| Concept | Fiction | Documentation | Documentary | Events | ||||
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| Concept | Fiction | Documentation | Documentary | Events | ||||
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1.
AMBA
Mallika Sarabhai & Bansi Kaul in film AMBA
Amba revives the two hundred years old tradition in which women
were forbidden iconography. The story line is based on the exhaustive research
on Gwalior idol makers, Mallika Sarabhai, Braj Mohan Shah, Bansi Kaul, Papiya
Das Gupta, Dr. Kamal Vashisht, Vinoo Manohar, Shweta Amrit and Akshara Upadhaye
acted in this film.
In
Amba rural local have been choosen. Gwalior's paintings of Chitera Auli
have been specially employed, local Bundelkhandi music was creatively used
in this film of 25 minutes in 16mm was exhibited in International Film Festival
of Bombay. Film was directed by eminent art historian & film maker Shri
Aashi Manohar, scripted by Shri Prabhunath Singh Azmi & produced by
Madhya Pradesh Film Development Corporation.
The sets & coustumes were created by Shri Prashant Khirwarkar. The Cinematographer
was Ravji Sondarwa & recording dubbing was by S Vinod Kumar. The job
of assistance & coordination was done by Shri Kalyan Acharya & Nitin
Bhardwaj. The technical equipments were borrowed by National Film Development
Corporation, Bombay.
2. Making of Akhbar's Bridge
Aashi Manohar has been grilled in his various incarnations of conceptualiser,
director, producer et al. The experts of various departments of the project
are interviewed by reputed Art Critics of India.
With a view to propagating serious cine culture, six programmes of 23 minutes
each have been shot on Hi-band U-matic at the sets of Akbar's Bridge –
a case study of sorts.
In order to make the presentation more interesting and useful, appropriate
film clips and music clips have been incorporated. It goes without saying
that these programmes will prove to be trail blazers in their own right
and more. These programmes will not merely lead you to watch Akbar's Bridge
but more importantly will set you thinking about the issues of our times.
Films on : SYMBOL . SETS & COSTUMES. MUSIC...etc
3. Akbar's Bridge: A Slient Crusade
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The film made by Aashi Manohar, based on historical fact, not only
provides opportunity to reconstruct and analyse historically the decisive
actions or movements, but puts before us a deep penetration of the appearance
and existing reality quite often hidden underneath. Through the symbolic
and touching details in unfolding layers of human complexities, the film
does create consciousness.
Rakhee Bakshee, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India.
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Good,
Secular Credentials.. the film holds promise.
Bharat Desai, India Today, New Delhi.
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Aashi
Manohar, the director is in the great spirits after having finished the
shooting.
Neeraj Mishra, Indian Express, New Delhi.
Aashi
Manohar's film is a striking lesson to the politicians & people who
fight over the Masjid – Mandir issue, totally ignoring the pressing
needs of the country.
Statesman. New Delhi, India
3. Five Films on Bhopal Riots
Sambhaav ~ Vidambana
~ Roshani ~ Aashwasti ~ Satyamev Jayate
Communal
beast metamorphosed in cinematic beauty
National Mail, April 11, 1993
Sudhir Dixit
It is interesting to discern that a film contrived for calculated patriotic
propaganda can be aesthetically riveting; almost stereotyped message of
communal harmony can find novel experimental channelisation ; a simple script
could be transformed as if by a magic wand into a potent-polished-palatable
six minute TV film 'Sambhaav' made by Bhopal Doordarshan. The director of
the film is the perfectionist Manohar Aashi, who is now days exploring &
exploiting the potential of TV medium.
So with the message of communal harmony, it was easier to be simplistic
or sentimental; but Aashi blended the purity of form (don't say it is impure
because of innovations demanded by cinematic intrusion) with the purity
of thought, by choosing 'Bharatnatyam'
dance form as its basis. Aashi like all of us knew that Bharatnatyam is
the most ancient, god-created Indian dance- form, fully equipped to portray
Navrasa, which proves to be extremely evocative Indian concept highlighted
in the film. Accompanying music by Ramaswami is just perfect to the occasion.
Reena Jain has wonderfully and innovatively adapted the complex form of
Bharatnatyam to the cinematic-thematic requirements.
Blood
knows no creed
National Mail, Jan13, 1993
Dr. Rajni Pandey
When man clash over ideologies and religions, when the so-called idealists and preservers of culture and heritage crusade for causes which divide, separate & severe one human being from another, then starts a vicious cycle of uncontrollable violence begets violence has been virtually demonstrated by the unprecedented events which shook & shattered Bhopal & other parts of the country in the month of December.
Aashi
Manohar in his films 'Roshani' and 'Vidambana' telecast by Bhopal Doordarshan
during the month of December 1992 depicted the apprehensive and traumatic
woman of a riot-ridden city. It could be any city in the world.
4 . Three Films
on Subhash. Subhash Charit Chitram
5 . Pilot Episode of Gujarati Serial : Roboshri
Films
in the process of Completion
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1. Making of Gandhari. Part. 1. 2
RESEARCHING GANDHARI
Dreams, Images and Reality
The idea for this film was born in Ahmedabad, ’96 during the mild
Indian winter.
Aashi and me met in Atul Desai’s sound studio, where they worked on
recordings for ‘Akbar’s Bridge’.
