Bollywood's Retro Charm Reimagined Through Artist Maithili Chaturvedi’s Heart-Shaped Sunglasses
Photo of Maithili Chaturvedi. Courtesy of the artist.
“The interaction between human eyes and screens is vital to how I paint,” says Maithili Chaturvedi, a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design. Infatuated by love and all things cinema and Bollywood, the emerging artist finds herself immersed in the nostalgic landscapes of the Hindi movie industry’s Golden Era and the early 2000s. Often inspired by the opulent costumes of the time, materials such as velvet, gemstones, faux fur, and bindis make their way off screen and into her work. Sharmila Tagore’s bouffant hairstyles and Shah Rukh Khan’s charisma occupy her imagination, adorning the walls of her studio like muses. As she approaches her final year and prepares for her curatorial debut at the Gelman Gallery in Providence, Chaturvedi reflects on her practice and the iconic motion pictures that continue to shape her vision.
Shreya Ajmani: In what ways has your background influenced your decision to pursue art as a career? How has it shaped your practice?
Maithili Chaturvedi: Studying art was never really a question for me. I always knew I had a voice for art—I just needed to find the right language to express it. Most of my family is in the finance world and are not too familiar with the art world—nor was I at first. But painting was something I did since I probably first gained consciousness, and I also got very lucky with an encouraging family. They are very excited about my pursuit of art, even though it’s not a traditional profession.
Growing up in Mumbai, the essence of the city makes its way into my work conceptually. One of the biggest aspects of my work is Bollywood, and Mumbai is the heart of Bollywood—it runs through its water. Sometimes I joke that I must have been a fighter princess or a black-and-white movie star in a past life.
My exposure to a specific desire for beauty in Mumbai has recently become an object of data in my work. I work a lot with film stills and think about how cinema culture has shifted since the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s. There’s something Indian journalist Anupama Chopra said that stuck with me. She said, “When Bollywood seduces you, you stay seduced.” I don’t think I could get bored of this subject matter.
Photo of Maithili Chaturvedi in her studio. Courtesy of the artist.
SA: What elements from old Hindi films influence your work?
MC: Right now, I’m working on a film still from Kabhi Kabhie on velvet. It’s a love story starring Bollywood’s legendary actors and actresses, released in 1976. I’m painting a scene where the bride in the film is getting ready for her wedding, and they zoom into her forehead—she’s wearing a maang tikka. The maang tikka is a piece of jewelry worn to protect the bride and ward off the evil eye. There was something about old Bollywood where they would add sparkly filters to their scenes. I’d say the biggest muse in my work is Shah Rukh Khan. I can go back to him at any time. I have photos of him in my studio. He informs the way I think in general.
SA: How does your practice resemble the making of a Hindi film?
MC: There are six or so elements that construct a Hindi film. There's melodramatic staging, a strong sense of community as the constant objet petit a, an extraordinary circumstance, this “hero” figure that acts as the entry point, a lyrical narrative, and an aspirational mounting. My paintings operate similarly. On an aesthetic level, they are maximalist and have eye-catching, colorful elements that glitter, radiate, and dance as if on an opulent stage. My objet petit a is this desire for beauty, adornment, and “dressing up.” The “heroes” in my paintings are usually these prima donnas, or “baddies” as I would refer to them colloquially, and they exist in my extraordinary and perfect world. My paintings are deeply informed by the floweriness and musicality of song lyrics and sufi literature. I like to imbibe a sense of touch, care, and grace in them. Lastly, my aspirational mounting is usually one of love, friendship, or genuine human connection, which contradicts the inherently performative nature of constructing a film or painting. I'm inexplicably drawn to the old and vintage, but also the new. Saturation with desaturation is essential to how I paint.
Maithili Chaturvedi. Pooja (2024). Oil on canvas, 5 x 4 ft. Courtesy of the artist.
SA: Could you talk a little about the exhibition you're co-curating at the moment?
MC: My friend Paree Rohera and I are really drawn to South Asian imagery and the culture we’ve grown up with. There have not been many opportunities for us to show our work in an inclusive way, so we wanted to break the idea of the white cube. The show is called “The Big Fat South Asian Show” at the Gelman Gallery at the RISD Museum. We wanted to embrace the loudness of our work and not be afraid of it. It is scheduled for early 2025.
SA: Looking ahead, where do you hope to be a few years from now?
MC: Art is all I’ve known. It’s such an intimate experience for me to paint. I push paint into the canvas, and I often feel like it’s pushing back thoughts and emotions into me. I like to think that my painting and I are equals in a sense. In the future, I always want to be painting and be honest with my thoughts. I want to keep evolving and not remain static in my practice. Painting has seduced me, and I’m staying seduced.
Maithili Chaturvedi. Oh Rahul (2024). Oil on canvas, 5 x 4 ft. Courtesy of the artist.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
