Ravi Varma’s legacy renders a cause

CHENNAI: Actress Ramya Krishnan leans against a pillar, gazing at a swan perched on it. Actress Khushboo poses elegantly holding a bowl of fruits in one hand. Danseuse Priyadarshini Govind plays the veena as she remains gracefully seated on a stone bench. Without second guesses, the women in the portraits resemble those portrayed in Raja Ravi Varma’s iconic paintings. 

Inspired by the legendary artist’s work, celebrity photographer G Venket Ram has recreated these paintings in his portraits featuring South Indian actresses as models. He collaborated with NAAM Charitable Trust, the brainchild of actress Suhasini Maniratnam for the series — a limited-edition calendar and booklet featuring the images. The calendar was launched on Monday as part of NAAM’s tenth anniversary at Amethyst, The Folly. 

Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna, cinematographer Rajiv Menon, minister Ma Foi K Pandiarajan, and danseuse Gopika Varma presided over the event and received the first copies. “Right from make-up artists to fashion designers and studio technicians — everybody worked for the charitable cause. We plan to raise `10 lakh for NAAM,” said Suhasini.

The audience posed one common question to Venket Ram. ‘In the age of Artificial Intelligence, why Raja Ravi Varma?’ “I’ve always looked at painters for inspiration and Raja Ravi Varma’s works are timeless. I admired how his paintings on canvas render light and emotion in the truest of its forms. I aimed to transform the illusion of art into photography and hope to have done justice,” he said. 

Portraits featuring actresses Aishwarya Rajesh, Samantha Akkineni, Nadhiya and Lissy; dancers Shobhana and Priyadarshini Govind, and Chamundeshwari — a NAAM Charitable Trust beneficiary who portrayed Rani Laxmi Bai of the Tanjore and Travancore palaces — were displayed at the venue. “The first picture I posted on social media was that of Khushboo’s. It garnered attention from fans and received an overwhelming response. I immediately informed about this to Suhasini and we got everything done in a month. December flowers, temple jewellery, traditional drapes, and make-up — we’ve tried to match the original work to our best,” said the photographer.

Proceeds from the sales will be used to raise funds for NAAM’s work in empowering single women from under-served segments of society. The calendar is priced at Rs 1,500 and the booklet at Rs 5,000. For details, call: 9841097885

NAAM 
Proceeds from the sale will be used to raise funds for NAAM’s work in empowering single women from under-served segments of society.