I was in Ahmedabad to study Kathak and a pupil of Shandya Desai, Kadamb
dance school. From the very first meeting we discovered to have a lot of
things in common, among of it our strong interest to work on the blindness
of people. Chosen blindness which protects people of seeing all the things
they cannot stand, they want to flee of. Both of us wanted to work on this
topic since several time. Aashi’s point of view was one of an Indian
man who always was very much interested in the part of strong women in India
and Indian mythologies, like ‘Mahabaratha’.
My approach to the topic was the view of a woman who very often had the
desire of beefing blind, but who fortunately had opened her eyes once and
most probably will close them just for the last long sleep....
Very fast we came to the figure of ‘Gandhari’ and analyzing
the dramatic story of her chosen blindness, of her and Dritrashitra’s
destiny we found a lot of similarities, of parallels to the modern world.
The basic story of our film has been developed along the traditional tale
of Gandhari. The elements - a strong and proud woman, - a weak and powerless
husband, who is supposed to be her protecting king, - the betrayal: his
blindness, which she’s just told the day before they will be married...
We were interested especially on that part, the fact that Gandhari has been
cheated. Maybe she was dreaming of the powerful, the strong king. Maybe
she thought to live at his side as an equal partner, ruling the kingdom
in peace and wealth. Maybe she was proud of her young, fresh beauty and
impatient waiting for the moment to expose it to a loving, admiring husband.
All her drams collapse within the moment she gets the information about
her future man.
She decides to refuse, to give up, to deny the role that society wants to
play her in that game. The traditional explanation of her hard decision
to wrap her eyes with a cloth, is, that she is the deep loving wife, who
wants to share profoundly her husband’s destiny. For us it was a cry
of rebellion, an act of revenge. The patterns of Gandhari and Dritrashitra
can be found until today. The awful loneliness of a modern couple, when
communication is reduced to insulting each other. The giving up of all responsibility,
preferring a state of self-chosen blindness and total dependency to an independent
and conscious life.
How many people close their eyes in front of their own and of other people’s
grief, when they could at least express their opinion ? How many women accuse
her (male) partner to be responsible of all their miseries and pains, when
they could just leave him ? How many mothers are complaining about wars
and brutality of the modern society and still: it’s the women who
raise and educate children! Writing the lines I’m very aware that
the problems of nowadays women is not exactly the same in India and Europe,
were I am living. But the basic, the fundamental principles are the same,
all over the world and in every society - excluding some very small and
shy tribes where we can still find some archaic, matriarchal patterns.
The main loss of women today is, that they lost their roots. Beefing reduced
to an object, a victim, a voice-and powerless being, we forgot our ancestors
might, their natural strength and their beauty.
The glimpses of ancient symbols, like elements, fire and water, cave paintings
and a woman who walks through the nature covered just with a piece of thin
cloth .., all this elements which are used in the film try to give an image
of what has been lost and of what we have to regain. The memory of woman
and nature, woman and fire, woman and sun is still stored in the ancient
parts of our brains. If we find a way to use them as a source of power and
stability we can try to find a new way to the old self-confidence and our
roots.
Beefing a woman and an artist I see my task to be one of the missing links
between an archaic, long lost past and the modern society we live in and
which still is ruled by inhumanity and barbaric patterns of mankind.
Due to the lack of time we had to make this film, due to the fact that it
is a real lowest budget production I really hope and wish that I can transmit
some of my visions and impressions I wanted to express and which are influenced
very much of my intensive stay in India. Time is a factor which is defined
very differently in Europe, especially in Germany, and in India. This first
co-production with an Indian director, Indian artists of different branches
and under Indian circumstances has made me curious and forced me to see
a lot of things from a very different prospective then the one I’m
used to. Aashi and me already decided that this Indo-German child will be
just the first that we gave birth to. I’m full of hope to find the
right support so that we can continue our work under better circumstances....
and ... with plenty of time, whatever that means!!
2. Gandhari. Film in . Hindi. English. German
Arise Gandhari
|
O
woman! Wake up! Sleep-no more. How
long will you see this world, O
Woman! Arise and see the light Trust
yourself O
Woman! Rise! Judge
deceit! Fraud! O
Woman! Rise! -
Aashi Manohar |
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Gandhari
: Credits
Production : Worldwide Infotainment Network
Producer- Director- Acting : Aashi Manohar
Executive Producer : Vinu Manohar, Manan Manohar
Concepts, Poems, Acting, Script Vocal : Leila Haas
Director Cinematography : Naval Jaiswal
Music- Songs : Padamshri Abdul Latif
Background Music : Atul Desai
Design. Costume sets : Kavita Shah
Camera : Sanjeev Patil
Editing : Chitransh
Paintings : Shobha Ghare
Translation : Papia Dasgupta, Dr. Rajni Pandey
Commentary : Papia Dasgupta
Still Photograph : Santosh Sahu
Equipments : Abhiyaan, Bimb
Song Recording : Utkarsh, Dhawani
Titles : Praveen Shrivastava
Co-ordination : Chitransh, Vinu, Manan, Ravindra Patil
Acknowledgement : Asha Jain, Devendra,
Ram Prakash, Prabha Jain, Neelanjana
Sketches : Devendra Sharma
Cartoon Courtesy : R.K. Laxman, Times of India
Layout : Raj Kumar Sharma
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