A die-hard fan’s tribute to Big B

Retired layout artist Jayant Pithadia’s artworks were displayed at a tribute exhibition, titled ‘Frames 75’, for Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan
A die-hard fan’s tribute to Big B

KOCHI: He has watched all of Amitabh Bachchan’s films. Even the ones where he has essayed minor roles and those which fared really poor at the box office. This man is a super fan, really. When retired layout artist Jayant Pithadia was asked to do an artwork as a tribute to the iconic actor, he did not think twice. He was all in.  

On May 9, an exhibition titled ‘Frames 75’, displaying 75 rare photographs, paintings, sketches, posters, block print art, vinyl IP covers, lobby cards and handbills of the 75-year-old actor was inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan at St Regis Hotel in Mumbai. In the show curated by renowned photojournalist Pradeep Chandra and film historian S M M Ausaja, two artworks - a handwork and a digital work - by the Kochi-based Gujarati sexagenarian were also exhibited.

In the digital artwork, Jayant set the names of all Bachchan movies as the background. In the background, he recreated a black and white image of Big B from the 1978 movie Don, which is his most loved film. “For the background, I used all films of Bachchan. Even the ones with his voice over,” Jayant tells Express. As for the second artwork, he created a portrait of Bachchan using dots. “It is a simple technique, but time-consuming. I traced a colour photo of Bachchan using a pen. The dots were put according to the shape, density and highlights,” he says.

Apart from these works, Jayant also designed the logo for the exhibition, which is a visual celebration of Bachchan’s life. “I didn’t have my computer with me while I was doing the logo. So I created the concept, made a pencil sketch of it and sent it to a friend of mine who is a graphic artist,” he says.

Though these artworks are masterpieces in itself, you wouldn’t believe the time it took to finish each work. While it took Jayant three to four hours to finish his digital artwork, it took him only four to five hours to complete the dotted portrait. “It was in last May that Pradeep Chandra asked me to do some artwork for the tribute exhibition,” he says. “It was an exciting opportunity. I was told that he was very happy.”
After the show in Mumbai, all the exhibits will be put together in the form of a coffee-table book. An alumnus of Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai, Jayant now leads a retired life, travelling and exercising his sartorial skills with his wife at his home in Mattancherry.

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