Could a tribute to the late, legendary artist M.F. Husain be complete without the presence of one of his greatest muses, Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit-Nene? And would it be complete without his old friend, a lady who met him just forty-eight hours before he passed away, author Shobhaa De? It would definitely be! And hence, it came as no surprise to see the two beautiful women paying glowing tributes to the painter in one of the halls at Jehangir Art Gallery on Wednesday evening.
Ridhima Sinha (who did the accompanying video) and myself (of Team MissMalini) were there to cover the special occasion, organised by Husain’s family and friends, to honour him in the country of his birth.
Husain could well have been in the room and his physical presence would not have been missed because the walls of the gallery were lined with newspaper and magazine clippings which related to him. If that was not enough, there were life-size portraits of the artist, giving the effect that he was actually sitting among his family and friends.
Even at the entrance to the hall, there was a huge life-size portrait of Husain, posing with a painting of Mahatma Gandhi. Next to it, was an umbrella screen-printed with his paintings, a pair of his shoes (ironical as that may sound) and an antique lantern which he used in his younger days.
The back-drop of the stage also had a towering black and white portrait of Husain, carrying his shoes and the lantern.
Expectedly, a large number of his family, friends and fans filled the hall to capacity, all wanting to hear the tid-bits on Husain’s life that were being shared by his loved ones and celebrity friends.
And even though speakers like Nadira Zahir Babbar, Bakul Patel (the ex Sheriff of Bombay), senior artists Prabhakar Kolte and Prafulla Dhanukar and Adi Jehangir (owner of the art gallery) shared some lovely insights on their relationship with the man over the years, the most poignant moment was when his grand-children took to the stage and spoke about Husain as a grandfather.
Also speaking about their father were his children Owais and Raisa Husain. Owais plans to make a film on his father in the near future.
Of course, the moment everybody was waiting for was when Madhuri Dixit took to the dais and shared innumerable memories about the man who considered her his greatest muse.
However, while the rest of the audience admired the Husain paintings on the wall, author Shobha De went one step further and actually “wore” one. Yes! She wore a saree which was screen-printed with Husain’s famous horses. These were designed a few years ago by his daughter Raisa.
Clearly, “wearing” a Husain was the best tribute, ever!
Also spotted at the event was actress Shabana Azmi, writer Malavika Sangghvi, artist Kalpana Lajmi, actress Juhi Bubber and Princess Asha Raje Gaikwad of Baroda.
