KOCHI: Filmmaker Ambili dons many hats — still photographer, art director, poster designer, make-up artist and director of 12 movies. This love for art stems from the magnificent world he was able to create by way of colours and painting.
The filmmaker, whose maiden directorial venture Veenapoovu travelled from the International Film Festival of India when it was held in New Delhi, to film festivals in Turkey and Russia, returned to the world of canvas after a 25-year break.
“I got lazy when I started directing,” the artist laughs. “It was long overdue. So when I decided to pick up the brush once more, I decided to spend some time with my passion, where everything began,” he says.
Ambili studied art and painting at the Government College of Fine Arts in Thrissur when it was known as the Government Occupational Institute. He studied art. “Director Bharathan was two years my senior at the institute,” he says.
It is no wonder that Ambili soon entered the world of cinema and donned innumerable roles behind the scenes. Maybe it was fate. One day when Vaikom Muhammed Basheer visited Thrissur Regional Theatre, Ambili gifted him a portrait he drew of the author. Legendary filmmaker Ramu Kariat happened to see his work and insisted that Ambili work on the poster for his next film, Nellu.
However, in the back of his mind, there lingered a yearning to return to the canvas. He heeded the call six years ago and has now completed more than 300 works. All his recent creations are on display at David Hall in Fort Kochi. From a variety of mediums such as watercolour, oil, and acrylic to even dot-based mammoth work of the Taj Mahal and Mumtaz to a wide variety of styles from exploring surrealism to abstract, Ambili’s brush moves in every direction.
“Now, after the exhibition, I will once again don the role of a director,” Ambili says. But he assures himself that he will not leave his brush and canvas behind.
The exhibition concludes on Thursday