The Seekers.. Oscar or Filmfare? Key is to keep dreaming!

Life brings all of us at various zones or points of pondering where we get the urge to find ourselves, better call it seeking or the churning of the life forces within, where energies surge and make us finally land us onto the right trajectory, after the big bang! Finally, we travel or revolve and rotate on our or own unique paths, which are meant to be and true to ourselves.

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams." - Oprah Winfrey

In a happening commercial city of Ahmedabad, where art and it's forms enjoy their own unique space! One Saturday, 16th February 2019 to be precise...I got to meet artists from various streams of existence.. they enjoy their own distinctive niche in the entire existence of the matrix and have gathered love, respect, and appreciation from their set of fan following.

Art has various mediums of expression, language, poetry, stories, movies or canvas. It's another platonic world where you meet infinity yet give fluidity and shape to your ideas in various forms. Therefore, every piece of artwork has flow and narrated stories, ideas that of the artist or inspired through nature or people.

Irshad Kamil: a man who needs no introduction. A person, who could not settle with a lifestyle what generally, people follow. Giving up on physics formulas and a job, he just went ahead finding his way into the world of Bollywood. Dramatic as expected, his family was shocked with the complete Blueprint though; but nothing stopped this man who was trying to find himself beyond the space of his physical existence, at Malerkotla in Punjab. 

With a PhD in Hindi poetry, his aim or ambition was to become a lyricist or a songwriter for which he received reactions, "are you going to write songs? Is that a job?" , "You cannot fill your stomach by writing songs, you need to do serious work!!". But with deafening noises, he didn’t give an ear to them and just surged ahead for his calling... 

Today he has authored four books, written songs for over 78 films, of which several became a hit. Irshaad has received 3 Filmfare awards and various others too of the prestigious category. A recently released book, “Kaali Aurat ka khwab” dream of getting the black lady in your hand (the Filmfare award) was launched over at a meet in Ahmedabad, where he gave an autographed book to the audiences who were present at the book discussion session.

Going back from where he left, the most incredible fact!!!!!... his superhit songs have a lot of Punjabi content, which has possibly become part of Bollywood mainstream music, it’s like the meeting of Irshaad and Bollywood, “Jab We Met”  to rewrite history, “mauja hi mauja; shaam savere bus mauja hi mauja”, which not only became a musical sensation but also won Zee Cine Award for the ‘Best Track of the year’

Dreaming is important, equally important are the efforts attached with it which help us obtaining the goals.. and all three in the life of a human are relative, as they change with time.

I moved ahead to another dreamer on the same day, Saturday in Ahmedabad at Natrani theatre to watch Shamiana Club screening, and as their tag line goes.. “Best things to do come in short packages”. Cyrus Dastur started this brand with a unique concept, Short film festival in Ahmedabad in 2009. ‘Films mean a the three-hour journey’, he broke the mainstream concept and rather this was a new ray of hope, another platform or opportunity for the seekers, learners that short films too have a scope and then came in the YouTube wave.

“Life is all about seeking, dreaming, working and discovering..”, says the grounded star who has been a lighting guide for many evolving artists who cannot always travel to Maya Nagari Mumbai to prove their talent.

The films screened by Cyrus are picked from across the Globe, usually, they go through the Oscar route and thus showcased. The films are either based on true stories or just a work of fiction, but carry a strong life message, leaving the audiences astounded. Today Shamiana is Asia's largest Short film Club

Amidst the two players between the Filmfare and Oscars, I also got a chance to capture the works of Madhvi Parekh, “The curious seeker”; at Archers Art Galley. The artist showcases her works created since 1964, where she expresses her local environment, the mythological influences backed by imagination and graduation in her way of expression as well. 

While ‘The Curious Seeker’ lays thrust on her admiration for Shakti, another series of her paintings under the label “The Last Supper” are exhibited at the Chapel in the old city; which express crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ.

Expression of art yet another level; though combined with lot of research and strategy is the flat, fluid and abstract world of advertising. Sanjay Chakraborty, a brand himself and a torch bearer, mentor for the aspiring young talent held a session on ‘Brand Wars’; giving and insight on how products position themselves through creative expression to not just capture the attention of their audiences in a highly competitive and fierce scenario, but grab the biggest marketing share of pie too.. The key for opening flood gates lies in the hands of advertisers, then allow the product to speak for itself. 

The session was conducted at Ahmedabad Management Association by Sanjay, who heads ESSKEY Consultancy.

Hence the conclusion is to continue, the way life does, continuity is the process, keep walking the path or keep knocking on the door till it opens..The turtles in a sculptor exhibition said it all!!

The process or the key is to dreaming or seeking backed by ACTION!!

....To be continued!