Shah Rukh Khan’s Doodle Among Stunning Rare Film Collectibles, Stills, Artwork in Osian’s Auction

Shah Rukh Khan’s Drawing on Paris – Ink on paper, 1997 (Pic: Osianama)

Shah Rukh Khan’s Doodle-cum-drawing by Shah Rukh Khan slated to go under the hammer tomorrow at Osian’s Greatest Indian Show on Earth 2 (22nd June 2017) created quite a stir when a question was raised on the authenticity of the doodle.

There is an interesting story behind this doodle-cum-drawing. The Shah Rukh Khan Sketch was created by the actor when requested for by noted critic-filmmaker Khalid Mohamed who was then the Editor of Filmfare and Editing a Special Supplement for the Economic Times on Paris in 1998.

To make the supplement more interesting than simply a business feel, Khalid Mohamed requested Shah Rukh Khan to create a drawing on his Paris Experience and so this sketch was completed by Shah Rukh and thereafter kindly gifted to Khalid, where it has been for nearly twenty years in his collection. The drawing was published in the ET Supplement with full acknowledgement to Mr Khan. Further, over two years ago this sketch was published on a web site making a competitive element between Salman and Shah Rukh’s artistic skills when it was acknowledged by all concerned.

“Titled “(An evening in) Paris”, the sketch was made by the actor on a trip to Paris in 1997, and includes a bunch of pictograms referring to the Bastille, the Concorde, Voltaire, the (French) Revolution, and General Charles de Gaulle. Khan makes a drawing of King Kong too, clambering up the Eiffel Tower, and seemingly rescuing a damsel in distress, with the words “Bhagwan ke liye mujhe chhor do” scrawled in alongside. The Bollywood identity is evident, with a dancing couple described with the line “Tu Mera Hero No. 1”, a pair of lips indicating “French kissing”, and a bottle of alcohol spilling over, inscribed with the words, “L’amour, in Paris do as the Indians do”,” a report in The Indian Express said.

Osians, in a press release stated, “The SRK doodle in our forthcoming Auction is absolutely authentic. It was made two decades ago and published as well. Naturally, such a small drawing would be forgotten by everyone and now that questions regarding authorship are being raised by stray voices, it is imperative we put all the facts on the table as normally it is a policy not to give specifics of the owners of the consigned artwork to the public unless essential and specifically requested for by the potential clients. We hope these facts clarifies the authenticity of the artwork.”

Shah Rukh Khan’s drawing is among a bunch of other rare artwork by cinema personalities such as an acrylic, watercolour, photographic collage on canvas ‘Zubeida Memory’ by Khalid Mohammed later used as a backdrop for a Shyam Benegal documentary; ‘She is in her own space, despite the situation she is in. And she is rejoicing being there’ – an oil on canvas by Deepti Naval; a drawing by M.F. Husain during the filming of Gajagamini and ‘The walk of Gautam after he attained enlightenment in Gaya’ – a mixed media on canvas by Pankaj Parashar.

Among the rare collectibles in the auction are a bunch of original artworks by renowned filmmakers Satyajit Ray and Mani Kaul. Besides there are original publicity-material art for Andaz (1949), Anari (1959), Guide (1965), Deewaar (1975) and others. A huge collection of rare posters, showcards, lobby cards, photographic stills from the golden 1950’s period to the era of Amitabh Bachchan to the current trinity of Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan go under the hammer at the prestigious auction.

A kaleidoscope of rare originals

First Family of Indian Cinema – The Kapoors

KAL AAJ AUR KAL. 1971
Six-sheeter Poster (Pic: Osianama)

A Focus on the Life & Films of the Thespian and Indian Cinematic Legend – Dilip Kumar

A Focus on the Life & Films of the Evergreen & Debonair Superstar – Dev Anand

A Focus on Satyajit Ray as Draughtsman & Artist

SATYAJIT RAY WITH WIFE BIJOYA RAY
(Pic: Osianama)

Writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, composer, graphic designer and film critic, Satyajit Ray, one of India’s greatest filmmakers, began his career as a commercial artist. Versatile Ray, a graphic designer par excellence, designed four typefaces for roman scripts named Ray Roman, Ray Bizarre, Daphnis, and Holiday Script, while illustrating all his books and designing the covers, as well as creating all publicity material for his films. His artistic playing with the Bengali graphemes was revealed in the cine posters and cine promo-brochures’ covers, books by other authors.

The Greatest Indian Show on Earth 2 is auctioning various artworks of Satyajit Ray from his ink on paper works, such as that reprinted in Andrew Robinson’s ‘The Inner Eye’. (Calcutta: Rupa & Co in 1990) and Jayanti Sen’s ‘Looking Beyond: Graphics of Satyajit Ray’. (Roli Books, 2012), which reprints the illustration done by Satyajit Ray in the Eighties for SeraSandesh, a Bengali magazine titled ‘Sandesh’, a popular children’s magazine, initially started by his grandfather Upendrakishore Roy Chowdhury to the first Release Original Premiere Booklets / SSB of The Goddess (1960), Ganashatru (1991), Agantuk (1989), Uttoran (1993) to the Original First Release Poster of Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977), among other Lots.

Satyajit Ray’s illustrations for his Feluda detective novel series – ink on paper
(Pic: Osianama)

Says Neville Tuli, Chairman, Osian’s Group,“These consigned artworks are the first time we have auctioned Ray’s original drawings. The Osianama Library and Archive possesses a vast treasure trove of photographic and printed artworks pertaining to Ray, from hundreds of Nemai Ghosh original images to unique documents illustrating Ray’s cinematic creativity. We hope the younger film-going generation loves and respects his cinema as did the Film Festival audiences over the past sixty years.”

Ray’s various sketches ink on paper for illustrating stories

Jitan Maajhir Mantar – sketch for a story illustration by Satyajit Ray (Pic: Osianama)

Ink on paper sketches by Satyajit Ray (Pic: Osianama)

Event: The Greatest Indian Show on Earth 2
Date: Thursday 22nd June 2017
Venue: Taj Lands End, Mumbai

About the Author

Antara Nanda Mondal ( 68 Posts)

Editor in Chief, Learning and Creativity; Consulting Editor, Silhouette Magazine. A former business journalist, Antara writes extensively on the changing trends of music, direction and filmmaking in cinema. Her articles aim to provide well-researched information on the legends of cinema for the movie and music enthusiast. She is also the Founder-Editor of Blue Pencil, a New Delhi-based publishing house. She edited and published Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman, the biography of SD Burman written by HQ Chowdhury. She has co-authored a chapter on Hemant Kumar's Bengali music in the acclaimed book The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar, written by Manek Premchand. Her articles have also been published in Dearcinema.com and Du-kool.com. Antara is Editor-Creative Director of Wisitech InfoSolutions Pvt. Ltd.
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