hyderabad over the previous decades. However, by 1978 the situation had changed significantly.

Marri Chenna Reddy, the then chief minister, encouraged the Telugu film industry to shift production base from Madras to Hyderabad by providing a lot of subsidies in the form of free land and tax exemptions. Subsequently, with the rise of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the late matinee idol - N.T.Rama Rao Sr., gained massive support as a politician and became the Chief

Minister in 1983. He further facilitated the relocation of the cinema industry to Hyderabad, which gave Telugu cinema a big push in the city. Majority of the first generation of people involved in the cinema industry belonged to coastal Andhra regions. With the agglomeration at Film Nagar, most have settled in the city. Migrants forming a new wave of aspiring stars settle in areas around it. Students from various art colleges take up part time jobs with the setdesign departments of film production units. Some of the signboard artists interviewed had trained with film art directors before setting up their own establishments.

‘The migration of coastal Andhra people to Telangana is not a recent phenomenon. It began in the late 1920s when the Nizam government invited farm­ ing communities from coastal Andhra to come and settle down in the command area of Nizam Sagar dam. Until the 1980s, this sort of migration – involving almost permanent settlement in Telangana – fol­ lowed two distinct routes, agricultural investments and government jobs.’ A.Maringanti

The surplus from farming activities was invested in real estate in the city. Areas such as Chikadpally, Gandhinagar, Himayat Nagar started emerging as largely residential, mixed-use areas on the eastern side of the lake between the existing two patches of urbanisation to create a seamless built landscape. In 1931, 120 acres of land at Azamabad was selected for industrialization. A number of large-scale units manufacturing cigarettes, hume pipes and edible oils came up. New jobs were created and Ramnagar, the neighbouring area turned into a residential hub for the industrial labor. The painting shed found there was amidst lumber factories where they must source the wood and carpenters for creating support frames for the hoardings.

L: Indian troops invade and sieze the princely state of Hyderabad, 1948 R: India right after Partition, 1947 Source: Archives of Chicago Sun Times

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The geographical and linguistic expansion of the city is reflected in the way the clustering of cinema related activities occurred. While the relatively newer parts of the city now showcase predominantly Telugu movies, there is still a huge fan base for Bollywood films in many older neighbourhoods.

Precisely due to its multiplicity of spoken languages, Hyderabad attracted painters and artists from its surrounding areas. Gulbarga, Vijaywada, Solapur were some of the larger towns from which many of our banner painters moved. Once in Hyderabad, they could be found in certain specific locations.

1964 1936

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becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist artist artist artist ban ban gaya! bangaya! gaya!

the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad locating locating locating locating them them them

de de de & & ch & ch &ch ch artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles city city city gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks locating locating locating locating them them them them situating the artist’s workplaces and banner locations in the urban fabric

‘Phata Poster nikla Hero’ from the film Hero Hiralal

(1988), where the actor Naseeruddin Shah jumps out of a torn cinema poster, has attained the status of a Bollywood cult dialogue. Set against Golconda fort in Hyderabad, in the opening scene of the movie, right after the credits, a group of local rowdies are shown threatening a banner painter, Rangeela, for a bribe.

The group leader remarks, ‘har hafta film dekne

ko ticket lagta hai na, vaisa jeene ko bhi hafta lagta hai.’ (just like you need to buy a ticket

to watch movies weekly, similarly you have to pay a bribe to live). It was shot in an open ground turned into the artist’s workspace where numerous handpainted Bollywood film banners were kept. It gives a vivid peep into the nature of works once done by our cine banner artists. The colour application, brush strokes, title typographies and plywood cutouts match closely with the images that artists from the city shared (included in the subsequent sections).

Then, in an aerial shot the protagonist who plays an auto driver is shown carrying a large banner, having the painting of an actress and the title ‘Sapna’ done in fluorescent green, attached to the roof of his auto rickshaw to the site of installation. His vehicle is decorated with several embellishments related to films. Even the mudguards of his auto are painted with images of Bollywood actors! Soon after, the film breaks for a song during which he crosses a sidewall plastered with small cinema posters. This movie captures vividly the love and craze for cinema in the city. The movement of the hero is mostly restricted to the old city and solely Bollywood or Hindi cinema has been highlighted. This gives only a selective account of the kind of cine-signs that marked their presence in the city in the 80s.

Secunderabad, the cantonment for British troops, had patrons of English theatre and cinema since early on. General Bazar, a famous marketplace where Photography studios, stationery and imported goods stores had concentrated for the convenience of British troops, turned into a center for Hollywood banners. Many auditoriums that were later converted into cinema halls cropped up from 1940s-60s. Sangeet talkies, currently under conversion into a multiplex, had a banner-painting shed adjacent to its campus. Screen printing and now radium sticker cutting occurs around the Manju theatre.

Chikadpally grew to be one of the first concentrated centers of Telugu cinema banner production, 1970s onward, facilitated by the Telugu migrants who formed dense residential settlements around it. Many 35mm and 70mm single screen talkies came up around the RTC X Roads junction and continue to flourish. It has become the hub for large scale printing akin to lakdi ka pull. Also, it is the place to spot high concentration of fan club activities and large-scale Telugu filmstar cutouts.

Abids boast of royal textile houses, arms and ammunition shops and luxury good for the wealthy subjects of the Nizam. Some of the architecturally grand theatres were situated there. Moazamjahi market, situated nearby was set up as part of the development work done by the City Improvement Board (CIB) in 1930s. Now renowned for its pot ice-cream units, it houses Izra Arts, indisputably the largest production company for Hindi-Urdu film banners. This company was started before police action and continues to have a presence in the city on the mighty unipoles of the city.

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There must have been banner production elsewhere too apart from the locations mentioned, as some artists had set up karkhanas adjacent to their homes. But such cases were rare exceptions. When the trade grew, larger crew and workspaces were required which led to concentrating of companies in commercial centers itself, lying closer to display locations.

Apart from the theatres themselves, the banners were put at select locations in the city where the public could familiarize themselves with the latest releases. We are speaking of a time before Internet was available, when newspapers, magazines or poster advertisements were the popular sources of information other than the evergreen word-of-mouth. Active public spaces with high concentrations of prospective audiences were chosen.

College campuses such as Women’s college in Koti and Nizam’s college in Basheerbagh-- to entice the youth.

Train stations such as Secunderabad, Kacheguda and Lakdi ka pull were prime targets for passengers in transit.

Then there were spaces for recreation in the city such as Numaish grounds, Boat’s club and Tank Bund to appeal family audiences.

Marketplaces such as Abids, Moazamjahi market, General Bazar, Koti etc. were other target spaces. Back then, choices for recreation were limited to watching films, thus there was little need to flood the city with advertising. Most films

were branded as either family/youth/ women/children friendly.

All of the locations mentioned are situated on the east of Husain Sagar and north of Musi. Ambaji, a household name amongst the banners industry of the city, remembers how a recently deceased film distributor, Harikrishna, was constantly identifying new spots to put cinema banners acknowledging the growing city limits. Vidyut Soudha near Khairatabad Railway station and Ameerpet, that has developed as a coaching center hub for the youth, were one of the first locations to the west of the lake.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to note that Hyderabad was the urban nucleus for surrounding areas not only in Telangana but from neighboring states as well. From the artists who were interviewed, only a few were born in Hyderabad, rest had moved in the city either for work or education. Sholapur in Mahrashtra, Gulbarga in Karnataka and Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh are some of the major towns and cities that brought in a constant flow of people.

There was a close relationship of the earlier generation of artists with Bombay as a place of learning and opportunity. Young men trained as artists there and came back to set up their families and careers. The life in Bombay was relatively much harder yet its glamour was unparalleled. The younger generation has often visited Bangalore for short periods to take up painting jobs there. Bangalore is one of the few centers where hand-painted cinema work can still be found in a noticeable amount. Surprisingly, although Telugu film production was stationed in Madras and the city had a booming banner industry of its own, artists from Hyderabad always preferred Bombay to Madras. The printing of posters, however, continued happening there for a long time.

17

ist tist tist tist ya! ya! ya!

decline decline decline decline & & change &change change

becoming becoming becoming an artist an artist anartist patny’s circle general bazaar

the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad ameerpet

boat’s club

vidyut soudha

tank bund

artist artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles profiles

secunderabad junction

rtc x roads lakdi ka pull

chikadpally nizam’s college

locating locating locating them them them mallepally

numaish grounds

kacheguda station

abids

mozamjahi market

city city city gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks

women’s college, koti

nayapul

where where to, where to, whereto, to, from from here? fromhere? here?

life life worlds worlds lifeworlds worlds no women? no women? nowomen? women?

dilshuknagar gulzar houz, charminar

banner display locations

production centers

locating locating locating locating them them them them

single single screen singlescreen screen talkies talkies talkies theatre infrastructure that housed and honed our hand-painted banners

The best location for banners was of course the single screen cinema talkies. An entire Theatre setting was installed for a new film release. It included a combination of painted banner canvases, plywood cutouts and any additional three-dimensional props left to artist’s discretion. These talkies are stand-alone units with a large open gathering space. The ticket price continues being affordable for the majority and it reflected in the range of audience that visited these theatres.

There was division as balcony, chairs, benches and floor seating. In the villages this division strongly reflected the caste

system but here in the city it connected to the purchasing capacity of the viewer. There was a special provision for a separate zenana for women, drawing from the customs of the city.

The matinee shows were most popular amongst women. In 60s and 70s, film actors would make appearances in theatres during intervals and converse with the audiences. The tickets for these shows were consequently sold in black, at higher rates. During such visits the actors would sometimes meet our artists at their worksheds if they happened to adore the banner for their film.

