Art lovers have enjoyed the artist’s ability in showcasing Hyderabad’s contemporary life using water colour. However, director Sekhar Kammula is now bringing alive his artwork in his forthcoming Telugu film, Love Story. Dayan’s hand-painted water colours, portraying a few historical and ionic locations in Hyderabad, which resonate with ‘love and romance’, have been already used in the film’s recently released song, Nee Chitram Choosi.
Speaking about the cinematic opportunity, Dayan says, “Sekhar garu liked my earlier artwork and approached me for the task. As the film has a strong cultural connect interspersed with love, he asked me to come up with water-colour canvases of iconic locations in Hyderabad, which were symbols of love.”
His water-colours for Love Story include Purana Pul Bridge (built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah who was in love with Bhagmatii), Taramati Baradari (which Abdullah Qutb Shah named it after his favourite courtesan, Taramati, a Kuchipudi dancer), Koti Residency (which was a mansion built by Kirkpatrick built for himself and his Indian wife Khair Un Nissa), British Residency (where it is believed Sir Winston Churchill saw Pamela Plowden), etc.
Taking art around Dayan tells us that he took around one month to complete the artwork while having multiple discussions with the director, and producers Puskur Rammohan and Narayan Das Narang.
“I have moved away from realism to capture that emotion and glorify the canvas for cinematic effect. For instance, to better convey the romantic feel and to elevate the mood, I have used different colour pallets while retaining the soul of the location,” he explains.
For someone who worked extensively on art depicting Hyderabad’s modern life, how did getting into films work for him? “I earlier worked for the 2016-National-Award film, Pelli Choopulu, and then later got several offers too,” he says.
Then agreeing that cinema’s wider reach drives the artists to cater to a wider audience, Dayan states that it provides a different perspective for the artiste.
“Cinema’s wide reach drives the artist to also think beyond the regular while inspiring people across the world to know more about art. It opens up a new dimension in creative aspects,” he says.
