Nemai Ghosh documents icon's life

Sixty plus, Nemai Ghosh displays years of hard work, talent and discipline in his photography exhibition 'Faces in time-and Out of time' at the Piramal Gallery, NCPA, Mumbai. A must for admirers of doyen film maker Satyajit Ray as well as photo enthusiasts.

Veteran photographer Nemai
Ghosh entered photography via the theatre. Now in his late sixties, Ghosh has captured with his third eye the life and moments of Satyajit Ray at work, the evolution of the Bengal Group Theatre, the land and people of Kutch and the street children of Calcutta. These photographs are showing at the Piramal Gallery, National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) and will be on till November 25, 2000 in an exhibition 'Faces in time-and Out of time.' All the images were taken on black and white Kodak film using Canon and Nikon cameras and printed on Ilford paper.

The exhibition reveals Ghosh's keen eye for capturing moments in time, his passion for theatre and his ability to capture reality. Subtly caught by the camera are photographs of Satyajit Ray in a relaxed moment during the shooting of Distant Thunder,1973; Unraveling the Cosmos (1980); Timir Baran - the sarod maestro in old age (December 1985), The accusing finger: street children (February 1995); He plays with his head (Pele the footballer - 1977); and Man and wife, kindred souls (1994), among many others. A dark background with dramatic lighting dominates most of his photographs of the performing theatre. His best works can be attributed to Satyajit Ray, who he has captured at work, in relaxed moods, in anger, directing, brooding and while in his study.

Mumbaibest.com meets the man, the photographer
"I attribute my discipline to actor and theatre personality, Utpal Dutt, when I trained under him in his Little Theatre Group. My ability to catch the exact mood, the precise moment, the particular posture, the body-movement, and facial expression, are all rooted back to my theatre training," says Nimai Ghosh. Published several times, his photo-biography on Satyajit Ray 'Satyajit Ray at 70,' a 96-page paperback, captures Ray in words and picture frames. Also to his credit are over one lakh photographs of Satyajit Ray including working stills from his films since Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. Ghosh's ultimate aspiration is to be able to photograph completely in the dark, totally without light.

Ghosh had an enviable record of photographing every Ray film from 1969 onwards. World renowned photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson in his foreword to 'Satyajit Ray at 70' has written: "Through his visual gift, Nemai Ghosh allows us to be intimate with film-making, and to feel with great fidelity, the drive, the alertness and the profundity of this giant of cinema in all his majestic stature."

Nemai Ghosh has had several solo exhibitions dedicated to Satyajit Ray to his credit, including those at Cannes International Film Festival in 1991, London International Film Festival (November 1992), at le Mans in France and Brussels in Belguim.

The exhibition 'Faces in time-and Out of time' will be on till November 25, and is a must for admirers of Satyajit Ray and photo enthusiasts who can benefit from his subtle light techniques and camera angles.

Address: CPA's Piramal Gallery, Experimental Theatre Building, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 021, Timing: 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. Closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays.

By : Anupama Vinayak