A decade wise list of talkies in the city extracted from newspaper archives shows an interesting pattern in the cinema newspaper advertisements itself. From 50s to 80s there was a shift from graphical, sketchy presentation to using photographic stills for composition. Increasing space allotment to Telugu cinema advertising was visible from 70s onwards. This is coherent with the consequential rise in regional cinema banner work.

L to R: Mein Kampf My Crimes (Mere Gunaah) (1940) Directed by Norman Lee; Source: Subh-E-Deccan 1941; Theatre: Tivoli, Secunderabad Beqarar (1950) Directed by Nazir Ajmeri (Pakistani Production); Source:Aawam 1952; Theatre: Zia Talkies(Malepally) Dewar (1966) Directed by Mohan Segal Lead Cast: Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore; Source: Siasat 1966 Theatres: Ashok (Putli Bowli, Jambagh), Asha (Old City), Natraj Talkies (Secunderabad) Gopaladu Bhoopaladu (1969) Directed by G. Viswanatam Lead Cast: N.t.Ramarao, Jayalalitha; Source: Andhrajanatha 1967 Theatres: Kamal Talkies, Hyderabad; Regal, Khairatabad; Rajeshwar, Secunderabad Bidaai (1974) Directed by L.V.Prasad Lead Cast: Jeetendra, Leela Chandavarkar, Durga Khote; Source: Rahnuma-E-Deccan 1975 Theatre: Ramakrishna Talkies, Abids

19

The earliest cinema halls in Secunderabad were converted from theatre auditoriums. Along with movies, a number of live performances, theatre plays, comedy shows, acrobatics and dance shows and quizzes were held.

Before digital cinema or showcasing through satellite links came into existence, the film reel used to travel via distributors across places. Often Hollywood films were released much after their first release date in the West. It became a pattern to have early morning and late evening shows in English and rest in Hindi/Urdu. Plaza, Tivoli, Dream Land and Minerva Talkies were some of the recurring names in the newspaper archives from as early as 1940s. None of these save Tivoli has survived now.

In Hyderabad, the earliest theatres of the old city were Yakut Mahal (Yakhutpura), Krishna talkies (Gulzar Houz) and Asha Talkies (Shalibanda).

Yakut Mahal survives till date. Moti Mahal at Sultan Bazar underwent a fire tragedy in 30s as was common then because of the highly inflammable film reel made of cellulose nitrate (vividly captured in the film Cinema Paradiso).

Dilshad talkies was later setup at that location.

North of Musi, newer cinema theatres started cropping in the famous Abids market. Abid-ki-Shop and ice factory of Albert Abid, an Armenian Jew, from where the area got its name, was transformed into Palace Theatre in

1939. The architecture of the theatre was rightly palatial with Ionic order columns lined on the front porch.

Another one close by was Zamarrud Mahal, known to have screened hits like Bandhan (1940), Andaz (1949) etc. Various cultural shows and performances such as magic shows by the famous P.C.Sorcar were held there. The third in the area, and one of the earliest theaters built in the city, was known as Excelsior Theater.

Upon conversion of the theater into a cinema hall, the name was changed to Sagar Talkies. Most of the old cinema theatres have been pulled down over the years to be replaced by higher revenue generating real estate setups instead. Yet, there is an air of nostalgia evident when a security guard points to a large shopping complex and says that’s Palace theatre as if it were still standing there.

The fan-club culture that gained prominence after rising popularity of Telugu cinema gave a boost to grander cine-signs. Not only areas around Chikadpally but even the cinema complexes known to showcase only English or Hindi movies made space for Telugu cinema. There was a sharp rise in the number of single screen talkies in the 1970s. Ramakrishna, Sandhya, Sudarshan, Saptagiri, etc formed a hub at the RTC X Roads, which was one of the prime locations in the city for spotting cinema stars. Many of these have survived through efforts

and love of the fans. These spaces offer a freedom for social interaction and discourse that the multiplexes can’t. Informality in the dealings allows various practices, such as putting up banners with the names and images of the fan members and felicitating star cutouts, to flourish. This comes from a particular kind of casualness in the dealings between the cinema owner, distributors, banner company owners and the public. The distributors allowed the artists to experiment with the banners; the theatre owner let the distributor display publicity material free of charge and the fan clubs help in making sure their star’s movies ran houseful for a long period.

Deepak Mahal at Narayanguda showcasing Sangam ( 1964); director: Raj Kapoor Lead cast: Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Vyajayanthimala Banner company: Izra Arts Picture shared by Md. Sarwar

Single screen cinema theatres have transformed over time. While they used to be family recreation spaces but now their audience include mostly working class men. People who can afford, have shifted to multiplex theatres instead.

Women and children of meager means are left with no alternatives and are often excluded. Having to keep a cap on the ticket prices as a rule by the Government, these theatres are suffering heavy loss and are being shut down or at best converted into multiplexes. They are not just keepers of significant social culture but also unique experiments of architectural form in the city. A detailed study of the single screen theatres at this point in time seems necessary.

20

Theatre Setting at Ashok Talkies, Sultan Bazar showcasing Night Club (1958); Director: Naresh Saigal; Lead Cast: Ashok Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Helen Artist: Hussaini Saab (Lateef Saab’s ustaad) Picture shared by Lateef Saab

Charminar Connection is a group of old Hyderabadis who have over the years immigrated to different parts of the world. Through online e-mail exchanges, they discuss intimate stories engulfed by nostalgia and discuss wide topics of common interests. Zakiah Sayeed narrates an incident from the time of police action (1948), ‘My siblings, cousins and I had gone to see a movie in one of the theaters sometime in 1948.

I am not sure if the theater was in Moghulpura or some distance from there. I know we had gone in a tonga. The movie I think was “dard” and Munawar Sultana acted in it. There was a song in it “afsana likh rahi hoon”. The song had just started, and I was sitting there with my mouth open, looking at the beautiful lady and how she was singing, and suddenly there was this huge explosion somewhere in the theater. All hell broke loose. Everyone was screaming and running outside. Once outside, we saw so many injured people with facial injuries. That was a terrifying moment for us. We didn’t linger around, and got home.

That was the end of movies for us for almost a year.’

Another member informs that it must have been Krishna talkies at Gulzar Houz.

Palace Talkies at Abids showcasing Sharabi ( 1964); director: Raj Rishi ; Lead cast: Dev Anand, Madhubala Banner company: Izra Arts; Picture shared by Md. Sarwar

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active single screen

closed single screen

multiplex

st st st a! a! a!

becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad locating locating locating them them them

One wonders if they got free tickets for movies that they worked on. But, ‘Theatre mein hoarding lagane ke baad poora tamaam ho jata tha, fir kaam karne ke baad sote to next day nai, third day uthte the.

Mehnat, stress, strain. Time kam. jaldi jaldi dena, painting acha hona chaiye aur acha artist bas only 4-5.’ (The artists got free after installing the hoardings in the theatre. After finishing the work they would sleep and then not wake up the next day but only three days after! There were only 4-5 good artists and too much work, thus a lot of stress.) shares Tamma Reddy who owned a banners company called Laxmi Publicities several years ago.

decline decline decline decline & & change &change change artist artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles city city city gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks

where where to, whereto, to, from from here? from here? fromhere? here? life life worlds lifeworlds worlds experiences, activities and contacts that made up their world

no no women? nowomen? women?

larg e fac only es !

There was the primitive question of calling them artists or not.

In their own words, they considered their fraternity as copy artists and not creative artists like modern art painters.

nda mu ters pain

Even though some of the fine art graduates went on to become successful cinema banner artists, yet there was a general denunciation of banner work. Students from the art colleges used to watch the banner work proceedings and even take up part-time work post college hours.

=

short form refers to ‘kucch bhi bana diye’.

There was a rift between fine artists and banner painters. The first called them munda painters and in return our boys considered them frivolous

Making a full swing of the arm, our artists exclaimed, ‘that’s how

large an eye was that we painted! The fine arts people worked on small canvas only, they couldn’t deal with this scale!’

t

mb l an ce res e

They have the opinion that just because M.F.Husain sir became a great modern artist, the youngsters today think they can directly jump to abstract painting.

ar

“Expression kisko hota hai maloom hai? Cinema actor ko hota hai. Rone ka acting, khushi ka acting.

Humein still jaisa hai vaisa banana.”

or m

artists tend to skip all the diligent years that Husain saab had put into perfecting his copying skills as a banner artist.

rn

varna likeness chala jaata. Hum create nai kar sakte, create kiya to you will lose the resemblance. They’ll say, arre!

Amitabh bachan jake kya rajesh khanna banaya.”

=Abstract

or tf

e od m

py o = c ts s ti “Photo jaisa ar rehta vaisa rehna

sh

25

As mentioned earlier, Telugu film stars have a large and organized fan following.

When asked if the fans used to come and watch them work, Ambaji responds, ‘aate the, dekhte the, kab bante the bolke, interest batate the.

Fans saare. Kuch kuch logan Presidentan rehte the idhar udhar.

Bas kaam dhandha nai hai so log hain. Cinema actor ka fan bole to kaam nai hai. Crazy rehta. Kaam hai to bhi waste karke aane ka.’

(Yes, They used to come and watch.

Would ask when would you paint and shared their interest. There were some Presidents in the group. They have no work to do. Fans of cinema actors would even leave their work and waste time to watch painting being done).

Clearly, our artists didn’t think too highly of them. The viewers did strange things to mark their ownership over the banners.

