Bhinna Shadja

'Bhinna Shadja', a film on the unparalleled contributions of Ganasaraswati Padmavibhushan Kishori Amonkar (fondly known as Tai) to Indian classical music, is also an exploration of larger debates on the nature of art itself. Often criticised for experimenting with classical traditions of the Japiur-Atrauli Gharana, Tai nonetheless strove in her passionate resolve to emphasise evocation of moods over an orthodox rendition of ragas. This vilification by conservatives however did not deter her audiences and other contemporary artists from appreciating her transcendental aesthetics. The film explores some of these questions as not just pertaining to her own life but as artistic dilemmas that resonate in many other contexts. Tai's apprehension that with age her music might begin to elude her is also one of the most fundamental predicaments that artists face.