Bollywood's Magic Masala

The masala genre–a hybrid genre that blends comedy, melodrama, romance, action and musical–grew in popularity due to its ability to evoke high-strung emotions in under one film. In a time where hand-painting was the medium of choice, masala posters were treated as a dramatic piece of visual language due to an artist’s ability to tell a story on canvas to mirror the range of emotions in its narrative. However, with the emergence of technology, the preference for digital methods has led to a possible death of India’s visual culture. As such, this project aims to revive and appreciate India’s lost art of hand-painting through its ability to exhibit masala narratives using emotional storytelling, in hopes of sparking conversations on its continuing relevance as an advertising medium for Bollywood films. Bollywood’s Magic Masala is a series of abstract emotional landscapes based on data of varied emotional levels collected from watching blockbuster masala films by filmmaker Manmohan Desai. Showcased through unconventional mediums of 1.5 meter larger-than-life art pieces and originally crafted lino print posters, the outcomes of this project are influenced by prominent characteristics of a hand-painted commercial film poster, where painters use techniques of collaging, layering and overpainting as means to convey emotional appeal to mass audiences.