KOCHI: The art of hand-painted movie posters is as old as cinema itself. In India, the earliest records of such posters date back to mid-1920. The oldest surviving evidence of this, is the flyer of a Marathi film titled ‘Kalyan Khajina’. Bright, colorful, kitschy and depicting actors in dramatic poses, these posters not only advertised a new release but introduced prospective viewers to the film’s premise, genre and cast at a time when the concept of trailers was unheard of.
While the art saw its heyday from the late 1950s to up until 1980s, the advent of digital designing software spelled the decline of hand-painted posters which is now an almost extinct art. However, the once alluring art seems to be undergoing a resurrection into newer forms. In a one-of-its-kind attempt in recent years, Chennai-based artist Chris Blair Vincent’s design studio Silverbrush Studios has brought back the faded charm of hand-crafted billboards by painting wall murals for Tamil movie ‘Maara’ in the run-up to its release.
“We were contacted by Amazon Prime which was releasing the movie. They wanted to do something that was more akin to art rather than a typical movie poster as the film is primarily about an artist. They were specifically thinking of something that was accessible to people with which they can interact on the street. Maara is the remake of Malayalam film ‘Charlie’ starring Dulquer Salmaan. I connected instantly with the project because ‘Charlie’ is one of my favourite movies.
It was a tight schedule and we had to brave the rains in Chennai but we painted three walls of differing sizes across the city,” says Chris, a Thrissur native. The murals located in Besant Nagar, Egmore and Valasaravakkam, each depict a different concept relevant to the movie. “Each mural has a story to tell. For example, the one in Valasaravakkam is painted on a four-floor building and refers to the sketchbook the heroine finds of the protagonist.
The book is an important trope in the film as it propels her to find the person it belongs to. I thought of it as a portal to the titular character’s life. The composition of the mural at Besant Nagar mainly showcases aquatic creatures. The director had informed me that fishes form a crucial motif in the movie. It was also apt as the wall is located close to the beach,” says the 27-year-old. With more similar projects in hand, Silverbrush Studios hope to be the torch bearer of reviving a lost art culture.