Latif saab recalls, ‘Banner agar acchi condition mein hua to vapis le aate the, agar logon ko pasand aaya to log usko medals dete the, pathar utha ke maarte the. Koi heroine ki photo acchi lagi to bolte the “maar”, faad dete the. Medals hain, uski tareef hai. Aisi harkatan karte the.’ (If the banner was in proper condition then it was brought back. If they liked some heroine’s picture then they would shout, ‘Tear it!’ and would throw stones at it. They did such bizarre things!).

Within the banner world, there was a division between the figure artists and letter writers. Most signboard painters were letter artists; they would be familiar with multiple languages usually or could imitate letters as motifs from a reference image. They were considered subordinate to the figure artists, as they were not as well-trained in drawing.

Apart from the banners companies, signboard painters were to be found in most localities. They would write commercial boards, number plates for vehicles, government information boards and residential nameplates. They were also trained in making small-scale illustrations to be found on the rolling shutters of many shops around the city. Some were self-trained but most apprenticed with established painters.

It was easier to set up a signboard shop, as it required little space and monetary investment. One would often find them sitting on the pavement with just a brush and a sample of their work.

26

Many banner companies took care of what kinds of banners were put in what locality. Harish recalls, ‘In Muslim areas we didn’t show women’s face, only men were shown. In Marathi areas, dance scenes were prominent, familyfriendly composition in Telugu areas such as Chikadpally.

For the same movie there were different kinds of composition.

It gave a personal touch that has been completely lost with the digital influx.’

Selection of locations for placement of banners was done carefully.

‘For hoardings there were spots, where people could sit, see and enjoy. In Secunderabad, on MG road, there is a small place where people used to come to buy their clothes, inside there is a parking area where people could sit and in those days Irani chai was very famous. From Irani hotels, we used to sit and watch the hoarding. Not trying to only sell the movie but giving a good view of what it was and if you want more, come and watch the film.’

points out Harish who has worked and taught commercial art in Hyderabad and has also dabbled with many artistic mediums including cinema banners when he was a teenager.

Irani cafes were scattered all over the city. In the film Hiro Hiralal, the protagonist (Naseeruddin Shah) and Rangeela were known to spend most of their time at an Irani kafe and shared an intimate bond with the owner, respectfully referred to as Chicha. Bunmaska (sweet bun with butter and sugar) dipped in Irani chai with Osmania biscuit, samosa and cake-pastries formed the staple breakfast of the city.

It was only later that tiffin places and curry points serving South Indian food started being setups in the city. Even today, no description of Hyderabad can be complete without the mention of

these large non air-conditioned spaces with benches and tables placed in neat rows, hurdled with working class men at any time of the day. They account for the most active spaces for socializing and are storehouses of conversations and day’s fatigue. We can imagine our artists going for chai after completing and installing banners. Carriage tiffin services took care of their dietary needs when they worked without breaks for long hours. The company owner would be cautious to not let me go out for meals when there was work pressure, fearing their un-timely return!

People, who lived in Hyderabad when the banners work was in full swing, could not ignore the effort that went into producing them. Going through some of the archives of Charminar Connections, many interesting stories surrounding cinema theatres of the city surfaced along with this mention of the banners by Zahyr Siddiqi, “Seeing the posters of Bollywood Films, who can forget the grand posters put up by Ezra (Izra Arts) in Hyderabad. The posters of Mughal-e-Azam(60) , Gunga Jumna(61), Hatim Tai(56), Baghi Sipahi(58) are fresh in my mind.

Along with the movie posters it brought back memories of bunking school to watch a movie on the very first day and first show.”

This image from early 1960s shows the placement of cinema hoardings on top of the kafe’s signboard. The hotels and theatres of the time had separate zenana section for women. It would be important to note that in 1960s Bollywood movies were dominant in most parts of the city. The shift to telugu was yet to happen.

Hoardings: ‘Kabli Khan’ (1963) : Director: K.Amarnath, Lead Cast: Ajit, Helen ‘Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya’ (1963): Director: Ranjan, Lead cast: Waheeda Rehman, Johnny Walker Image Shared by Md. Sarwar

27

Most of the inspiration and criticism for the work came from within the group itself. But the ones who yearned for newer outlooks took note of the new designs for Hollywood posters. Another fascinating thing was,

becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist

‘English pictures ke jo novels aate the, uske title pages bahut acche hote the. Vo library mein 25-30 rs kuchh rakha deke, 10 paisa roz ke kiraya pe milti thi kitaab. (The title pages of English picture novels were very beautiful. Would get them from the library for daily 10paise rent on giving some 25-30Rs as security)’ shares Lateef sa’ab.

ist tist tist tist ya! ya! ya!

the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad

These were catalogues for new color schemes and design techniques.

There were a few collectors amongst the artists who would hoard cinema magazines of the time. Filmfare and Screen Magazines were popular in English. Cinema Rangam, another famous one in Telugu was published in Madras. Some owners kept pocket books, which had reference scenes for suggestion figures like war, action, romance, etc.

T: Dilip Kumar on Filmfare Magazine cover, 1955 B: Sowcar Janaki and A.Nageshwar Rao on Cinema Rangam cover, 1956 Cinema Rangam was then printed in Madras as the Telugu film production happened there.

Screen-printed, the cover page was in colour and rest was monochromatic.

locating locating locating them them them

decline decline decline decline & & change &change change artist artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles profiles city city city gimmicks gimmicks gimmicks

where where to, where to, whereto, to, from from here? fromhere? here?

life life worlds worlds lifeworlds worlds no no women? nowomen? women?

the banners field discriminated against women. why?

It seemed from the responses of the interviewees that this aspect had never been reflected upon consciously. They would say women could not be expected to work late in the night in a male-dominated space. Many disregarded the question saying that they (women) weren’t interested. Women were found in the form of supporters, part of the hidden back-end as mothers, sisters and wives. They had to often adjust to the miniscule income, long work hours and uncivil companionship of their men. The work was considered masculine, perhaps due to the sheer scale.

Banner work required hours of continuous labour through day and night. Women were expected to look after the house primarily, thus having no opportunity, even if they so desired.

From the time when Hanumana sa’ab put a cine banner shed in his backyard, his wife, Satyavathi, remembered, ‘he made cinema banners for 10-12 years (behind the house). 10-12 people worked. They worked all night. They troubled me a lot. Chai, khaana aur sona sab iski chhaya mein.

(I ate, drank and slept in his shadow) If he earned 10Rs then, 12Rs were spent. He cared a lot about others, didn’t let them leave without food.

I made food for everyone; he didn’t let them eat at the hotel. He has a very helping nature. How would we have earned? They used to drink there, lot of expenses and less income.

What was the use? That’s why he stopped.’

She wanted him to open an arts coaching institute at home instead. His daughter and wife both say that he is very talented but now his hand shakes and it isn’t possible for him to continue work anymore. The entry to the shed was kept separate from the house and there was no physical interference by the painters in the house. But, an obligation to stay up till the husband gets back or making tea and food for 12 men or for the kids to stay awake to meet their father must be infuriating.

Some women got used to such emotionally demanding lifestyle, others spoke up or walked away depending on the sensibility of their partners.

In a story written and directed by Gulzar saab titled Hisaab Kitaab as part of the TV Series Kirdaar (1993-95), Dinanath (Om Puri) has a signboard painting shed in his front yard. His son, Sarwan (Irrfan Khan) is the principal artist. A schoolmaster comes to get a signboard painted. The lettering done on the board by Master’s daughter impresses Dinanath immensely. The story develops into eventually getting his son married to Master’s daughter, as she would be able to help with the signboard painting jobs. It presents an ideal situation where the man and woman of the house work together in unison.

Harish remarked that if a woman would be seen working off the street with men, she would be seen as cunning and branded as immoral. Artists who have worked in different cities remarked that nowhere, not even in Bombay, were there any women banner painters.

This, however, was far from reality in case of the banner artists. It was a close-knit network of only men with women being pushed into the fringes of domestic life.

R: stills from TV Series ‘Kirdaar’ by Gulzar.

Daughters of many artists turned out to be skilled artists themselves. But their art was limited to drawing books only.

29

‘Peeke peeke marr gaye log, zyada. Khana bhi nai khate the, Rough!

Cinema artist bole to gareebi type. Bas utna hee.’

(Most people died drinking. They didn’t even eat properly, Rough!

Cinema artist equates to poverty. That’s all.)

A government scheme called Varuna Vahini put in place by the NTR government in early 1980s. Arrack liquor was being sold in unimaginable amounts with government subsidies and in sachets which could be carried anywhere easily and had at any point of the day. Deaths due to adulterated liquor increased and alcoholism became a major problem citywide.

Women became the primary bearers of brunt of this decision. Men would come home wasted and beat their wives. Men wasted their salaries on arrack leaving little or no savings. Our banner artists were no exception to this. Drinking, leading to demise or addiction trapped many renowned artists. Ambaji shared that relationship with the family depended on whether or not the artist drank. He points that most of them were drunkards.

‘They are normal people, not hifi. Artists are mostly rough and never posh, as they don’t have proper education. They were not from fine arts background. They were assistants mostly. Would clean rags and brushes and then slowly learn other things. Most of the artists were poor. The ones who were rich did not go for cinema banners they would go for fine arts. Some people were from here, others moved. They would get married afterwards and have kids but because they would drink so much, they blabbered a lot. Would bring out ego. Would beat kids and wives at home.

All rubbish. Only 20-30% were decent.’

The topic of women working as designers in cinema publicity is still a sensitive one. A contemporary poster publicity designer slyly comments that women designers are not part of this industry here. Women do apply for internship and jobs, but he refuses because he thinks it would be uncomfortable for everyone.

In what way?

