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Lone survivor of hand-painted film poster art
Nearly a decade ago, sketches and banner paintings were part of the scenery in front of local cinemas and shops along the main streets of the north.
Kandiah Nandakumar
As the printing industry blossomed using digital printing technologies, the art of sketching and portraits started to wane, forcing those who depended on it to seek other jobs.
Kandiah Nandakumar, populalrly known as Ravi in local art circles was popular in the long gone years with his signature works as ‘Ravi Arts’ of mega banners of South Indian ‘Kollywood’ stars in front of cinema halls and the billboards on streets.
Based in Kondavil, a suburban town near Jaffna, Ravi still vividly recalls the peak of his career as a much sought-after independent artist by cinema halls and local dailies.
As a self-taught artist, the 53-year-old Ravi remembers his start in art in 1982 taking up this profession as a full time career even though he did not attend any art schools, nor had any formative training.
The artist is now an assistant in setting up cable TV antennas on rooftops in the local area.
Besides the commissioned works, he was a full time artist supplying his work to cinemas in Jaffna such as the Rajah Theatre, Manohara Theatre and Selva Theatre. Initially, he worked with a group but from 2000 onwards to 2012, he drew independently.
Mr Ravi, who never married, said he is married to his art, and recalled turning down two marriage proposals arranged by his parents.
The tallest banner artwork he had created was a 40-foot high picture of the Tamil cinema star Vijay who is married to a girl from Jaffna and has a significant fan following in the region.
The 40-foot high banner artwork of Tamil cinema star Vijay
He recalled drawing a portrait of a militant group leader and the consequences he faced thereafter. In 1985, he was commissioned by the LTTE to draw the portrait of then LTTE deputy leader Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja (Mahaththaya) who was executed by the LTTE. He did not know whose portrait he was going to draw.
“I was taken to their camp in the Kopay area. Suddenly, I would be seated in front of V. Prabhakaran and was asked to sketch a portrait. I was quite disturbed. I feared something going wrong,” Ravi said, recalling those days, amid tensions and frequent fights between militant groups.
Then, the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) sought him after hearing about the incident.
“As a result, I had to go underground, hiding from public life for a while. Not only did I draw the head of the LTTE, but also the majority of the other leaders like of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). I was also privileged to draw the portraits of southern leaders. In this I had two different experiences,” Ravi recalled.
He is confident of continuing his work but only a few commissions come his way. That is because, he said, computers have taken over the job.
Aked why he had not upgraded himself, Ravi said he does not have access to computers even though many have advised him to consider it to ensure his survival.
“I have the desire to use computers for my work, but I cannot afford it,” he said.