Gaurav Bharadwaj can twist metal to transform it into mirrors, lights, doors, even Salman Khan's armour

Gaurav Bharadwaj can twist metal to transform it into mirrors, lights, doors, even Salman Khan's armour

A greenish rugged object that looks like it's been piled with a heap of weird bangles, flashes on Gaurav Bharadwaj's laptop, as we sit at a cafe sipping on cold coffee. It turns out, what looks like modern art is actually a light fixture that throws off waves of light reminiscent of a sci-fi adventure. "It might even look clumsy by day, but by night, it transforms into a complete Cinderella story," smiles Bharadwaj, 37,u00a0a Mumbai-based metal artist. "You will always see an element of drama in my work. I like to call it haute couture in metal."

The Princess Mirror, made from copper, brass and German silver

Under the brand name of Veethika (Sanskrit for a 'picture gallery' or 'pathway'), he retails customised mirrors, lights, stairways, murals, doors and handles in metal craft. His bold forms might carry simplistic exteriors but are usually layered with detailed inner work. Using a combination of non-ferrous metals like aluminum, German silver, copper, brass and silver, often integrated with glass, leather, and fabric, the JJ School of Art graduate creates home decor items.

His designs come to life at his Murbad farmhouse, where six local farmers-turned-artisans work as assistants. "All my work is hand-crafted, and the use of machines is restricted to drilling and buffing. The beauty of metal lies in the fact that it stays just as it is for years. No other medium can match up to its malleability, and sheen."

Gaurav Bharadwaj looks into a mirror designed by him.
PIC/SAMEER MARKANDEu00a0u00a0

The Three Circles brass handle

The Round Force mirror in copper and aluminum

Some may find his designs loud, military in style, but statement-making they all are. A blend of Art Nouveau (characterised by organic, floral motifs and stylised curvilinear forms) and Art Deco (based on mathematical, geographical shapes) typify Bharadwaj's work.

He requires up to ten days to show you a final version of the design after a consultation with the client, which you can approve before execution rolls. This can go on from a week to as long as 15 months, depending on how complicated the assignment is. "If I take a cycle tyre, roll it down the stairs and freeze it at certain points, how would it look? That was the idea we tried to implement while designing a staircase for a Delhi home," he says.

The result is a spectacular railing in cast aluminum and brass that looks like waves reaching a crescendo. "It's open to interpretation. I can make a mirror, usually considered a feminine accessory, look manly and solid. Breaking rules can be great fun."

Contact Gaurav Bharadwaj on gaurav@veethika.net. Cost of items: Rs 15,000 upwards

He made Sallu's armour
Remember the shirtless boy from Bollywood turn into an angry, young prince in the 2009-release Veer? Rewind to the scene before Salman Khan takes off his dazzling, intricate metal armour that looks like it weighs a ton, but actually is a lightweight creation by Bharadwaj. "To have your art worn in a film and shot in action sequences, gives you a different kick altogether," he says.

His first Bollywood assignment was for Indian (2001), in which he had to design metal outfits for ten women who played the role of devils. "I was not given sizes for any of them, and it turned out that the women ranged from size 25 to 40." A cut-and-paste job of Velcro was put into motion, and there you had 20 ladies in aluminum suits looking glamorous on screen.