He elaborates that some stills from the film can be embarrassing. Although the censor board has been very strict since the past 7-8 years but still some scenes, which might be forgotten in motion, can be a source of discomfort.

With lady designers, directors and other clients cannot openly discuss about the ‘glamour’ stills, what fat to trim from which body and other such body shaming adjustments. It seems there is a dire need of sensitization in these men-only, single-room publicity studios obscured into niches of the city, away from any kind of active public engagement. At a time when the society is progressing towards gender equality, such ideas bring to light the deep and discomforting divides embedded in our culture.

R: Artist Husaini’s crew of banner painters having a gala time. Mimicry, drinking, song-singing, dancing etc. were part of the work-culture. We can imagine them as self-sufficient groups who would have little to do with their families.

30

face finishing

!

highlights: clothes and hair fill-up

first coat sketch/ outline oil coat washing brushes

becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist

apprentice

artist artist artist

the idea that kept them going, day after day, relentlessly

the setting:

draw figure outlines using charcoal and then overlap with burnt sienna or yellow ochre

project film stills using self-made epidiascopes

select a thick, plain white cora cloth

f=9” - 10” don’t use fox/sable hair brushes. too soft! using senior artist’s composition sketch, the apprentice should fill colours as marked

first coat to be done; make shades by mixing white and linseed oil in varying amounts

only hard hog-hair brushes in varying sizes

assistant

fix the cloth with nails to wooden frame prepared by the carpenter

figure artist gives final touches and highlights to the face

next, water coat with a coarse rag

mix lukewarm glue in chalk powder, apply with a floor scrubber to make the cloth sturdy oil coat for a smooth finish and waterproofing

letter artist adds the titles letter and credits to the banner writer

when done, the senior artist signs it off!

the company owner sweats as to when will the work get done.

owner owner

stepwise stepwise stepwise

powder colours will keep the budget frugal

senior artist

how how they howthey they made made madeaaa cinema cinema cinema banner banner banner

becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist

Piecing together the hazy images that were formed in conversation with the artists, it became clear that being part of a banner company was not a whimsical act. They worked off the street and might have even come across as boorish but there was an unwritten code of conduct that everyone followed; from being polite and not smoking in front of their seniors to going through various increments like in a video game to develop their skills. Although unlike a degree professional course it wasn’t a time-bound system but they did have certain assessment criteria to graduate as an artist.

Generally there were two ways in which one would enter this societythe majority joined at an early age as kids after barely finishing secondary level education but there were few who chose it after finishing their art diploma.

Initially, one steps in as an assistant to the principal artist on joining the banners company. The procedure of banner making also highlights the various work divisions that one went through before eventually being termed as a senior artist.

‘When I first went to Bombay, I was washing brushes for the artists, mixing colors, cleaning colors, coating banners and oil coat. Did this for 6 months.

Covered up, learnt sketching in just 6 months. I used to practice at home. They made me permanent. “ye faaltu kaam nai karna, hanuman sketch kardo ye figure” (Don’t waste time on this useless work, Hanuman sketch the figure) Then, first coat started.

In one year I mastered sketch and first coat. Now double coat, did for one year, didn’t happen, learnt finishing in two years. 3 years in total, main artist ban gaya (I became an artist).’

It wasn’t like a classroom-teaching situation; one observed immensely and imbibed the ways of his seniors in his work. Seniority was not just a matter of age, but of skill and perseverance. Back then, the two popular and established ways to channelize one’s creative energy productively and making a living out of it were either enrolling as an art teacher in a school or the more popular one was to join a banners art company.

Many of these artists, especially the ones from well-to-do families were strongly opposed to take up this profession as it was considered rowdy and erratic.

Harish studied B.Com Honours for his father’s sake but learnt art from his school teacher in the evenings and worked at Narayana Cine Arts over the weekends. He describes the luring nature of the work, ‘the fantasy was so high that we could literally see our own heroes exposed to big size.’

This ideal overlapping of love for art and cinema alike was conducive in these cine banner companies. There is a strange sense of solidarity amongst the artists. As Dattatreya, the letter writer from the Ramnagar shed who practices till date remarked, ‘poora bacchpan se hum sablog ek hee hai. Poora India mein kidhar bhi jao, hum artist log pehachanta kisi ko bhi. (points to another artist) ye Babu rao hain, artist, poora bacchpan se seekh liye hum inse, diploma jaisa certificate nai rehta humko. Dekh ke seekh lena, bacchpan se aadat rahi na. Interest rehne wale ko aata, dusre ko nai aata kaam.’

(Since childhood, all of us are together. Wherever you go in India, we recognize our artists.

This is Babu Rao, I learnt from him as a kid. We don’t get a certificate like in a diploma art course. We practice since childhood, only the one who has interest can learn, others can’t.)

Lateef sa’ ab, once a banner painter with Izra Arts and now gives guest lectures for portrait painting in JNAFAU Arts college located at Masab Tank, recalls, ‘Main kya karta tha beta, Sarwar saab ka board jahan laga jake dekhke banana, Sadat bhai ka, Gani saab ka jahan laga uski copy karna.’

He grew up around banner artists in his locality. He would go around the city on his bicycle riding it in kenchi style to get sauda (groceries) from the bazaar, carrying a small sketchbook to copy the banners done by the popular artists of the time. Lateef sa’ ab at an early age of 12 had started working on largescale banners for animal husbandry and forest department. He recalls how at Izra arts, for a long time, he was not allowed to do finishing touches for the face, the final stage for being regarded as an artist. Although he had gained approval in his own right outside Izra, but within the banner company, ‘baal banana bolte, ye face banake dete, baalon mein color bharne ko dete. Agar color tapak gaya to haath pe maarte the.

Mehnat kare, lekin vo log bolte nai abhi face nai bana sakte. Hum yahan (animal husbandry) banneran finish karke aaye, ghar mein bhi bade bade paper jod kar, purane heroines ke tasveeran banata tha. Vo bolte, “ye bahut accha

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banaye aap par abhi face nai kar sate.” Kya policy thi in logon ki, nai maloom’(They would ask me to colour the hair. If the colour spilled then they would hit on the hand. I did a lot of hard work. I would join sheets and draw large images of old heroines. They would appreciate it but would say that you can’t paint the face right now. I don’t get what their policy was!)

The upward mobility within these companies was subject to much competition as and when the work grew. Usually the owners of the banners company were great artists themselves. They did not only get work from the distributors but also supervised the whole production process. They acted as critics, encouraged and gave constant suggestions to the team. In cases where the owner was from a different background and could not comment on the creative process, he went through a lot of anxiety.

‘Any artist if he is really an artist then he needs to be satisfied when the hoarding goes out. As far as Ambaji and Prabhakar are concerned, satisfaction nai hai to, we used to call them ‘chukkas’ light aaye to eyeball mein rehta.

Jab tak vo nai lagaya matlab complete nai. We start with cloth lagake, paste, lines, project, painting, khatam karne ko 3-4 days. Spot lagaya to finish karne ko satisfaction hona chaiye. Then its over and can put their name on it and sign it off. Vo satisfaction kab aata nai maloom. Un logon ko mood nai aata humko tension hota. Distributor daant lagata.

That tension we used to take.’

(Till the time the artist wasn’t satisfied with his work, he wouldn’t put a, chukka, a white dot representing light in the eye. When that was done, then he would sign off the work and send it for installation. But there was no way of knowing when he would be satisfied and that gave us a lot of tension. The distributors used to scold us.)

A tug of war would go on between creative satisfaction and deadlines. The established artists had the upper hand in some ways, as the owner could not afford to lose them even though he would have to face the brunt of the distributors who would press for timely deliveries. A young artist looked up to his seniors for inspiration and learning.

It wasn’t only a work relationship but there were intangible threads that tied them together. The elder ones saw the younger as their children. There was a relationship of love and immense respect for the work that held them close. In fact, Lateef saab pointed out that not senior but ustaad was the right word. The word is used to refer a teacher, master or expert or as an honorific title as a mark of respect.

The idea behind ‘artist ban gaya’ was two-fold. One, he would now be seen as professionally equal with his seniors and respected like them and second, he could now charge rates per banner in the company. While rest of them were on weekly or monthly fixed wage basis, the principal artists were paid per sq.ft. of the banner and cutouts. This also gave them the confidence to break away and open a publicity company on their own. But not everyone had the temperament required for being a businessman. It meant a lot of responsibility, dealing with the distributors, painting and supervising the whole team and also making sure the quality remains consistent and that the company makes profit. Hanumana sa’ab shares,

Narayana Cine Arts for 30 years.

Narayana senior didn’t let me go. So many people started their own work during that time.

Finally, I found courage to put a shed behind my house; I was the only one to work. Had to get orders from distributors and make the banners on cloth, 20 x 10’ in size. Other work was separate, board maker made boards, coating, oil coating, sketch, first coat, I used to do finishing. If I got 4 banners from the distributor, I couldn’t do all myself. I would get some done from someone else, but then distributor would look and say, you didn’t make it. I replied, yes didn’t, could not make 4, they were too many. Distributor said that you should take work only if you can work (even though I got it done from a good artist), otherwise don’t take the work. Then I left it, how much could I have worked alone?’

‘Some would work in a company, learn some and then leave and work somewhere else. They would start their own work. I didn’t do it and this was a mistake.

