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A 'fraud' called M F Husain
Art Connoisseur, collector and Industrialist Harsh Goenka has finally said what many wanted to say but were too polite - or too scared - to voice. Goenka has said, "Just as Hindi cinema is synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan, Indian art is with Husain. But his best works were done in the '70s and '80s. Post his Madhuri Dixit phase, he has forgotten painting. "
Out of 88 Husain paintings, he says, he Harsh didn't want to buy a single one. "They are done without a thought. His strokes are still good, but there are two parts to a painting-skill and thought. His paintings are done with great skill, but the thought is no longer to create great art, but merely to sell it."
I have always considered Maqbool Fida Husain a `fraud`. When he made Gajagamini I wrote:
Husain Takes Madhuri For a Ride!
Mumbai, December 4: A legendary painter has cheated a top actress but there is no police case. She is sulking and trying to forget the `experience`.
Madhuri Dixit didn't attend the premiere of her own Gaja Gamini, a film that was supposed to be a tribute of a `legend` to his muse! Nor did her secretary and producer of this film Rakesh Nath aka Rikku.
Madhuri and Rikku were enraged when they didn't get `proper` invitations and avoided the show. It seems that it was not M F Husain but Bhupen Hazarika, the Music Director of Gaja Gamini who telephonically invited her.
Earlier, Madhuri had abstained herself from attending a London show organized in connection with Gaja Gamini. It seems that Rikku, the producer of this film, discovered from the bills submitted by the artist that the accounts were inflated by as much as 1500 percent by Husain! It seems that there was a dispute about an apartment in suburbs that belongs to Dixits. Apparently, Husain `borrowed` it for working on Gaja Gamini. Details of the dispute are not being made public.
Like most film people, Madhuri (herself a sort of portrait painter in her spare time) and her secretary Rikku were in awe of Husain. An octogenarian painter, past his prime and considered a has-been by serious students of paintings has always remained in news. His methods have been unorthodox but have always generated media hype. While art critics have been unanimous in slamming Husain's work for over 15 years the old painter has been able to survive on the paintings that he did in sixties and earlier.
Husain watchers could see through his stunt of watching Hum Aapke Hain Kaun over 75 times and describing Madhuri as his muse, his Ma-Adhuri and a complete woman. It was another gimmick by which the bearded Husain was remaining in news, selling his paintings (churned out faster than a photo-copier) for millions and plotting his next move.
A film by a painter. Gaja Gamini by M F Husain. He didn't need to pay Madhuri her market price that was in the vicinity of Rs 1.5 crores! He didn't have to organize a producer. Madhuri had an adoring Rikku willing to do the entire running around, organize dates of other stars and most important, money.
Osho or Bhagwan Rajneesh, as he was known for a large part of his life, had a clever strategy. During his discourses he would quote Gautam Budhha, Jesus Christ, Mohammad The Prophet, Confucius, Socrates, Plato and himself! By associating himself with greats he acquired greatness. Most stars and celebrities follow the same method. They want to belong; they wish to be associated with contemporaries who seem great.
M F Husain took the advantage of this star weakness.
Now Husain has moved over. His project Madhuri is complete. She is no use to him. Rikku is irrelevant in his future scheme of things.
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