Depicting the Greatest Showman of Indian cinema

Her muse is one of the biggest showmen of the Indian cinema, the man, who not just loved his art but also owned it. From Awara to Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor gave Hindi cinemas some of its most loved and cathartic films. And capturing the man, the genius behind these classics is artist Bela Aggarwal. Painting Kapoor’s portraits from posters of his famous films including Awara, Mera Naam Joker and Jis Desh Mein GangaBehti HAi, Bela has captured the confident charm and the deep, blue eyes through 13 oil paintings.

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“Raj Kapoor was handsome and quite charming on screen. I was so taken by him while I was just a kid that he has remained the object of my fascination and creative imagination for long now,” said Bela. Sirsa born Bela, who is now living in Amritsar, said that she first began painting Kapoor when she was around 16 years of age. “The film I saw with father was Awara, which became one of my first introductions to Raj Kapoor’s craft. The film left an impact and I started collection books, newspaper articles and other written material I could gather on Kapoor. Based on my knowledge of his work and his films, I started painting and soon he became my muse,” said Bela.

Thirteen paintings that capture various moments and moods from the life and career of Raj Kapoor form the core of the exhibition titled “100 Years of the Showman”, at KT Kala, a heartfelt tribute to the legendary actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor. From a painted poster of Awara, with Nargis and Raj Kapoor in their iconic pose holding the umbrella to a colour portrait of Kapoor in his Mera Naam Joker character, the paintings, most of them in black and white, are a dedication to the vision of Raj Kapoor, “He was ahead of his time, in his craft and his philosophy on life. The way he lived his life is an inspiration for me. I had to take a break as an artist and whenever, I found myself looking for motivation, I came back to painting Raj Kapoor. Since, this was his birth centenary year, I wanted to be a part of the commemoration of a great artist and stalwart of Hindi cinema,” said Bela.

The exhibition also displays artworks of Manpreet Kaur , who specializes in abstract and figurative painting.

KT Kala will host the exhibition till June 5.