Husain plans to release Gajagamini in the rural areas

AHMEDABAD: He is a self-proclaimed ''idoliser of women'' and be it for his outstanding contribution to contemporary visual arts or his so called obsession for Madhuri Dixit, Maqbool Fida Husain is the most talked about man in the world of arts. Revered by some and hated by others, Husain seems to have been floating from one controversy to another throughout his career. "As a child, my family wanted me to become a priest, but I became a ''worshipper'' of images instead and that too, much against the wishes of my family. However, my father, who was very fond of music, always encouraged me, to the extent that when I told him that I don''t want to complete matriculation and instead, want to just paint, he stood by my decision," says Husain. A follower of the Sulaimani sect, his father lies buried near the dargah of his pir in Saraspur, Ahmedabad. This, however, is not the only reason that Gujarat is so close to his heart. "My step mother was from Siddhpur near Patan and as a child I used to frequently visit the state. I studied in a boarding school in Baroda. And later, when I became a member of the Progressive Group, I had friends from Gujarat and as Baroda patronised artists, I used to frequently come here," he says. Amdvad ni gufa was a logical conclusion to those frequent visits. However, his displays in the gufa have drawn in upturn and outcry from some groups particularly for his portrayals of the Hindu gods and goddesses. Defends Husain: "The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are part of the Indian psyche; one cannot limit them to one particular community. These epics and these divine figures are central to all our arts and architecture. And who can even think of defiling one''s own culture?" "I have never been disturbed by such criticisms. Time was when Morarji Desai had referred to contemporary visual arts as a fad that "has to die." He was a much respected Gandhian, but what did he know about art to make any such a statement in a public meeting. You paint a stone with vermilion and the rustic villager sees Hanumanji in it and in the urban areas we have educated ignorant people who want to impose their opinions on everything irrespective of the fact that whether they understand it or not," he says, adding, "there is a lot of empty rhetoric about tolerance, but in practice we are an intolerant lot and worse still, we have an educated class who has more faith in the West than in India." His cites an incident when he took his paintings on the Ramayana some of them 40 feet long on bullock carts to a village 40 kilometres from Hyderabad and how the villagers ''loved'' the work. That is exactly what he is planning for his film, Gajagamini. The film has been submitted to the Censors Board this week. "It is about a woman who transcends time and space. I am not planning a commercial launch, instead, I will take it to the rural areas accompanied by my paintings, books and even toys. It would be something like an event put together," he says. A book and a DVD on the genesis of the film is currently being prepared by Ahmedabad-based art gallery owner, Anil Relia, which should be released in March. As far as the film is concerned, Husain is planning to release it at the Cannes festival this year. "There have been quite a few good film-makers, but apart from Rithwik Ghatak and Satyajit Ray, no film-maker has explored the language of the cinema," he says. Time was when he hit headlines and also controversy, by painting Indira Gandhi, and now it is Madhuri. "I have painted Mother Teressa too, and for 20 years," he says adding, "I lost my mother when I was barely one; I don''t even have her photograph. It is her that I am constantly searching. Shakti or the Divine Feminine is at the core of Indian culture which I try to explore. For, I believe that our points of reference have to be always Indian. This film is my tribute to the Indian woman." And what about Madhuri? "Well if we have been entertaining people and intriguing them to imagine, why should anyone complain?" he laughs.