Mirror of Love 2
When I presented Aravindettan's 'Vasthuhara' at the FTII, I was talking of Vasthuhara as an example of a 'mirror of love'. What does it mean? I believe that any creative expression of an artist, from music to literature to painting to drama to dance to cinema is an attempt primarly to show the lacunae of life-supportive/life-nurturing qualities in our life, especially of love. Art by its mystical power, whenever shows an absence, makes us feel the desire for its existence. Conversly it also projects a desirable harmonious beauty which is not present today. Please remember that 'beauty' not necessarly always denote only the beautiful. For me, when there is a balance achieved, or resolution made even after a chaotic conflict, there is beauty. 'Beautiful' also does not always mean to negate the not-beautiful/ugliness.
A beautiful person of character may be ugly-looking physically. The compassion generated by a photograph [ex. photo of the girl burned by napalm bombs] or by a cinema [ex. Night and Fog] liberates the viewer and makes his/her heart yearn for a society where such things never happen. That yearning is a distilled occurrence of beauty - the source of creation. That is why Dostoevesky says: " Beauty will save the world" Even the 'anger' felt by a viewer after watching 'Hearts and Minds', is of 'beautiful' in its roots.
In fact a 'mirror of love' more often needs to show the ugly and the marginal. Striving for beauty or an ideal, questing for the truth and focusing the spirituality of our being does not mean that we shun our immediate reality and all questions related to it. In fact a 'hightened awareness leads us to the very 'here' and 'now' of our daily existence. I am empowered with a new vision, a new hearing and a new touch with which I take part in this very fight of our existence and resulting realization. The very existence of mine interconnected with my neighbours and the multitude of unseen humanity. Within this trancended spirituality, making of a film and completion of an image becomes 'an act of love' as Truaffat said about film making. The work of art becomes a testimony to the artist's ultimate faith in humanity's salvation. Here lies the posibility the cinema to become a unifying, life-nurturing force in our disintegrating world. Such a possibility makes a film, a "Mirror of Love".
A beautiful person of character may be ugly-looking physically. The compassion generated by a photograph [ex. photo of the girl burned by napalm bombs] or by a cinema [ex. Night and Fog] liberates the viewer and makes his/her heart yearn for a society where such things never happen. That yearning is a distilled occurrence of beauty - the source of creation. That is why Dostoevesky says: " Beauty will save the world" Even the 'anger' felt by a viewer after watching 'Hearts and Minds', is of 'beautiful' in its roots.
In fact a 'mirror of love' more often needs to show the ugly and the marginal. Striving for beauty or an ideal, questing for the truth and focusing the spirituality of our being does not mean that we shun our immediate reality and all questions related to it. In fact a 'hightened awareness leads us to the very 'here' and 'now' of our daily existence. I am empowered with a new vision, a new hearing and a new touch with which I take part in this very fight of our existence and resulting realization. The very existence of mine interconnected with my neighbours and the multitude of unseen humanity. Within this trancended spirituality, making of a film and completion of an image becomes 'an act of love' as Truaffat said about film making. The work of art becomes a testimony to the artist's ultimate faith in humanity's salvation. Here lies the posibility the cinema to become a unifying, life-nurturing force in our disintegrating world. Such a possibility makes a film, a "Mirror of Love".
posted by Sunny Joseph | 8:43 PM
1 Comments:
i havent seen the film as yet. but your words sound so magical, so beautiful.
this is my first visit to your blog. its a lovely space. need more time to sit quietly to read all your thoughts. you have proved my desciption of you twenty two years ago - "my quiet monk!"
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