Reality television has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Socialising and partying after a tiresome day of work is not as exciting as watching a television series where you can zone out and be entertained amidst mindless humour. After seeing my social media flooded with snippets of the ‘Bollywood Wives vs Fabulous Lives’ Netflix series I decided to take on the challenge of watching what promised to be a show of fun and frolic.
The art-mosphere of the show was definitely courtesy of Shalini Passi whose artwork laden home had the fellow glamorous ladies fascinated, curious and intrigued. Having seen plenty of art enriched homes by virtue of birth and profession, I was rather bemused to see the large amount of attention that art, especially contemporary Indian art, has received on this show and as an aftermath of it. The conversations and questions being asked on art works displayed led me to wonder whether there is a general lack of know-how on Indian contemporary artists and its patrons or is the Indian art ecosystem a small bubble offering the lay person little to no real knowledge. Or perhaps it is not served in a palatable and entertaining manner?
There has always been a synergy between art and Bollywood. Artists and art historians are often in charge of film sets and costume designs while many people from the entertainment industry are collectors of art. Famous artists have often found inspiration amidst the glitz and glamour of Bollywood. Actress Madhuri Dixit’s home was recently featured in a magazine with works by Modern Indian artist M.F. Husain. Beautiful, vibrant works of art, which Husain specially painted for the actress, take centre stage in the home. Dixit was a muse to the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG) member and he would often refer to her as ‘Mad Huri’ loosely translated to a fairy of a princess in Urdu.
The only female artist of the PAG’s, India’s first Oscar winner, Bhanu Athaiya also had an art and Bollywood overlap. The artist with six decades of contributions to Indian art and cinema started as an artist and eventually found the outlet and recognition to her creativity in cinema as a costume designer. While her costumes did wonders in glamourising actors such as Rekha and heavily influenced fashion choices at the time, she preferred to let her work do the talking and avoided being seen in front of the camera. This might be why her immense knowledge as an artist, art historian, costume designer and advocate for sustainable clothing was never celebrated the way it should have. In an era where sensational news makes the headlines and real issues are often forgotten and overlooked, art too when served as a delectable dish with scandal and saga seems to be appetising and palatable.
This seems to be the case in the Netflix series as well. Passi, who is actively doing much in the world of art from supporting young artists, to collecting works of eminent, leading artists for years now was primarily a topic of conversation for her eccentricity and witty one-liners.
As Mumbai gears up for the second Mumbai Art Week, it comes as no surprise that Bollywood does yet again play an integral role. Director, producer Karan Johar will once again be the cultural ambassador for the art fair.
Perhaps a reality show with people from the art industry might be worth exploring?