A documentary film featuring life, artwork and thinking of renowned Bangladeshi artist Shahid Kabir was premiered on March 31 at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhanmondi
The film, titled “Shahid Kabir: Prantikotar Rupokar” has been directed by Rashed Chowdhury. Before screening the film, a discussion was held where the artist and filmmaker talked about the film, their experiences and more. The filmmaker spent five years to make the film and he journeyed to different parts of the country with the artist.
The 60 minute documentary depicts various aspects of Kabir's life -- his paintings, themes, childhood, thinking process, how he spends his leisure, his traveling over rural areas and more. The film has also focused his bohemian life. As a bohemian, the artist restlessly walks from street to street, and has portrayed prostitutes and street women, starving people, and dying mothers with their children.
The painter mainly paints ardently with the subjects of downtrodden people, their daily chores and usable items as well as neglected segments of our surroundings. His art features particularly the disadvantaged and exploited community. Their destitution and struggles are recurring subjects of his works.
The documentary also depicts images of the artist's family members including his parents. Besides, the film shows Kabir's childhood images where he is playing and making sketches, portraits and landscapes. His philosophy of art is revealed in the documentary through interviews, where the artist shares that he was born in a well-off family but he was never attracted to wealth. He liked to spend his time with poor and underprivileged people in the society.