Filmy cushioning

Cushion cover with Sholay’s Gabbar. Pics courtesy/shop.vadehraart.com

The Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts is home to an artwork titled Bombay Buccaneer, painted by contemporary Indian artist Atul Dodiya. Painted in 1994, it showcases one of the early instances of Dodiya's usage of film posters in art. This particular work, along with a few other popular pieces by Dodiya, has found its way onto a series of cushion covers, available on Delhi-based Vadehra Art Gallery's website. "In it, he portrays himself as an action hero, an amalgam of James Bond and Shahrukh Khan, and is modelled on an actual poster of the film Baazigar in which Shah Rukh Khan strikes a similar pose," says Parul Vadehra, director of Vadehra Art Gallery.

Cushion cover with Dodiya's Bombay Buccaneer

The gallery's online store currently offers cushion covers that depict four works by Dodiya, including the famed Bombay Buccaneer painting. Other artworks depicted include Gabbar on Gambage that features the iconic character of Gabbar from the Bollywood classic Sholay; Missing I showcases art that celebrates national leader Subhas Chandra Bose, while Missing III is an ode to music legend Mohammed Rafi. "We felt that the kitsch Bollywood iconography in this series of paintings by Dodiya would translate well to cushion covers and would be appealing for art lovers," adds Vadehra.

Atul Dodiya

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