(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
For as long as Avani Rai remembers, her father pointed the camera at her, photographing her in all sorts of situations. "I've never seen Raghu express emotions except through their photographs," she tells of her father, the world-renowned Indian photographer Raghu Rai. But when have an updated now the camera turns ham, it's about much more than getting to know the person behind the camera lens. It's about taking ownership of the story. And who can give us a closer look at a person than a daughter who must fight her way out of her father's master shadow?
Secession
How to approach a cinematic cinematic? What professional approaches do you use to portray a photographer who has made photography a career in India and has published 50 photo books? Are you trying to copy the genius's use of angles, shadow effects and light? The task can seem overwhelming. Avani Rai also filmed for 700 hours. First coincidentally, while at home and traveling with her father – then more methodical.
In the documentary, Avani does not profess to have inherited his father's unique photographic look. But is this true? Shortly after this scene, her father instructs her to take a photo first as stray birds fill the entire photo frame. Avani, in turn, waits to photograph until the last bird is on its way out of the top picture corner. In other words, she opposes her father's composed style, choosing the subdued and the sober rather than the grand and impressive. The filming is defiantly nonsensical. The talking subtitle "An Uncomposed Portrait" has a slightly rebellious tone.
The power of photography
During the poison gas tragedy in Bhopal in 1982, Raghu Rai took pictures that have surely etched into the retina of more than me. Would the world have reacted had it not been for the scandal, which attracted international attention just hours later? The black and white photograph of the lifeless little child with glassy eyes and the body covered with soil and stone is a cultural icon and has helped to create political engagement among people.
Raghu uses photography to gain public attention on critical issues both at home and abroad. He is constantly returning to the conflict situation in the Kashmir region. The images Raghu Rai showed the world, made it impossible for Indian authorities not to act. The master photographer is used to being seen and heard, to have influence, to have the role of the orchestra leader. In his daughter's film portrait, he becomes enraged as he describes the photography process and does not experience enough response from the daughter.
Raghu Rai is often referred to as India's photographic father.
Perhaps this is where he formulated his idea of photography as a mutual influence? About the heartbeat that is skipped as the moment the picture is taken, and instead becomes a frozen force in photography?
Raghu Rai.An Unframed Portrait shows powerful images that still take me to the place, the time and the people where the photo was taken. Scenes and words are said to flow with their own memories around Raghus's famous photographs. Still, his reaction to Avani's lack of interest comes as a rap over his fingers. I'm splashing. The daughter copes with the indulgence with an indulgent silence that testifies to her long experience of dealing with her father's violent temper.
There is something intense and demanding about the film's protagonist, but also about the type of photography he carries out. Avani's dependable approach stands in deep contrast here. While the daughter possesses the digital generation's naturalness, her father's monumental, historical images are a black photograph that must constantly prove and impress.
Saturation and change
Through countless of the legend's flashbacks, the documentary also conveys 50 years of Indian and international photography history. This is not without reason: Raghu is often mentioned as India's photographic father. The early success and affiliation with the photo agency Magnum is mentioned in the film – but not the influence Raghus' older brother S Paul – who was already a renowned photographer – had on him.
The social impact Raghu has had by virtue of his images is immense. He has portrayed the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, prime ministers and artists – creative, suffering and leading people – and thus brought them closer to us others. The Dalai Lama plays with Raghu, wants his hat off to see how much hair he has left on his head. It seems close and harmless.
The propaganda part of his work is never mentioned – nor is Raghus's innocent portrayal of Mother Theresa and slick portraits of individual politicians. Both could well be included. At the same time, what can be said in one movie is limited.
Avani stands up to her father verbally, but as a filmmaker, she prefers more subtle approaches. Emotions are captured and conveyed, such as when Raghu is annoyed or burned for her daughter to do like him. But she is her father's daughter – she wants to create her own way, just like him.
While the daughter possesses the digital generation's naturalness, her father's monumental, historical images are a black photograph that must constantly prove and impress.
The fact that Avani's photographic looks are just as well thought out as her father's, testifies to a visit to both Instagram accounts. The daughter's belong to just another time. By giving herself a place in the film, the documentary becomes descriptive of the cross-sectional photography that art form now stands by. Raghu has photographed anyone anywhere, as if it were a human right. The over-photography and publishing of our time has led to a saturation in terms of images. When anyone can photograph – and do it, uninhibited – our perception of this art form is also changed.
Tighten "non-direct"
Avani's film is a tribute to his father, an honest portrait of an unusually elderly man whose jealousy and ambitions are ever increasing. Ideally, Raghu would capture the entire cosmos in one image. Megalomania? Absolutely. But Raghu Rai knows what photography costs. The film provides insight into what it means to document other people's lives and suffering. You must, in order to capture the intensity and power of the scenes you are witnessing, have a silence in your mind. The Indian quotes his French photographer colleague Henri Cartier-Bresson: "When you take a picture, one eye looks through the camera while the other eye looks inward."
Mirrors and other reflective surfaces always make Avani think of her father's incessant documentation of her growing up. In the film, he clearly expresses dissatisfaction with being exposed to the same thing. On Avani Rai's Instagram account is a picture of Raghu, which her daughter took in Oslo when the film recently had a Norwegian premiere. The master photographer is resting at the bottom of the picture, with movie posters hanging on the wall above him.
Also, for a photography legend, the camera look is exhausting, and new powers must be brought. But the Insta picture is also telling what the daughter is for includes in his movie. The pages of Raghu Rai An Unframed Portrait shows, evidence of much tighter regripe than Avani Rai's so-called unregistered style suggests.
