ASVOFF 6 “HOLI HOLY - A FILM BY MANISH ARORA“ BY BHARAT SIKKA

“ASVOFF GRAND PRIX“, “BEST SOUND“, “BEST EMERGING TALENT PRIZE“ WINNER of ASVOFF 6 - A Shaded View on Fashion Film The First International Fashion Film Festival Sixth Editon, presented by Diane Pernet DIRECTOR: BHARAT SIKKA / CONCEPT: MANISH ARORA / COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: INDIA / DURATION: 5’00“ / DESIGNER: MANISH ARORA / MUSIC: BISHI BATTACHARYA / CAST: BISHI BHATTACHARYA / DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: TASSADUQ HUSSAIN / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: MANISH ARORA AND BHARAT SIKKA / STYLIST: MANISH ARORA FILM SYNOPSIS: As the scene opens, we’re enveloped instantly by something that’s lonely and has been left to wither away and decay. Forlorn and alone, we see Bishi’s back turned to the camera as she walks down an inner lane of a village inviting dusk. She joins a congregation of young and old widows in a prayer room, all dressed in white saris and at different points of degeneration. They look dusty like old objects. There is a transition and an explosion of color with a celebration in the streets of a small village where there’s confusion as well as excitement among its dwellers in the novelty of the few 50 widows that reluctantly and joyously (secretly) mingle around and amongst the village people. With smiles that they’ve finally broken into, covered in Holi color and Manish Arora’s vivid clothes. We now understand that the forgotten women are part of the community again. But only for a short while. Bishi is then captured and sits in a small boat in a lake, rowed by a single small man, half her size. He cannot fathom why she sings an inaudible melody. She is dark, strong, and her eyes along with her voice are like two in a band show after a long journey. DIRECTOR’S BIO: Bharat Sikka grew up in India and worked there as a photographer before studying at the Parsons School of Design, NYC, where he earned a BFA in Photography. Establishing a fine art approach to the field of photography, Bharat documents contemporary visions of India. His portfolio consists of environmental portraits of Indian men, urban landscapes in India, and a personal project on his family. Since his first exhibition, “Indian Men“, at The Artist’s Space in NYC, his work has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions, including one at the National Museum of India (2008). Bharat has also contributed to publications such as The New Yorker, LD, Time, W Magazine, Vogue, Vogue Homme, International, and Details. Bharat now lives and works between Europe and India.