I worked in one company in Bombay then one in Hyderabad,

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suggestion figure

Lateef saab was full of captivating stories from that time. He particularly remembers impressing Sadat saab (his ustaad) once, ‘ek baar Patton (1970) movie ka kaam aaya tha, us time mujhe, animal husbandry ki exhibition ka kaam tha. 4-6 din ke baad main pahuncha, us time Sadat Ali saab ke ghar pe rakh kar (kaam) karraha tha main. Main pahuncha to unki ladki boli, “Walid sahib bahut gusse mein hain aapke upar, nai hain aap to cancel kar dete hain bole.” Plain banner rakha hua tha. Aur pallet. Chalk piece leke lip ka sketch kiya freehand, dur rakhke dekha to zarra sa chotte dikhe vo, to fir sketch kiya. Dur rakhke dekha to correct aaraha tha, bas hand se itna hee sketch kiya. Yahan tak (points to the forehead) ka poora aagaya, upar se cap hai. ghar mein baccha rehta tha, use bola raw sienna and burnt sienna milake ek color banao, achha biscuit color, zara sa orange touch rakho. Painting shuru kiya, pehle lip paint kiya fir without sketch saara paint karta gaya. Direct paint. Poora ho gaya. Fir pakadke kamre ke bahar nikale. Plywood lagake cap ka sketch kiya, fir wahan rakhke cap ka matching kar liya. Fir khatam ho gaya. Banner andar rakhe aur finish kar dia. Fir bacche se colors lagvaya, vo brown laga raha tha main utni der theher ke lettering ka sketch daala. Main title. Thoda enamel black ka patti daala.

Producer, director, kya kya rehta. Baccha brown kar dia tha tab tak, main bola chalo beta lettering mein color bhar do, white leke, fluorescent bhar dena aur black ka outline. Itni der mein main suggestion figure banaya, war ho rahi hai. Blasting, plane guzar raha tha, bombing. Free hand kiya, finish kar diya tha. Abhi lettering karke baith hee rahe the, Sadat saab aagaye. Sadat saab itne bade artist the bete, unko dekhke main bhaag jata tha. Aaye ghar mein, unki beti boli, baba Latif bhai kamaal kar diye, bigair sketch ke banner banaye. Abhi main fresh hota hun bole Sadat saab. Chai banake lao. Chai biscuit kha rahe the. Photo lao bole. Peeche hat ke bole, “Ab artist ban gaya tu!” Kitna bada award tha vo mere liye.’

Patton poster, 1970

the images used here are from the web, for representation purpose only. the original banner by lateef sa’ab was never photographed as was the case with most of these ephemeral works

(Once, I had banner work of Patton(70) but simultaneously there were projects for animal husbandry. After 4-6 days, when I reached Sadat sir’s place, his daughter said that her father was really angry and that he said, if you weren’t coming then he would cancel the order. There was a plain banner and colour pallet kept there. I sketched the lip freehand. Kept it at a distance, it was a bit smaller, then I corrected it. I sketched only that much. There was a kid in the house, I asked him to prepare a nice biscuit colour by mixing burnt sienna and raw sienna and a little touch of orange. I started painting the lips, then without sketch completed the whole figure. Then I took the board out and sketched the cap on the plywood and matched it with the banner. Then I brought the banner in and gave the finishing touches. I asked the kid to prepare some colors and in the meantime I sketched lettering for main title. Put a black band for producer, director, etc. He finished filling brown by then, I asked him to colour the lettering in fluorescent with black outlines. Then I made the suggestion figures- war scene, bombing, planes passing, etc. Just when I finished, Sadat sir returned home. His daughter ran to him and said Latif bhai has done miraculous work, without sketching he finished the banner. Sadat sir was such a great artist that I used to run away when he was around. He asked his daughter to get tea and biscuit. Then, asked her to bring the photo, looked at the work and remarked, ‘Now you’ve become an artist.’ It was such a big reward for me)

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Individual work trajectories varied within the larger collective of banner workers of the city. Some were born, raised and trained here while others traversed geographically diverse territories through their work.

Following narratives will try to provide an insight into this diversity.

becoming becoming becoming becoming an artist an artist anartist artist artist artist artist ban ban gaya! bangaya! gaya!

the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad

ddd & & &cc artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles an account of work life of few artists from hyderabad

‘Prasad from Vijaywada is a bhayankar artist, has gone to Gulbrga now. Terrific artist! Prasad is such a danger artist; he did not know day and night— if we say matti (mud), it felt like matti, if we say honth (lips), then the lips seemed to be moving. Eyes felt like there was water coming out of them. Every artist has some specialty, finding that out is difficult. If ordinary people see, they just say that it looks nice.

They don’t know what’s the fault or what’s nice’

shares Hanumana sa’ab, remembering his contemporaries accompanied with animated hand gestures. The adjectives danger and bhayankar have been used as a way of paying respect to the person’s skills. Prasad saab had moved to Hyderabad city in late 1960s from Vijaywada after successfully establishing a legacy-worthy career there. After working at some theatres near Kachiguda station, he setup Prasad Publicities at Chikadpally in partnership with his elder brother Nagabhushan sa’ab. The elder brother later on branched away to open his own advertising company called AdWings that has presence in Hyderabad’s market till date.

Prasad sa’ab completely changed the scale and scope of Telugu cinema banner industry in Hyderabad. His arrival synchronized with Chikadpally developing into a major center for Telugu film theatres. Their connections with film distributors from Vijaywada came handy. In later years, he devoted his time to unionizing work for the rights and increasing the wages of banner artists.

Portrait of Sarwar sa’ab with Prasad sa’ab as two cinema banner painters in 1960s. Shot in Vijaywada they mostly worked on telugu cinema posters there image shared by md. sarwar sa’ab

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C.V.Ambaji is a child prodigy who trained with Prasad sa’ab. He ran away from Sholapur at a very young age. Lateef sa’ab, his contemporary, asked me if I had seen the notes he had painted? Legend goes that as a young boy Ambaji painted currency notes, front and back on different papers and stuck them with rice. He would pass it off as real currency at hotels to get some food to survive, carefully choosing busy places so that it would be easy to run away in case he was caught! He recalls that at the age of 13, he had painted the portrait of a man and he received 7rs for it, surprised he thought, ‘figure banana ke liye paise bhi milte hain?’ (Was it possible to earn by drawing figures?). That was the beginning of his continuing tryst with art. Ambaji kept on constantly shifting mediums-from a signboard painter to a magazine illustrator to a cinema banner artist to set designer for Symphoby Coolers at Numaish, the yearly Industrial Exhibition held at Nampally. He is also credited with the few public art pieces in the hi-tech city area done for the government. He is also part of the artists listed in 100 years of art at Telangana. Although it has been over 25 years since he moved away from the banners profession, yet most currently practicing artists consider him a living legend and their guru.The first set of artists conversed with at Ramnagar shed had advised to speak to him and they were sure that he holds absolute authority and knowledge of their profession.

“Ambaji is nearly 65. He talks big, a good man and earned well. Very fast brain. Very intricate work. When I came from Bombay, he used to come to me. Learnt quick, used to write titles and figures, very good work. He could tell from memory that you once made a particular figure in that color, shade and light. Even I didn’t remember all that.!” Hanuman sa’ab shared.

While most artist dedicated all their professional lives to perfecting their skills, it was not so for him. Ambaji says contemplating, “First day was a fill-up, one

dress, one more fill-up, one more fill-up, fifth day is banner finish.

It took nearly 6 days to become the artist. Aur log isse bhi jaldi bane honge, we don’t know. (Other people would have learnt faster than this.)”

Ambaji was famous for his creative ways of composing the banner. Composition refers to depicting the storyline of the film on a banner. Certain artists would get to attend preview shows of the films or else the distributor would narrate the story in a nutshell. He explains through an example of a movie,

Theatre setting for Pratighatana (1986, Telugu) by C.V.Ambaji Director: T.Krishna Lead cast: Vijayshanti, Rajashekhar Image shared by C.V.Ambaji

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‘Anthuleini katha (1976) (Endless story) was made in Telugu with Jayapradha. Plot— brother, bhabhi, their kids, widowed sister, small sister, maa (mother), this girl (the protagonist) has to take care of everyone. Brother is an alcoholic. She has to get married by 25 but can’t because of so many responsibilities. Pita ji (Father) has gone on sanyas (renounced the world). What I did— 15’X30’ board and yellow-turmeric marriage color background. Two hands decorated with henna to depict marriage symbolically. Gold bangles, Mango leaves etc. to create a wedding atmosphere. In front of it at 2 feet distance, a box with 3’ on top and 4’ bottom border is created. I kept rods at close distance inside the border to depict a jail. I painted heads of all the family members in black and white. Then I painted the woman in violet and red- the colors of death in front to show that she wanted to marry but they came in between. I wrote in Telugu (at that time Romeo and Juliet came, that had a caption— No ordinary love story) I copied that. “ye mamuli katha nai hai” (This is not an ordinary love story) in large letters on top. At the bottom right I wrote the title of the film in very small font.’ He narrated

‘Abhi vahan kya bolte hain, mera guru hai, un logan. Vo jo guru bolte hain un logan mere paas kaam bhi nai kiya hai.’

(Now over there they say that I am their guru. The ones who call me Guru have never even worked with me.)

various such examples in great detail as if he had just finished these banners last night. We have to settle by imagining the grandiose of his descriptions as only few pictures from the later part of his work-life survive.

For a year he had set-up his own banners company in Hyderabad at Chikadpally known as ‘Ambaji-Prabhakar’ in partnership with Prabhakar of Laxmi Publicities.

This name remained in the memory of the moviegoers of that time, along with the acclaimed director Gunnam Gangaraju who mentions them in his diary on Telugu cinema. People from various districts wrote them fan letters. They were not just words of appreciation but also critical assessment. He cites an example, ‘We have seen your decoration and it was really good. We also saw your last decoration and especially for it we have come from Guntur.

