Muzaffar Ali Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

One of the most awaited films of its time, it got stalled due to the insurgency in Kashmir. zuni He is expected to come out of coma this January. Director Muzaffar Ali says his son and filmmaker Shaad Ali has found a creative way to bring his passion project to life. “Shaad is closely associated with the film. He was about 15 years old in 1989 when the shooting was stopped when he received a letter from the rebels saying that the film was ‘un-Islamic’. Shaad was studying in Kanpur and had come to join the crew during the holidays, but he insisted on staying back as he had been bitten by the cinema bug; In a way he is stuck in the continuity of the film. incompleteness of zuni It has troubled him as much as it has made my existence miserable.”

zuni It is based on the story of the 16th century peasant poetess Habba Khatoon, who went on to become the last Chak empress of Kashmir. Muzaffar, who recently turned 80, says he has about 90 minutes of footage restored. “Shaad will be shooting today’s Kashmir with a dialogue between Dimple (Kapadia) and me to create a different kind of story that will hopefully bring out the essence of my work. Although I am cautious, Dimple is very excited about Vikas. Umrao Jaan The director when he shows his paintings of the Kashmiri Museum at Farasnama, an exhibition of his artefacts in Delhi. “When film went out of my control, I returned to painting because there were no commercial barriers that could come between my imagination and expression,” says Muzaffar.

Developed from the sketches of zuni The illustrations she created for the screenplay highlight the soft glow of her cinematic vision as they capture the sadness and mystery of a woman devoted to music and poetry in the four seasons that define the valley.

Muzaffar Ali Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Muzaffar says that he has not lost touch with Kashmir all these years and recalls how the moderate climate of Kashmir inspired his imagination to strive for this great creation. Towards the end of his tenure in the publicity department of Air India in the 1980s, he came up with the idea of ​​organizing international conferences in India to bring business to the airline. “We wanted to bring a planeload of international delegates to India, but research showed that most conferences took place between April and October, which meant Kashmir was the most suitable destination.”

Around the same time, his film Anjuman Traveled to Vancouver Film Festival. there he saw the last EmperorBernardo Bertolucci’s dramatization of the life of the last king of China’s Qing dynasty, which was shot in the Forbidden City, and felt that a grand film should be made to put Kashmir on the global map. “Everyone understood the idea of ​​making a film on the last queen of Kashmir and the then Kashmir government agreed to give me a bank guarantee.”

Muzaffar reunified Umrao Jaan Khayyam, Shahryar and Asha Bhosle team up to recreate the essence of Habba Khatoon’s Kashmiri poetry in Shahryar’s poetry for the Urdu edition. He says that seven “really poignant” songs were recorded in Asha Bhosle’s voice. “I didn’t know they would be a well-kept secret to me.” The changed political climate meant that he could only capture two seasons before the project was halted.

Muzaffar believes that Habba Khatoon is a part of the psyche of Kashmir and she will live forever. “You cannot eliminate abstract things like man’s pursuit of truth and beauty. The more you suppress it, the more desperate it becomes to come out.”

Muzaffar Ali Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An important feature of the paintings is the presence of a horse as a witness in each of them. This exhibition is a celebration of Muzaffar’s undying love for horses. Having grown up watching a variety of native breeds in his family in Kotwara, Uttar Pradesh, Muzaffar surprisingly stayed away from horses during his stay at Aligarh Muslim University, known for its horse-riding club, where he received his Was sent for study by Leftist. father, apparently to “declassify” him from his royal background.

Encouraged by the looks and attitude of this impressive animal, Muzaffar becomes inspired by the feeling of entrusting a horse to its master. He talks fondly about Shams, the gray and white horse he chose for Vinod Khanna who played Prince Yusuf Shah in it Zuni. Muzaffar quietly complains about how the flamboyant actor didn’t fully fulfill his commitments, Shams stayed with Barack for two decades before leaving the post in the name of the former US President.

Muzaffar says that when he spends time with Barak, he gets something new. “This is becoming my spirit animal. “I spend hours sketching its shape.”

Most of his landscapes, abstracts and sculptures express the gentle and kind side of the animal that has been man’s constant companion in the progress of civilization. Muzaffar talks about portraying the white mule Duldul in the Muharram procession. “I think the horse remains in a prayer position. That is why it is mentioned in the mythology of every religion and it is said that the horse prays for those who give it shelter. I feel small when Barack is around. His presence strips me of whatever little pride I have within me.”