PROGRAM

Bhairav, 2017
Single channel, 59 mins

Munir Kabani, Nikhil Chopra

Bhairav is a film by Munir Kabani and Nikhil Chopra, featuring Sajan Mani, Madhavi Gore, and the musician Ustad Bahauddin Dagar. Bhairav, after which the film is named, is considered one of the oldest raags* in North Indian classical music, typically played in the hours leading up to dawn. In this case, the raag sets the tone of the work, while the film reveals the architecture and landscape of Goa through its pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial eras. The work explores humanity’s relationship with the earth, spirituality, and the passage of time, while also highlighting themes of marginalization.

*melodic framework for improvisation

Fijaka, 2014
Single Channel, 13 mins 6 seconds

Munir Kabani, Nikhil Chopra, Jana Prepeluh

The title is borrowed from a Balkan expression and suggests the psycho-physical condition of a lack of aspirations. Fjaka is the exalted state of mind and body to which all humanity aspires. While in India, and elsewhere, fjaka is achieved through long-term meditation, in Dalmatia it can only be a gift from God. The island as a planet is studied as a sculptural form. A rock appears in the middle of the ocean: it is both a refuge and a trap with no escape. Although seemingly uninhabited, there is life on the rock; eight figures emerge from among the trees, each engaged in a solitary action. All of this is depicted through slow rotations, which allude to the planetary system and emphasize constant change within repetition. Sunlight and calm blue waters serve as the backdrop. This contrasts with the melancholy expressed by each character, symbolizing the paradox of paradise.

Man Eats Rock, 2011
Single-channel video, sound, 22 min

Nikhil Chopra, Munir Kabani

A video set in three worlds and treated as three vignettes. A naked primate emerges from a cave, peering into a pool of water. His explorations are contrasted with those of an elegant, fully dressed “gentleman,” wearing a top hat and cape, who tries to light a fire atop a mountainous landscape. A group of men and women in elaborate, full-dress costumes sets out for a picnic. And then? An epilogue? Something very dramatic is about to happen. A woman dances to the notes of dhrupad. According to the two directors, Nikhil Chopra and Munir Kabani, the film seeks to question our place on this planet, how we are consumed by our need and desire to consume.