Mumbai, March 21 : Renowned film artist MF Hussain's film 'Gramayatra' has set a record in the world film industry by being auctioned for Rs 118 crore. We expected this picture to sell for 25 to 35 lakh dollars at the Christie's auction. But Nishad Awari, head of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, said that it is a wonderful film.
He explained that it can only be compared with Hussain's 'Zameen', which is now in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi.
Hussain, known as India's barefoot Picasso, started his career as a hoarding painter. Like the Bollywood posters created by him, his life story is also pictorial but his life is not a picture of a happy ending, many cases were filed against him as he received life threat calls many times. "For Hussain, it was like coming back to his homeland," says art historian and mentor Yashodhara Dalmiya.
As a founding member of a group of progressive artists, he gave a new dimension to the art of post-independence India. "Though Gramayatra showcases innovative storylines and influences, it has Indian roots. He portrays a typical Indian in the film. It depicts a farmer plowing a field using a flail to grind wheat and a couple on a picnic."