Photograph taken by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Navroz Contractor in Ahmedabad (1972). Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement/Vivek Desai

Photography Strictly Prohibited, an exhibition of photographs of the late Navroz Contractor is running at Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad in Banjara Hills. The retrospective exhibition, to be held as part of the Indian Photo Festival (IPF) 2024, will be inaugurated by writer-director Deepa Dhanraj, curated by Sanjeev Shah, Anuj Ambalal and Himanshu Panchal, featuring still photographer, cinematographer Navroz K. Selected works will be included. , writer and bike enthusiast.

This exhibition is significant because Navroz’s photographs have never been shown publicly, except for a series on jazz and wrestlers of Dharwad. Visitors can expect to see works and his evolution as an artist, from his early days to his time behind the camera.’

Curators studied over 20,000 negatives to create a collection of his works, which reflect ‘how he saw the world because he was not a traditional photographer or photojournalist and never created consistent stories.’ “According to me – and I may be wrong – photography, for Nowruz, was a way to hone his skills as a cinematographer because it requires a relationship with people, to understand how they behave. Do and how to move,” says Navroz’s friend, filmmaker Sanjeev. For more than three decades, who has also written a book on him. (Navroz was the cameraman for most of Sanjeev’s films).

Another exhibit of about 200 of his photographs is currently at the Satya Art Gallery in Ahmedabad.

bond with people

Navroz Contractor | Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement/Mallikarjuna Katakol

Navroz pictures are connected to people and this connection is reflected in his photographs in which people are either looking at him or at the camera. “No photographs were taken if the person was not aware that he or she was being photographed. He could maintain the same rapport with people even without saying anything,” says Sanjeev.

Anuj recalls a conversation he had with Navroz while accompanying his mother to The Family of Man, a photography exhibition organized by Edward Sisson, director of MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art, New York), in Ahmedabad in the late 50s. How did he get involved in photography after leaving? , With a display of nearly 500 photographs contributed by 273 photographers from 68 countries, the images featured in The Family of Man exhibition narrate the human experience from birth to death. “The idea of ​​the exhibition (held after World War II) was to show that people around the world are equal and have the same feelings, irrespective of their race and the place they come from. Nowruz was interested in life, even in humans.

A year before he died following an accident in 2023, Nowroz scanned his negatives for the first time and reviewed the photographs. Anuj explains that the buzz about his photo series on Jazz was due to the quality of the photographs. “It was not only his knowledge of jazz, but he also shared good relationships with some of these artists who were his friends. The paintings were acquired by the Smithsonian Museum into their permanent collection.

Filmmaker Mani Kaul (1974) Photo Courtesy: Navroz Contractor

Anuj’s favorite images from the Navroz collection keep changing with every viewing. But the portraits of people working in the industry or of famous personalities (Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Mani Kaul, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, among others) and children – create an intense experience. “He was able to capture certain moments and bring these individuals to life; They start talking to the audience.

Photography Strictly Prohibited, an exhibition of photographs by (late) Navroz Contractor is running at Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, Road No. 3, Banjara Hills, till 2 December