A new documentary shows us five views on what being an architect in the maximum city is all about while raising serious questions on its practices
The shots of Reading Architecture Practice Mumbai are set against sweeping aerial shots of city
Is a city its striking skyline or its ground realities - the chaotic lanes, the milling bazaars and the traffic coming to a grinding halt? It is both, would argue the filmmakers of a new documentary film that explores architecture practice in maximum city. "When we made the film, I was reminded of [Fritz] Lang’s Metropolis - you have this hazy kind of sense of floating through the city as well as the urban sprawl on the ground. We wanted to look at different scales of the city, the aerial and the micro," says architect Rajeev Thakker.
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Thakker is part of the five-member team that has made Reading Architecture Practice Mumbai, a 37-minute-long documentary that will have its premiere screening in the city on July 13. The visual beauty of the film is the backdrop to the more serious questions regarding the practice of architecture in Mumbai that the team, comprising Thakker, Samarth Das, Shreyank Khemalapure, Sunil Thakkar and Philippe Calia wish to explore. The film has been in the works for two years with the filmmakers seeking out 12 locations in the city, right from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority’s redevelopment sites in Thane to the striking view from Imperial Towers in Tardeo. The screening, held in association with Häfele India and the G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture, will be followed by a panel discussion.
The film showcases five perspectives from leading Mumbai-based architects along the lines of research, design, conservation, activism and pedagogy. There is PK Das, for instance, who speaks of a citizen’s movement to restore the promenades around waterfront spaces such as Bandra Bandstand. Then there is Vikas Dilawari, talking about architectural conservation and the need for understanding the social impact of architecture. All these are set against sweeping aerial shots of waterfronts and shantytowns by New York-based creative studio, Sensorium Works’ that show the metropolis in a rare calm.
"We took these five themes because architecture is not straightforward. You have to take into account the street, your neighbours - there are so many questions, says architect Khemalapure, who also teaches at School of Environment and Architecture (SEA) in Borivli. The decision to look at these particular architects came from a desire to go beyond "what looks good in a magazine.". "There are many kinds of practices which address the city’s issues. We wanted to interweave the stories within the same fabric," adds Thakker.
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