"I did not let my father see the film till its premiere"
With her debut documentary film Raghu Rai: An Unframed Portrait, on her father, filmmaker Avani Rai proves that a plant can flourish under a banyan tree
fIVE YEARS —THE TIME SHE took to record everything with a smooth and ferocious glance. Six hundred hours of footage –that encompassed in itself a time frame both nostalgic and contemporary, evoking not just her father’s work but also helping her find her voice as a filmmaker.
Filmmaker Avani Rai’s debut documentary Raghu Rai: An Unframed Portrait
(2017) on her father, the legendary photographer, might have started as an exercise to record the conversations between them, but over a period of time, it assumed the shape of a 55-minute film which is being screened across major festivals in the world including the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF).
This 20-year-old director is clear that the motive behind the film was not just to showcase the master’s work and how he approached the subjects, but in fact understand how a child born to illustrious parents (mother, Gurmeet Sangha Rai is an internationally renowned restoration architect) discovers her identity surrounded by luminosity. “How can I be at peace with the similarities and dissimilarities between my father and me. This was something that was on my mind. I wanted
“Frankly, when I went to study journalism in Mumbai, I had no clue that my father was such a famous man.” Avani Rai, filmmaker “I was stunned when Avani shared that she wanted to do a documentary on me. I am glad she approached everything with clarity and honesty.” Raghu Rai, Photographer
to be my own person who looked at everything around her differently. The process of filming put everything at rest,” says Rai who admits that the film, shot on a DSLR, has done something beautiful to their relationship.
Talking about the initial phase of filming when her father Raghu Rai would "correct" things, Avani says, “That's precisely why I didn’t allow him to watch the film before it was premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.”
The journey of filming her father and reflecting his love for visuals was not without problems. “You possibly cannot imagine the fights we had. We were in Kashmir, and had an argument. I had to call my mother in Delhi to mediate while he sat in the room next to me,” she says.
It was in fact filmmaker Anurag Kashyap who encouraged the young woman to take up the project when she met him in Mumbai. He promised to support her as a producer if she remained completely honest to the subject. “Frankly, when I went to study journalism in Mumbai, I had no clue that my father was such a famous man.”
Raghu Rai recollects that during the shoot she behaved like a true professional. “While I am a doting father, I wanted to make sure she forgets that during the process of filmmaking. She only needed to see me as a subject—a photographer. And I am glad she understood that eventually.”
As the interaction concludes, Avani Rai turns back to add, “My journey has finally started.”