CHENNAI: While kids ran up and down the spiral staircase of the venue, a thrilled audience waited with bated breath to meet art director and artist Thotta Tharani. The room in which he delivered his speech had several of his pieces featured. Thotta Tharani, who is one of the most reputed artists India has ever produced, is also a film art director and has been an essential part of several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. The event ‘Meet the artist’ is a monthly programme organised by AV Ilango’s artspace. The idea is to trace the journey of the artist, get to know him/her better and more importantly inspire a few art enthusiasts. Last week, it was the turn of Thotta TharraniStarting off with a few of his childhood memories, he said, “I had never thought of earning money from my artworks. My father once bought me a free-hand drawing book, and I was so thrilled that I finished the book by that evening. The first exhibition, which took place in 1970, was nothing but a collection of my memories. They were a bundle of scenes which my mind captured while I took a seven kilometre walk from Egmore Central Station to Foreshore Estate.” Talking a little about the tragic state of art direction, he said, “The producers (barring a few) are skilled at bargains and the directors (there are exceptions) won’t give you enough time to work on the sets." He further disclosed, "One of the sets of the movie Anjali, which was directed by Mani Ratnam, was made in five days. Art direction isn’t easy, a lot of other things have to be kept in mind before designing the sets."
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