The timeless journey of artists like Mahesh Bhatt and Nadira Babbar, rediscovering their roots and purpose over again in an ever-evolving world of fragmented storytelling and creation is explored here by Vinta Nanda.

In an era of fragmented storytelling and democratized content creation, artists like Mahesh Bhatt and Nadira Babbar remain in their creative roots to rediscover truth. This piece reflects on how the cyclical process of reinvention drives the evolution of art, featuring the thriving hubs like Aram Nagar and the enduring guidance of Nadira Babbar. It emphasises the timeless struggle of creators navigating challenges in the OTT-driven entertainment industry while staying connected to authenticity. Read on for insights into the pursuit of art, storytelling trends, and the inspiring journeys of creative icons.

The other day it so happened that I was in Aram Nagar 2, the so-called factory manufacturing stories, actors, and producers to feed and fuel the burgeoning OTT industry as well as films and television. I’m a regular there of late because I am attempting to co-produce a small Bengali film and also working with another couple of friends to set up a production company that will soon be turning out multiple projects across formats.

The Shifting Landscape of Storytelling

At the stage that I am in life and profession, the experience of many years behind me counts, especially when the entertainment industry is turning a difficult bend. By and large, most things, especially in the Hindi entertainment world, don’t seem to be working. Mediocre OTT fare calls itself masterpieces on its own billboards to attract audiences, and even the pedigree of film stars, producers, directors, and writers is no longer a guaranteed sales pitch.

Yes, you’ve guessed right. With the advent of a new universe, way ahead of the curve, storytelling and its production are no longer the fiefdom of a monolith. Instead, they’ve become so democratized that their consumption has fragmented beyond imagination and comprehension. Despite the banning of TikTok, first in India and more recently in the United States, we are witnessing a democratization of art that challenges traditional structures.

Who do I bump into as I step into my friend’s office and am about to climb the narrow staircase to the terrace, a largish room where she operates? None other than Mahesh Bhatt. I’m told he is working with a small dynamic team on the ground floor to create a low-budget film based on a powerful story. How can I not go in to say hello? I’ve worked with him intermittently for long periods ever since the 1980s, and he has been one of the biggest influences on my creative life.

Returning to Roots: A Journey of Rediscovery

I had sort of lost touch with the maverick and hadn’t met him for over five years, so this meeting was an exchange of warmth and affection. What struck me was this: Mahesh Bhatt, a huge filmmaker in his own right with a formidable body of work—both intense art and commercial, father to India’s biggest star Alia Bhatt and father-in-law to Ranbir Kapoor, as big a star as his wife and scion of Bollywood’s first family—was searching. But what could he be searching for?

Every time an art form finds itself lost in an abyss of darkness, searching for meaning and an anchor, the artists must return to their roots. This meeting with Bhatt Saab was confirmation of this eternal truth. About a year and a half ago, I too was desperate to rise from the shadows I had cast upon myself, not knowing where to start. It so happened that my alma mater, Ekjute Theatre Company, from where I began my career in 1985, beckoned me.

On meeting the high priestess of theatre Nadira Babbar, unfazed and immersed in her work, I realized this was where I must start again. At the time, she was about to launch her new play, Farida, a love story set in Kashmir. I began attending rehearsals, observing day after day as the story came to life. As the release of the play approached, pre-production was in full swing. Being the only filmmaker on the scene, I was tasked with creating visual effects for a two-hour-long play with minimal, almost negligible, sets. The challenge was to give the audience an immersive experience, making them feel as though they were in Kashmir watching the lilting story unfold.

I took on the challenge and started working on the visual narrative to be projected on a screen behind the enactment. Over the years, I had armed myself with digital art and visual effects capabilities, thinking I was merely whiling away my time waiting for a miracle. But this learning became the miracle. In that process, I found myself again—the producer, writer, filmmaker, and now visual artist and photographer, ready for the next leg of my creative journey. When you can create something out of nothing, with neither budget nor limelight, you create art. That is what our industry today needs to learn.

The play was released and became a hit—as every play of Nadira Babbar’s is. I was free. Free from the shackles I had tied myself in, free from the burden of confusion I had carried for so many years. And in doing it, I rediscovered the magic of creation. The teacher, the guide, the person who leads you to find yourself in moments when you feel incapable, is the artist’s God, their religion. For me, my roots lie in Ekjute, and my guiding light is Nadira Zaheer Babbar.

Coming back to Bhatt Saab, his humility is his driver. His need to seek the truth of the times he inhabits propels him toward the unknown. It doesn’t matter if he arrives in an auto-rickshaw, as he did in the past, or a state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz, as he does now. The point is that he is looking for what he knows he will find where it begins—among the young creators discovering their voices. Uninhibitedly, he lands there, seeking inspiration, instead of inviting the new generation to an intimidating architecture of wealth that has lost its soul in the quest for profits.

  

Art is a cyclical process, a constant reinvention. Every few decades, it must shed its skin and rediscover its essence. The democratization of storytelling today—with smartphones, social media platforms, and micro-content creators—is both a challenge and an opportunity. For those who have long inhabited this world of creation, the lesson is clear: to stay relevant, you must return to the roots of raw, unfiltered storytelling.  

In Aram Nagar, I saw that process unfold. Mahesh Bhatt, despite his stature, had come back to the factory floor of creativity. He was searching for truth, just as I had done at Ekjute and am doing here now with my friends. His presence in that little room, working with a small team on a story that will definitely break through the noise, was proof that the artist’s journey never truly ends.

Art is not about the medium, the money, or even the audience. It is about the search. The search for meaning, for connection, for truth. It is a journey that requires humility, courage, and an unrelenting faith in the power of storytelling.

The artists in search of their art is a timeless tale. It is in the pursuit, in the nooks and corners, in the struggles and the small triumphs, that we invariably find ourselves.