‘Challenge to capture magic of the stage’
An interview with Rajesh Tailang, the director of Ehsaas
How did you get involved in this project? Alka Raghuvanshi, whom I call Didi, called me one day around two years ago and explained to me the Ehasaas Project which happened in 2012. Although I had some idea about the project because my brother, cartoonist Sudhir Tailang was part of it. However, by then my brother got cancer and I had to be at his side in the fight against the deadly disease. Sadly we lost the battle. The project got put on the back burner. Last year December we decided to put it on the front foot and slowly in between all our respective schedules and travel, we worked on the documentary. When it was ready, both Alka di and I thought of dedicating this documentary to my elder brother, the cartoonist Sudhir Tailang. How was the experience of making this documentary? I am basically a theatre artist, and theatre uses all the art forms, be it dance, music, poetry or painting. So getting into the feel of the process of project Ehsaas was easier, but to capture the result of Ehsaas, the stage show/ramp walk on a film was a challenge. I hope someone who watches this film is able to experiences the real splendour of Ehsaas.
What about interviewing such legends of the Indian art firmament? What was the experience like? Are they difficult to interview? It is always a learning experience to interact with artists and performing artistes. I think all great artists are per force great human beings first and of course they know their art so well. I thank all of them because they were really supportive and not at all difficult to interview and spoke very articulately. How does it feel to be part of the creative impulse and space of another artist — in this case two — one is the painter of the wearable art you are wearing and two the designer walking the stage? As a film-maker I had to get into curator’s mind-space because what I am trying to capture and show in the fabric of her creative-canvas. But as an artist wearing a painter’s wearable-art and walking on stage is totally different story. The stage is not a new space for me and here the actor in me helped me in syncing with the feel of the painting.
What was your experience of walking the ramp? It was over-whelming and also very emotional experience for me.