The family that creates together, stays together. In the case of the Sinhas, this modified adage certainly rings true. Pursuing a career in cinema was the obvious choice for Shatrughan Sinha’s three children, yet only daughter Sonakshi could live up to ‘Shotgun’ Sinha’s fame. Her older brothers, twins Luv and Kussh, chose to pursue photography. However, their shared artistic genes resulted in a unique joint venture—a virtual platform for artists, art collectors and connoisseurs, christened the House of Creativity.
“Being the family that we are, we can’t escape creativity in any form—whether it’s our father through cinema, Sonakshi through her acting and painting, or Kussh and I through our love of visuals which play out in our photography,” explains Luv. An inherent desire to showcase his own art and that of his siblings, as well as an understanding of business, made Luv the catalyst behind this project. He adds, “I wanted to initiate a platform for us, but also for the incredible artistic talent out there that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.”
Her charm and Bollywood fame make Sonakshi the ideal face of the project. However, her celebrity image is not the only thing she brings on board. As a young child in school, sketching was her hobby of choice. Though best at art in her class, she never deemed the practice serious enough to pursue professionally. But in 2016, she felt the urge to pick a brush and begin painting, without any prior training. “I taught myself how to paint and I do everything from abstracts, faces, figures, even animals, and my work is very vivid with a lot of colour. Painting is a cathartic process and gives me peace. I love feeling the creativity just flow out of me,” she says with pride.
For brother Kussh, the development of prints and photos for journalism class led to the development of an avid interest in photography. Luv picked the art of capturing photos later. Distinguishing his work from his brother’s, Luv says, “Kussh is intellectual and I’m more commercial.”
On their website—houseofcreativity.in—one can browse and buy the works of 30 Indian artists currently. Mediums on display include acrylic, oil, pastel, resin and watercolour paintings, photo prints, and mixed media works. Digital and video-based art is likely to be added to the repertoire in the future. The chosen artists range from relative newcomers to names that have created a buzz in art circles and social media in recent years. An easy-to-browse and appealing user interface, a bevy of payment methods, and AI that allows you to virtually place the artwork in a setting of your choice to simulate the feel of having it in your possession, make the platform an appealing one for first-time art investors and seasoned collectors alike.
It is important for any business worth its salt to create a comfortable purchasing environment, but at its core, the House of Creativity claims to be a platform for artists. “We believe that any sort of creative endeavour has a universal language—a work of art speaks to you, and it speaks to me, even if differently. Which means every artist deserves a chance to have their artwork seen,” Kussh shares with candour. To this end, the website’s ‘Join Us’ feature invites artists to approach them by uploading their copyrighted work, giving everyone a fair chance. This has quickly become their most popular offering.
The Sinha trio believes that cashing in on their name and film industry background will expand the reach of the Indian art market and enable artists to garner a wider audience. As they unanimously agree, each of them brings their own strength to the table—Sonakshi, the visibility and voice; Luv, the innovative approach to business; and Kussh the knowledge of the art world. When topped with a generous dollop of creativity, all of this together make for a delightful serving.