Everyone remembers Taare Zameen Par, the 2007 movie in which Ishan Awasthi, who is dyslexic, overcomes plenty of challenges once he discovers his talent for painting. Turns out, a real-life equivalent can be found in Pallav Chander, who recently displayed his artworks in an exhibition entitled ‘Tomorrow belongs to me’ in the capital.
In a candid chat with Pallav, he reveals that he was always surrounded by art as both his parents were painters. “Around 18, 19 I started getting interested in making art by myself. Till then, I was more interested in theatre. I have divided myself into two fields. I am an artist. But I direct plays as well.” he says.
He then details the challenges he faced in creating some of these artworks. He explains, “I was trying to push my work to galleries but they were not reacting. That was the time when I was having rage and battle within, for believing in myself when no one did.”
The show focusses on contemporary social psychology and behaviour. There is an underlying scream that further evolves into feelings of personal loss. He further explains, “It is more of a silent scream. There is no actual screaming; it is more rage. As an artist, when you are working over something, you are giving everything into your work and, then, there is no reaction coming, the whole rage turns into screams.”
He is dyslexic but he does not consider it as a weakness but something that is a part of him. He adds, “I would try to take it in a creative way and portray it as a disability turning into strength.”
He shares that this exhibition is a statement of confidence, and says, “Despite whatever the politics of art is, by the end of it, the work always survives.” He, however, credits his success to the people who did not appreciate his work. He adds that there are two ways to look at the scenario, “One is you can sit and crib about it that no one is watching, or you can create something. I did that latter. I would realise that if you could keep the purity of art for yourself, in the long run, there is a higher scope for people to respect that.”
Mental blocks are suffered by all. For Pallav, they may be rare but he is not alien to them. On being asked about how he coped with a mental block, he says, “I will paint, I will create something out of it. But, by the end of it, if I am not satisfied, I will rework it.”
