By Jilawatan

Artist M F Husain, who’s often embroiled in controversy, has found himself in another one. Recent reports suggest he intended to paint Vidya Balan in the nude. Here, he sets the record straight.

M F Husain, the 95-year-old artist, has not been bashful about naming his muse from among Hindi cinema’s leading ladies.

By Jilawatan

After directing Gajagamini with Madhuri Dixit and Meenaxi- A Tale Of Three Cities starring Tabu, renowned painter M. F. Husain is to direct a comedy with Vidya Balan, who apparently is his latest muse. However, when contacted, Vidya said that she hadn’t met the 94-year old artist yet and she will decide only after meeting him. She is however, keen on working with him.

The Indian artist, who some months back accepted the citizenship of Qatar, is presently doing a series of paintings on 100 years of Indian cinema besides work on Arabian and Indian civilisations.

By Jilawatan

Just before my meeting with M F Husain, I’m told that he won’t be taking any questions on his Qatari citizenship. It’s been almost a month since the renowned artist surrendered his Indian passport, and years since he’s been in forced exile because of the controversy regarding some of his paintings. But it’s still what everyone wants to talk about. Everyone except M F Husain that is. In Dubai to debut a collection of his limited edition imprints, he speaks passionately about his love for India, his enjoyment of Hindi movies (“3 Idiots was brilliant!” he declares) and his interest in making art more affordable. Here’s more with the 94-year-old genius who could give people a quarter his age a run for their money with his energy.

What do you really miss about India? If you could go back, what’s the first place you would visit?
I’ve lived in India for 90 years. I’ve travelled to every part of the country, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. The whole of India is inside me. I remember every place I’ve been to so clearly. If I could go back, I would go back anywhere and everywhere.

What’s your next film project?
It’s going to be a comedy that will start early next year. I’ve done a classical movie with Gaja Gamini, a contemporary one with Meenaxi (A Tale of Three Cities), and now I’m writing the script for this comedy.

Do you have a new muse among Bollywood actresses? Who do you find interesting?
At the moment, it’s Vidya Balan. In the movie I’m writing there are three women characters, I think she could play them all.

What was the last Hindi film you saw?
‘3 Idiots’. I thought it was brilliant. Commercial and yet so pure.

Between painting and filmmaking, what do you enjoy more?
I definitely enjoy filmmaking much more. I’m in sheer ecstasy when I’m working on a film. I find the entire process so fascinating, from the scripting to the camera angles to the music. The only drawback is that it is expensive.

Your paintings continue to sell so well, and at such fabulous prices. Why do you think people keep buying M F Husain?
There must be some substance to my work (Laughs). I keep experimenting, so I don’t get stuck in the same place. If people are successful at something, they don’t change what they’re doing. I’m not like that.

What is special about your current exhibition in Dubai?
Paintings have become so expensive now. I’ve been trying to promote graphics for many years. The imprints are my way of making art more affordable.

Do you get nervous before an exhibition?
(Laughs) I’ve been doing this for a very long time. So no.

What’s the secret to your energy and the fact that you are so prolific?
I’ve always been prolific. Even in my schooldays I’d be painting all the time on whatever I found. There’s no secret to it. I’m a keen observer of life. I watch the way people do things. I don’t understand how young people say they’re bored. If you’re interested in life, you can never be bored.

By Jilawatan

Is Vidya Balan M. F. Husain’s latest muse? Well, it looks like she has captured his imagination.

Vidya is a strong contender for the lead role in the artist’s upcoming comedy film, which is expected to start early next year.

Among the current Bollywood beauties, it’s Vidya who has impressed Husain the most, claims an entertainment portal. He has stated that the film has three female characters. “And I think Vidya could play them all,” he said in Dubai.

For those who came in late, Husain has already directed a couple of films — Gaja Gamini in 2000 and Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities four years later. Both his films, tagged as art house cinema, failed to work at the box office.

The artist has said since he has already attempted a classical film – Gaja Gamini – and a contemporary one – Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities – he now wants to experiment with comedy. He is still writing the script.

If Husain casts Vidya, she will join the list of his favourites. It was Madhuri Dixit who first caught his imagination after the 1994 blockbuster – Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.

In fact, Gaja Gamini was made as a tribute to Madhuri. But as her magic slowly vanished, Tabu entered his canvas. Quite predictably, she was the star of Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities. After Tabu, Amrita Rao impressed Husain with Vivah. He watched the film many times and even announced an exhibition around Amrita.

The artist even went to the extent of calling her “the ideal woman of today with Indian values intact”. But unlike Madhuri and Tabu, Husain never announced a film with Amrita. So, it remains to be seen if Vidya manages to bag an offer.

Coming back to Husain, the artist found Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots – the last film he watched – brilliant. “It is commercial and yet very pure,” he told a website on the sidelines of an exhibition of his collection in Dubai recently.

In the online interview, Husain said he enjoyed filmmaking more than painting. “The only drawback is that it is expensive,” he said.

Vidya, on her part, is going places. After grabbing many trophies for Paa, she has now joined the elite club of speakers at the Wharton School in the US. Others on the panel were the likes of Anil Kapoor and Shankar Mahadevan.

Vidya was invited to speak about the globalisation of mainstream Indian cinema.

On the work front, she is busy shooting for Rajkumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, based on the murder of model Jessica Lall in 1999.