There are two poor people sitting and eating food in the thatched roof hut, earthen pots are kept, its all good. But where did the current (for the bulb) come from? That is wrong! How do they have electricity?’ He was delighted that the public was noting and reporting tiny

details such as a nose being wrong or Devdas’ glass broken into too many pieces!

Ambaji worked on cutouts and banners in Bangalore as well for a year or two.

In 1991, he finished a 60’ head of Ravichandran, a Kannada actor in less than 12 hours. He had also once done a 111’ large cutout of the Rajkumar, the Kannada superstar. He gained unprecedented popularity after that. In a news recording on cutout artists of Bangalore shot there, the young artists say that they never make any actor’s cutout larger than 110’ even if they are offered large sums of money because they wouldn’t surpass Ambaji’s 111’ mark out of respect.

60’ tall painting of Kannada actor Ravichandra done

by C.V.Ambaji in Bangalore in less than 24 hours.

Image shared by C.V. Ambaji

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Prasad sa’ab formulated ‘Twin-City Cine Artists Association’ in early 70s as an active organization to consolidate and unionize banner workers. A strike was led by him demanding company owners to increase artist’s wages. All banner work came to a halt for a while.

Demand was to increase the cost from 25 paise to 49 paise per sq.ft. After negotiating, 40 paisa flat was fixed as the new wage.

Lateef sa’ab narrates a story from the time, ‘Ye period mein, first

Chikadpally and MF Husain sir was presiding it. Syed sir asked me to get my watercolour work and gave me money for the auto.

After the discussions, he asked me to show my paintings to MF sir. He stopped at one painting and asked if I had made it.

He asked this five times and everyone else at the dias was laughing. Then Sadat Ali sir said, did you make it or copy it? I said I copied it, got a print of Shirin-Farhad painting for 4 annas in monochrome blue colour. He asked if I knew the artist. I said, I didn’t remember and that I would look and tell yesterday. Then

they go, this is Husain sir’s painting!)

He passionately narrated stories created in the premises of Izra arts.

Sadat Ali Khan saab, who was a contemporary and close friend of M.F.Husain and professor in the Arts college of Hyderabad is considered one of the greatest banner artist from the city. In 1952, during the release of the movie, Do Raha (1952), Husain saab needed help to complete his order as he was caught up with other work. (He was by then part of the Progressive Artists’ Group). In a letter to Sadat Ali

Khan, he asked him to urgently come to the Alfred Theatre in Bombay. There is no visual record of Sadat sa’abs banner work left but Lateef saab (his shagird) describes his style of painting poetically, ‘Sadat saab ka work dekhe to aisa maloom hota tha, dilli mein jaise kohar padi to dhundla dhundla ho jata. Misty effect.

Patches rehte the lekin aisa dikhta tha ki vahan narmi hai painting mein. Har ek cheez rehta tha lekin kuch ajeeb hee rehta tha, jaise painting ko dekhe to nasha aata tha. Uske

jalsa kiye the jab, to usko preside M.F.Husain kar rahe the, Chikadpally pe Prasad studios mein. Syed saab (his teacher) vahan thehere hue the, bole “apna watercolor work leke aao.” “Saab itni dur jaun, Aghapuri mein ghar hai.”

“Nai, main auto ke paise deta hun.” Jab takhreeren khatam hui, to bole Husain saab ko dikhao watercolour paintings. Ek painting pe aake ruk gaye, bole “ye aapne banayi hai?” 5 waqat puche aapne banayi hai? Baaki log jo dias pe baithe sab hass rahe. Fir Sadat saab bole, “ye aap khud banaye ya copy kiye?”

Main bola, copy kiya. 4 anna mein parcha khareeda tha, blue color mein monochrome print tha, Shirin -Farhad ki painting thi.

“Kaun artist hain maloom?” Nai sir, kal dekhke bataunga. Arre vo Husain saab ki painting hai!’

(In this period, first meeting was held at Prasad Studios in

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baad vaisa kaam fir nai dekha.’

(If one looked at Sadat sir’s work it seemed like fog in Delhi. Gave a very misty effect.

There were patches but also softness in the painting. There was everything in the painting but also something mysterious as if one was intoxicated on watching it. I’ve never seen that kind of work ever again)

Lateef sa’ab was an exception in having done banner work in Delhi (instead of Bombay). At 16 years of age, he had gone to Dilli for supervising the Andhra pavilion work at the Gandhi Darshan International Exhibition in 1969. After

watching his painting skills, he was given an opportunity to paint a banner at Andh Mahavidhalya (Blind School) on Panchkuian Marg.

‘Uske andar jagdish bolke banner artist tha. Vo jaate hee mujhe Aan(1952) ka banner diya, Dilip kumar ki Aan. Second ya third run mein aayi thi vo picture. Uske haath pe Anjaana(1969) picture ka kaam chal raha tha. “Ye bana sakte hain kya?” “Haan!” Yahan (Hyderabad) mein badhne nai dete the log, ye apne ko finishing ka bhi kaam de raha hai, behatareen! “banata hun.” Bahut khush ho gaya kaam se, mujhe room tak chorh ke gaya raat ko 2 baje. Gate ke

paasnshed daala hua tha. Vo acha hua ki andhon ke college mein daala, vo ankhon waale bacche hote to padhna chorh ke photos dekh lete reh jaate. Kaafi senior aadmi the. Banner ka bahut accha kaam hota tha dilli aur Bombay mein. (There was senior artist named Jagdish. He gave me work for movie Aan that was doing a re-run. He gave me finishing work whereas in Hyderabad they don’t let you rise. He was very happy with the work and dropped me back at 2 in the night. He had a shed near the gate inside the school.

It was good that the shed was put in a blind school; otherwise the kids would all leave their work

and keep on watching the cinema images. Bombay and Delhi had very good banner work)’

image (page 40): film: They call me trinity (1970, initial release) director: Enzo Barboni artwork by Lateef sa’ab, done at Izra Arts the cinema advertising was installed at nayapul. film: ram teri ganga maili (1985) director: raj kapoor artwork by Lateef sa’ab done at Izra arts to be screened at Dilshad talkies images shared by Lateef sa’ab

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Waheed, a practicing artist in his 40s, trained at home since his childhood as his walid sa’ab, Ahmed, was also a banner artist.

He was enamored by Bombay, the city where his father trained as an artist. Although he himself had spent only six months there but he considered it the city of dreams. To quote him, ‘Top artists were in Bombay. People used to go there to learn work from them in that time. Now it’s not like that. You can learn work anywhere in Hindustan.

Earlier, there was much more work in Bombay. Bombay ke paas kaddar rehti thi. In Delhi, they used to make only small banners. There is no profit in small banners, for a figure we get good money but in Delhi, the banner is small in size. In sq. ft. we did minimum 200 sq. ft. and would get 200rs at that time, same thing in Delhi we would fetch only 60 rs due to small scale. So the artists did not go to Delhi. In Bombay there was a lot of opportunity— actors, producers, directors came and they would meet you and see your work and if they liked it, then without saying anything they would slip money into your pocket. There were painting sheds all over Bombay pavements.’ His father had been encouraged by the

actor Sheikh Mukhtar to do publicity for his film in Hyderabad.

He believed in the popular notion highlighted in Bollywood that ‘agar paisa kamana hai to Bombay jao.’

He now works as a senior artist whenever there are largescale painting jobs in the city. Otherwise, he creates oil colour portraits and reproductions of old masters such as Raja Ravi Varma. photograph clicked at Chinna Cine-Arts in 2016.

Artist Waheed is giving finishing touches to the telangana chief minister, K.C.R’s plywood cutout. the total cutout was 40’ tall, it was created in parts with overlapping parts.

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Ambaji explains that in Sholapur there was a difference in production method starting from creating the canvas itself. It was closer to Bombay style of work. They used a small 4” brush (as opposed to floor scrubber) for coating.

They would nail two ends of the cloth and then do the oil coat after which the cloth loosens a little, and then nail the other two ends to the frame. In this manner, the banner remained tout.

‘South India ra-gg-ad, rough— fata-fata-fata-fatafat. They put the oil coat later after fixing.

It wasn’t so there (sholapur), they cared a lot. Here they don’t care about the banner so much. Over there they thought that it should be like a canvas, should be straight like plywood.

South India is different. Here they keep colours in bowls. Over there they made several shades of one colour on the pallet as if using oil tube colours and mixed white slightly in the oil in order to bring out brightness. Here, no, no, no oil maarke fatafat kaam karne ka.

That is the thing.’

Another technique of using graph method for sketching stayed in use in Bombay, whereas here the stills were projected using epidiascopes and enlargers. Hanumana sa’ab attributes this to the lack of space in the city of Bombay where the sheds were much smaller. He recollects that maximum work in Hyderabad was in Telugu,

whereas in Bombay, English and Hindi titles were a must and if someone knew Urdu, they would add that too. He points that Prasad sa’ab and Ramakrishna sa’ab came to Bombay but failed and returned, as their design sensibilities did not match with the audience.

He explains that this painting is not something that you teach by holding hands. One has to observe other artist’s works. He folds his hands, closes his eyes and says that every morning he remembers legendary artists from Mumbai like G.Kamble, D. R. Bhosale, D. Ambaji (his guru), Diwakar Karkare amongst others.

Sarwar saab, who worked in Vijaywada for four years says, ‘Vahan Telugu banner ka field bahut vast tha! Yahan hindi pictures ka hai. Andhra mein bahut zyada hai. Vahan kaam ka style alag hai, Madras ka influence zyada tha kaam pe.

