Kolkata: It’s the rootedness of Prithviraj Choudhury’s paintings in the mythos of Kolkata’s understanding of Hindu mythology that has drawn Bollywood producer Pritish Nandy. In a video message posted on Facebook, Nandy praised the “folksy tradition that Choudhury has given a modern touch to”.
Nandy is not the only Bollywood celebrity rooting for the 47-year-old artist who paints Hindu gods and goddesses—from Krishna and Shiva to Durga and Ram Lalla—in bright acrylic colours.
“Actors like Sonu Sood and Raveena Tandon and directors like Vivek Agnihotri and Ram Kamal Mukherjee have met me, discussed my paintings, and have commissioned or are in the process of commissioning specific artworks for their personal collections,” Choudhury told ThePrint, sitting in his Kolkata apartment that doubles as his studio. The praise for Choudhury’s work has also generated interest in West Bengal’s age-old art form, Kalighat painting.
Talking about his personal favourite, he said he likes to paint stories from Mahabharata on canvas, although currently, paintings of Ram Lalla are in demand.
Choudhury’s palette has bold primary colours, and he combines spirituality with storytelling with the generous use of a spatula. In a video message, which he shared on his Facebook page on 27 February, Bollywood singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya told him: “Artiste to artiste, dil se dil mil gaya.” With a large painting of Durga and her children in the background, Bhattacharya said that he changed the decor of his home after acquiring that specific painting from Choudhury, expressing his desire to commission more.
Choudhury’s social media timelines are flooded with videos of celebrities admiring his art. “I am simply trying to carry forward a tradition that had flourished on the streets of Kolkata in the 19th century,” he said.
Kolkata’s cold reception
Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee said that Choudhury is taking Patachitra from the by-lanes of Kalighat to Bollywood and beyond. Patachitra (Pata means cloth in Sanskrit and chitra means painting) is an ancient, cloth-based scroll painting from the eastern parts of India, mostly West Bengal and Odisha, and Bangladesh. These scrolls, famous for their intricate designs, tell stories of Hindu gods and goddesses.
The Kalighat school of art, which originated in 19th-century Bengal, adapted Patachitra to become a distinctive style of painting. Near the famous Kalighat Kali temple in Kolkata, a group of specialised painters, known as patuas, would paint bold and vibrant stories from Hindu mythology on hand-made papers. The art form has influenced many great artists such as Jamini Roy.
Mukherjee added that Choudhury has taken the concept of Patachitra and married it with 20th-century Cubism. “If you see his painting of Parvati and Ganesh, it reminds you of Jamini Roy’s famous painting ‘Ganesh Janani’, but he has added his own touch to it. Kalighat school has always been an inspiration for many artists, but it is how you make it your own and leave your signature that matters. Choudhury now has his signature. His world of deities is very distinctive, which is why he is getting such a response,” said Mukherjee.
Choudhury’s paintings sell in many states of the US, especially in California. In March 2023, he even got the prestigious certificate of recognition from the California State Legislature Assembly for his art. “My father’s unrealised dreams finally came true. I wished he was there to see me on stage in California,” he said.
Growing up, Choudhury saw his father spend long hours putting acrylic paint on paper, recreating the magic of the Kalighat. “My father was an artist and a dreamer. It was his life’s goal to revive the Kalighat school of art, but he died young,” he added.
Though he inherited an artistic temperament, Choudhury opted for a corporate life and moved out of Kolkata. But he could never let go of his father’s dream. Soon, Choudhury decided to start his life afresh—he returned to Kolkata in 2007 with his family after working as a corporate employee for five years and became a professional painter. “It was a mad decision, but my family stood by me and told me it is okay to pursue my passion and pay homage to my father,” Choudhury said.
The initial years were tough as Kolkata remained cold to Choudhury’s artistic endeavours. “It is a city that prides itself on being liberal and artsy, yet it keeps its doors shut to any new experiment in art and literature. A small coterie controls the artistic narrative and they don’t allow any new thought to trickle in,” he said.
As success came from outside, Choudhury found it “mildly amusing” that despite receiving an award in America or endorsements from celebrities, the Kolkata press remained unresponsive. But he harbours no anger.
“I feel the gods and goddesses I bring alive on canvas give me the strength to ignore negativity and strive harder,” he said.
Educator and art critic Rupa Chakravarty said that Choudhury need not worry about local recognition as he is taking Kalighat’s art to a global platform. At a time when there is a renewed interest in Indian mythologies across the world, Choudhury’s art is catering to it.
“His paintings are rooted in the local, but the message is universal, the victory of good over evil, the stories of Durga slaying the Mahisasura or Krishna driving Arjuna’s chariot to victory in the Great War of Kurukshetra,” said Chakravarty.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
Prithvi your creation is awesome ❤️ words are not enough to describe. I’m extremely proud of you! Shine on !