Why I decided to make a living out of selling portraits of Bollywood stars

Art and writing have many things in common. Almost everyone has dabbled in writing or sketching/doodling at some point in their life, mostly in their childhood. This has been true for me too. It is not unusual to see young parents gift their little ones a box of crayons and a sheet of blank paper to let their imagination run wild. It is not uncommon for kids to eagerly show their versions of spaceships, a scene of the evening sky or stick figures conveying some message or not.

My inclination to art remained latent but it has always been there. Sketching faces of great leaders from textbooks, or those of celebrities from blown-up images in newspapers or magazines, used to be my favourite pastime as a child.

I had an early influence in my childhood. We used to play games in the summer holidays and once tired, would ring the bell of a modest Maharashtrian house. An affectionate old lady, Mrs Soparkar would give us water to drink. Once, one of my friends noticed several paintings and realised that the lady was a wonderful artist. In no time, the word spread and everyone requested her to teach the children how to draw. Although, it is rare to believe in today's age, but at the time, Mrs Soparkar was reluctant to charge a fee for teaching. Eventually, she agreed to accept a modest sum. It was under her aegis that art began to grow on me.

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It was a time when postcards of celebrities were in demand and circulated amongst friends. The young artist in me made several attempts to sketch them, with not much success initially. But as I got familiar with it, the smell of pencils and the feel of paper only became more irresistible.

Until 2007, art was something I indulged in only over the weekends. And then, my life was left devastated by a crisis, and it was tough to reconcile. It was a dark time. While a full-time job kept me busy, surviving the lonely hours was a real struggle.

I felt the need to let go of my angst. Art was always close to my heart but, maybe, it was time for me to take a deeper plunge - to turn it from a hobby into a passion. Thus, began a simple, modest journey. I started putting up my sketches on a blog, heartatart. 

But why portraits? The answer is not difficult. Escapist Bollywood fare always reinforced beliefs in the power of good over evil, the magic of close bonds and families, the many wonders of love and entertainment.

As always, there were criticisms that celebrities lack substance and so on. But Bollywood's charm has always worked on me since childhood.

I'm still able to gather inspiration from the angst-filled protagonist of Meri Jung. I enjoy watching the unreal Amar Akbar Anthony, and Karma still makes me nostalgic.

While my early works were far from good, I did get noticed.

Every weekend, I looked forward to sketching a portrait or more. With the crisis still not completely over, I sensed a duty towards art. So I took a step further and, one day, I went to the stationary shop to buy colours.

I started picking film magazines from old paper marts. Newspapers with close-ups of celebrities were stored and kept aside. Issues of Screen would be preserved for months together. My economic condition was unstable, so I restricted myself to paper and poster paints.

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I still remember the cynic in me disapproving of the idea: "At the age of 30, you will attempt painting? There are so many young children doing a better job than you!"

And yet, the urge in me to take the plunge was so strong that I went ahead.

My first colour painting was more like patchwork and yet people understood it. I had worked hard and with inputs from skilled well-wishers, I improved by leaps and bounds.

With time, I started posting my works on social media. There was a positive feedback from a lot of influential people. Visibility on Twitter enabled me to connect with film stars, review writers and journalists, which further spread the word about my blog. I also learned from the caricature artist - Vivek Thakkar whose beautiful caricatures appear in a spoof column in Cineblitz.

I am aware that a true artist yearns for recognition more than money but for me, it is different. I want my work to make money so that someone inclined to art will be encouraged to make it his/her profession without any hesitation or opposition from mentors or anxious parents.

It is pretty much like the story in the Aamir Khan directed-movie Taare Zameen Par. With recognition coming in, I have been partly vindicated. This fills my eyes with tears of joy. I have sketched and painted on a white paper for countless hours, often almost giving up. It has not been that futile a journey.

I want artists to earn respect and that is one of the reasons why I want my work to make money for me.

The other bit is the optimism with which I look at my collection. With over 200 celebrity portraits, I am looking at a wide canvas of possibilities. Right from Raj Kapoor to Ranbir Kapoor, my blog features every major superstar. I am sure, with the right ideas, this can be instrumental in building something epic for Bollywood.

I believe that life is full of drama and drama is full of life. Hence, painting portraits of Bollywood personalities gives me a kick.

There is a long way to go but I am glad the journey has begun.

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