Yahan hum jo seekhe vo alag tha. Fir bhi yahan ka, vahan ka mix kar liye hum. Farak hai vahan bahut smooth karte, yahan bold, rough kisam ka, patchwork vagera. Colors vagera, application alag rehta. Jaise yahan ka alag hai, vaise Bombay ka alag hai. Har jageh ka alag rehta.’

(There was a lot of Telugu banner work over there. Here, it is more for Hindi pictures.

The style is different from what we learnt here, influenced by

Madras. But still, I mixed both and created my own. Over there, the work is very smooth but here it is bold and rough, patchwork style. Color application is different as well. The way it is different here, similarly Bombay style is different as well. Every place has a unique style.)’

bombay

The story of each prodigy is a unique one. Some continued practicing as banner artists all their lives and formed guilds that kept the legacy alive. Some broke away from the banners profession and ventured into other things. Even so, they maintain a link with their fraternity.

‘Sometimes if I see someone writing signboards, I will stop my vehicle and ask him how much is he earning and how is the work. I still ask because he is part of our family only.’ Ambaji shared.

delhi

madras

This bonding of paint, brush and streets keeps them together even now when there is little or no work.

k ri sh

na r

ive r

vijaywada

sholapur the city profiles are not to scale.

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“Jis zamane mein maine chorha, us zamaane mein mehsoos hua ki ye kaam zyada din chalne wala nai hai.

Kyun bolenge aap, jab Mughal-eazam release hui to uske 24’ tak poster aagaye. 20X10’ ke jo hum banner banate the, us size ke poster aagaye. 3-4 alag alag bits mein aate the, pasting hoti thi. Vaisa ho gaya, jabi hum samajh gaye ki ye kaam ab bilkul masheen ke daur pe hojane wala hai. Ab ho gaya.”

(When I had left the banner work, I felt that this work wouldn’t last for very long. When Mughal-e-Azam was released, 24’ large posters came. The 20X10’ banner size that we made started coming in poster form. It was pasted in 3-4 parts. When this started happening, then we understood that this work is soon going to be machine done. That’s happening now)” shared Md. Sarwar saab.

becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist artist artist artist

the setting:

decline decline decline & & change &change change what lead to the eventual death of hand-done cinema banner work?

‘Ab kya hai, flex mein bade se bada, minton mein rakhdo. Vo baat usmein nai aati. Colors fade ho jate, vo design, getup, colouring vagera vaise nai rehti. Photographic composition rehti. Flat rehta. Setting nai hai. Cutout nai hai. Kaam hee band ho gaya, banner ka kaam hee band ho gaya. (Now any size of banner can be printed in a matter of minutes on flex. It does not have the same effect.

Colors fade out and the design is not like the hand-painted banners. It is only photographic composition: flat, no setting or cutouts. Banners work has ended completely now.)’

this quote of Md. Sarwar resonates the sentiment of several banner artists of the city. One would expect bitterness from those who have been through better days but instead there is a melancholic acceptance of their fate.

Those continuing with it say either it is their love for the art or that they are too old to learn anything new and hence stick to it. They made sure that their kids don’t follow their footsteps, instead get college education take up secure and dependable jobs unlike their own.

The main turning point was invention of the computer and the subsequent decreasing cost of printing technology in the market over the years. This has brought in two notable changes; one is shift from manual to digital modes and the other is in the altered spaces of production. Work that was primarily done

outdoors was now possible in small, closed spaces. This paved opportunity for women to be part of the designing industry as DTP (Desktop Publishing) service providers. In the 90s they say, whoever could learn computers was guaranteed a job. Sita, who runs her DTP unit in an old residential complex in Hyderguda shares that after 1995 DTP came and that changed the everything.

Women were considered more reliable and diligent. Sita mostly works on layout and design of Telugu books. She explains that technology has become very cheap now, ‘When I first began

work in 1992 at Cherita Printers, there were only 3-4 printing houses in Hyderabad as computers and printers were both extremely expensive. Over years, it has become possible for women to work from home and contact their clients over e- mail. Most of my clients are part of TANA (Telugu association of North America) and live overseas.’

The other breaking point for the banner field was development of printing on weatherproof flex of any size. Something that was exclusively under the domain of handwork could now be done much more quickly and seemingly effortlessly. The cinema banner artists did not give up easily, they tried impressing the distributors by producing alluring works. But, the sheer number of banners to be produced each week increased manifolds.

‘Now it’s become 100s of sites.

It’s not humanly possible to paint so many things in a day or two. It’s impractical for painter or companies because film release will happen every week. So obviously they will have to shift to mechanical methods, computer kind, printing business. The point is whenever technology comes, people say that everything (cost) is going to come down with advancement of technology. We had maximum 10 art paintings in the city. But now 100-150 minimum in Hyderabad itself. Us zamaane mein dekhna, we used to go to the spot to see, ab hum logon ko dikhana and now we don’t want to see. (In those days, we used to go on our own to watch the hoardings but now we are made to see and we don’t wish to.)’ explains TammaReddy Bhardwaja, producer and director of Telugu films, who used to own a banners company himself in the 70s.

The field of cinema banners has been reduced to curiosity of foreign art galleries and researchers. Political work had always been part of the banners industry but as an irregular supplement.

The number of people working in the profession has reduced drastically.

The only traces of cinema work can be found at the RTC X Roads, Chikadpally where larger-than-life plywood cutouts of young and popular Telugu actors occasionally lurk in the skyline. These works are brought in from Andhra regions of Kakinada and Vijaywada districts as the production and shipment 45

costs together cost less compared to getting it done in Hyderabad.

Chandar Rao, the proprietor of Chinna Cine Arts, one of the numbered hand-painted banner companies left today recalls, ‘My father started the company in 1973. I took over in 89. Back then all the work was of cinema.

There were distributors, they would give work and we would install in the theatres. Since Ramajanamabhumi (92) work has declined. Theatres have shut down (single screen theatres) and people have changed lines.

It has become commercial since NTR (94) came. Before that it was completely cinema. When I started, cinema work was almost dead.’

They have worked with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Congress (INC) and now Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) depending on who has been in power. Dealing with politicians and ministers is much harder as there are many middlemen in the process.

There are quarrels over delayed payments and price negotiations. He says that although everyone is aware of the upcoming work, but still they push placing the order to the last minute and that exerts a lot of pressure on them.

The city has expanded in all directions rapidly in the last 30 years. From two small patches it has now grown to become an irregular circle with Husain Sagar lake as the center. By 1990s the

Telugu film industry had completely shifted from Chennai to FilmNagar in Hyderabad. With it, the craze and audience for cinema has increased here manifolds. Technicians who had moved in from Madras have settled in Hyderabad and the next generation of cinema actors, directors, producers and other team have been brought up in the city. As most of the information about the latest releases travels over the Internet and as Whatsapp forwards, there seems to be a decreasing need for physical print. Yet, the number of advertising firms in Hyderabad could be larger that any other city in the country.

A small excerpt from Noam Chomsky’s ‘On Anarchism’ : Alexis de Tocqueville(French politician and writer) pointed out that “the art advances and the artisan recedes.”, but that’s inhuman because what you’re really interested in is the artisan, you’re interested in people, and for the people to have opportunity to live full and rewarding lives they have to be in control of what they do, even it happens to economically less efficient.

Earlier, the public was part of the production process as spectators and critics, now we have been reduced to mere consumers. ‘Artists are sick

of the flexi. Ask them to shut it first. If that will happen then artists will get work.

Now because of flex, there is no work and therefore no interest.

I have been working since 13 years. Studied till intermediate in the village and then came to Hyderabad for work.’ remarks a

young man working at the Ramnagar site. One wonders that even if flex is banned as per government’s hesitant and biased vision of banning flex completely, whether space can be created for handwork once again or would it be chided as rudimentary or/ and illegal?

c.v.ambaji working on the cinema actor turned politician, n.t.rama rao’s 100’ tall cutout. it was instaled at the naubat pahad known for birla temple. image shared by c.v.ambaji; 1984

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Cinema banners had a life of 3-4 years owing to the use of cheap powder colours. There wouldn’t be any surviving banners from the earlier days. Much shorter was their display time in the public domain. Can we learn from them lessons of ephemerality and how to apply them in the future? People move in from smaller towns and villages to Hyderabad in search of education and work opportunities. There are no two ways about this exodus, the question then is what faith can the city provide to those that seek and are skilled in handwork? What is the alternate space that could emerge for those looking to earn a living from their creativity? Must it, in its race to keep up with technology leave behind those who seek to learn handwork?

‘Its been 45 years since I started working in this line. However much I want, I can’t learn anything else. If there are 1lakh works for a person, then this comes at 99,000 or after. Main works are farming, clothing, etc. This is not a work of necessity. Who will come? Only big people. The work is really good but there is no importance.’ Babu Rao at the Ramnagar site.

photograph clicked at Chinna Cine-Arts in 2016. this is a zoomed in shot of a 40’ tall plywood cutout. the rough finish when looked at from a distance looks realistic.

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becoming becoming becoming an an artist anartist artist the the setting: thesetting: setting: hyderabad hyderabad hyderabad

decline decline decline decline & & change &change change artist artist artist artist profiles profiles profiles city

where where to, where to, whereto, to, from from here? from here? fromhere? here? how must we take forward discussion and learnings from our artists.

life life worlds worlds lifeworlds worlds

Walking through the empty studio of Izra arts at Moazamjahi market, I took solace in imagining the smell of fresh paint, music of Md. Rafi buzzing from an old transistor and old-school mimicry being performed on one side. Amidst this, the boys are creating Dilip Kumar and his like, several times their size. I wonder the kind of stimulation it would have brought to the senses!

As an outsider to the city of Hyderabad, I found an opportunity to discover the city, as it is today, by searching for our artists, and, as it once was, through their stories and images of their work.

While the power of nostalgia for an older time and aesthetic should not be undermined, but here, we must also reflect on what more can be done as gestures to understand and propagate some of the valuable lessons that our banner painters teach us. As generators of informal economy they fall into the delicate category where any kind of external state support isn’t available. There was blooming mutual understanding within the community and they looked out for each other.

With the declining demand of their work, the guilds got fragmented and consequently, the solidarity shrunk.

Apart from economy, their invaluable contribution to public arts and aesthetics of the city need to be emphasized further. The kinds of visuals that are encountered present a window into the government’s (and market forces’) priorities towards the citizens.

A message announcing celebration of human labour and craft along with stressing on the requirement for leisure

and entertainment was sent out to the public by giving space and dominance to our hand-painted cine-signs. The intangible bonds of love and admiration helped them sustain and flourish through meager wages and arduous lifestyles. It was phenomenal, to say the least, that a boy who had a flair for drawing and painting, irrespective of his financial and social background could make a living by doing what he loved.

This is not to refute the struggles, internal dynamics and biases that existed within the banner companies.

Cinema banner work is a distinctive art form, honed and created, for and by the urban environment. The grandeur and proliferation of this art was made possible in the expansion of the urban city, but so was its dismissal. It is important to note that the legacies created were not safeguarded only within family clusters but travelled within a larger and much more inclusive community. Such is the nature of a city. The art was sustained by a roundthe-year commercial need, which gave a steady permanence on the whole as opposed to the ephemerality of individual works.

It doesn’t seem justified that the government did nothing to help with the transition when handwork started becoming redundant. Hundreds of painters in the city still battle on day-today basis to make ends meet. We must think of the policies and schemes that should be put in place when we talk about the loss of creative livelihoods, be it in any sector. Particularly in urban art, the research should not be done devoid of the transforming physical, social, political and cultural contexts.

Coming back to the mighty unipoles, signifying irrevocable power of commercial interests, looming inescapably in Hyderabad’s cityscape we must remind ourselves that a similar fate of the banner painters now awaits the small-scale flex printers of the city.

The difference is that the cause this time is not the inevitable technological change but rather government’s consciously executed policies alone.

When handwork dropped, it created opportunities for a new group of people with small capital to set up design and printing units. It developed into a market of its own. Two decades later, we have once again reached a breaking point.

Can we possibly do things differently this time? A social impact analysis should be carried out to figure out who all would be affected the most and which parties gain from implementation of government orders. From discussions with flex printers, it surfaces that the mega advertising firms for newspaper, billboards and television media would benefit the most from such a ban. If the visions of a Smart and Clean City are the primary drivers for banning unauthorized flex boards from the city, then it seems a befitting time to also think about the kind of visual signs that we want in our cities. The banner artists provide us with an alternate imagination where art and livelihoods amalgamated. Keeping the objectives constant, what would be the nature of visual aesthetics thus formed in present times?

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Following is a list of some projects that offshoot directly/indirectly from this study. Please write to us if you are already working on something similar/would like to.

What is the role of commercial artists unions in furthering the agenda of the artists?

Importance of master-apprentice work networks in urban cities.

What hierarchies are set within the system?

A detailed case study of hubs of banner production in the city in lieu of spatial, social, commercial, economic and real estate changes.

Creating a repertoire of anecdotes related to single screen theatres and cinema banner as part of a collective of city memories.

A study of the outreach of Telugu cinema in Hyderabad over the years.

What will be the discourse of the visuals in a smart city drive that will drive policies in the upcoming decades?

What kind of ‘art’ does the urban life facilitate? What is the importance of ‘commercial’ public art?

Role of women as DTP printers. A study of how computers came as a major break for women for entering the ‘visual’ field.

A study of the radium sticker market of the city.

Single screen theatres as unique experiments in architectural form: Where do they fit in the modern built fabric of the city?

Single screen theatres as keepers of unique social cultures.

Document history of Izra Arts as a unique, continuing legacy of Hyderabad city.

Government’s role in promoting public art. What have been the works conducted by the state? When and why?

A survey of the young population coming to Hyderabad to learn digital visualization softwares in places such as Ameerpet.

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List of Interviewees (in the order of first meeting) Banner artists: Harish sir lives in secunderabad, worked in the industry for a short while, keeps on experimenting with various art mediums; practices and teaches as a commercial arts teacher in the city on-and-off Artist Ramesh met him at the azamabad art company, believes that they are tied down to hand-painting as they don’t know anything else Babu Rao also met him at azamabad art company, works on small scale oil painting work as well, last I checked he was working on painting murals of durga goddess Artist Waheed lives in old city, also does reproductions of old masters like raja ravi varma Hanumana sa’ab retired, lives in padmashali colony, one of the most extensively travelled banner artists. has his heart in bombay C.V.Ambaji the most eclectic of the lot, is currently working on preparing artworks for the centenary celebrations of osmania university Lateef sa’ab gives guest lectures at jnafau, is a favourite with the students; a repertoire of engrossing stories Md. Sarwar sa’ab retired, lives in vijaynagar colony in a beautiful house designed by him back in the 80s Letter Writers: Dattatreya The first serendipitous contact found; strangely, copies letters as motifs!

M.Nagaleshwaram Rao of Rao Arts situated at masab tank, he sublets work to hostel students closeby, thus helping them pay their rents

Ramaprasad of Ajay Ads situated in nallakunta, paints rtc buses at night and caricatures of politicians in the day Ravindrachary Veggalam of Rabindra Arts part of the flex printers association, he moved on to a digital setup in 2005.

Proprietors of banner companies: Balu Arts owns the azamabad art company Chandar Rao of Chinna Cine Arts takes up political and religious orders from across the southern part of the country, trained as a junior artist Tamma Reddy Bhardwaja of Laxmi Publicities now a director and producer of telugu films, he had setup the banner company, long ago, in partnership with a friend.

Others: Sita, DTP Center Works solo, one of important DTP designers in the city, has most clients from the United States; was one of the earliest women to take up a job as DTP after the computers were introduced Ram Mohan Rao, Telugu short stories writer worked in the railways, moved in from coastal andhra, has seen the city change tremendously Screen Printers, Secunderabad one of the few small setups of screen printing that survive till date, located close to the passport office Dhani Aeley of Dhani Aeley Publicities owner of one of the popular film publicity design houses located in somajiguda

Yamini of EFLU is currently pursuing her ph.d on cinema and the city, was generous with sharing many resources

Inspirations: Venugopal Maddipati teacher and guide; for the hope that you emanate and for helping me find hul Indian Cinema Industry for untiringly entertaining millions of us Authors: Preminda Jacob for ‘celluloid deities’ S.V.Srinivas for ‘cardboard monumnets’ Cristopher Pinney Illustrations: (Page 26, 29, 32) Devika Nayal forever a fan of her work, the illustrations are layered with hidden meanings. if you didn’t get it yet, the ‘mard’ banner was used to address patriarchy Design Crits: Prachi Nagpal her keen eye for sieving the faults in information design has been a constant help Dedication (page 1) Images: Md. Sarwar

Hyderabad Urban Lab (HUL) I am thankful to everyone at hul for making hul what it is. to the directors, especially, who provide a unique environment for working where individual capacities are nurtured to the maximum Mentors: Anant Maringanti with every discussion I felt equipped with a new way/method of looking, understanding and questioning.

Bhashwati Sengupta the one time that sticks out the most is when you asked what does ‘artist ban gaya’ signify? The nuanced understanding of social relations you have will always be something to aspire for.

Also from HUL: Pullanna is pursuing his ph.d from HCU; having been part of the ‘powerstar pawan kalyan’ fan group once, helped me understand cinema culture in smaller towns Ratnam for explaining the working of tsrtc tenders and much more Neha Vaddadi for pushing me to make the report more ‘dramatic’

News Archives pressacademyarchives.ap.nic.in/archives.aspx Charminar Connections www.zotero.org/groups/charminar_connection Headings Font djr.com/bunjee

Resource persons from the city: Mohammed Munawar Chand of basti vikas manch, was party in finding the first banner company Padma, Telugu short stories writer put me in touch with sita who often does dtp work for her publications

an explanatory sketch of the theatre setting for film, Mera Jawab(1985) by Lateef saab

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The visual is part of the Cine-Signs pamphlet.

The boundary is of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) limits in 2007. Most hand-painted banner activity was concentrated within it.

md. sarwar apprenticed with prasad saab in vijaywada (1960)

hanumana sa’ab working on politician sonia gandhi’s portrait for elections

c.v.ambaji working on a 100’ cutout of the politician rajiv gandhi

lateef sa’ab painting n.t.ramarao, the mega-star turned politician

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about the author

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Mridula completed Bachelors in Architecture from School of Planning and Architecture in 2015.

Her dissertation in college was on ‘Reception of Urban Graffiti’ and thesis on ‘Public + Art Corridor in Karkardooma, New Delhi’. Her interest has been crystallizing into understanding the discourse of visuals, arts and aesthetics in our urban cities. ‘Cine-signs of Hyderabad’ is largely an empirical work which taught valuable lessons in field-work and research discipline.

about hul Hyderabad Urban Lab (HUL) is a not for profit research cum action organization. It generates knowledge through available data and through its interaction with communities and uses it to examine urban issues like housing, transportation, sanitation, waste management, gender and others.

The purpose is to advocate for policy changes and also propose for possible solutions.

Hyderabad Urban Lab askhydlab@gmail.com www.hydlab.in

Mridula Garg mridug7@gmail.com

Ask for the cine-signs pamphlet: A concise compilation of the project.

illustration by Devika Nayal