Aesthetics in Billboard Arts

8/2/2019 Aesthetics in Billboard Arts

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IN THE NAME OF ALLAH,

THE MOST MERCIFUL,

THE MOST COMPASSIONATE


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DEDICATED TO BABA AND MAMA


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Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them

David Hume


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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 7

Preface............................................................................................................................................ 8

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 91.1 Research Problem ............................................................................................................. 9

1.2 Operationalization of Concepts ........................................................................................ 9

1.3 Review of Literature....................................................................................................... 101.4 Objectives of Research ................................................................................................... 141.5 Significance of Study ..................................................................................................... 14

1.6 Tools of Research ........................................................................................................... 14

1.7 Locale ............................................................................................................................. 15

CHAPTER 2: LOCALE PROFILE .......................................................................................... 16

2.1 Brief of the City - Rawalpindi ........................................................................................ 16

2.2 Cinemas in Rawalpindi .................................................................................................. 172.3 The Backyard of the Rialto Cinema ............................................................................... 19

CHAPTER 3: THE MAKING OF BILLBOARDS ................................................................. 213.1 The Subject of Billboards ............................................................................................... 21

3.2 Composition of Images .................................................................................................. 23

3.3 Materials used in Painting .............................................................................................. 24

3.4 Painting of Billboards..................................................................................................... 273.5 Orders of Work............................................................................................................... 34

3.6 Mode of Payment ........................................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER 4: THE LIFE OF CINEMA ARTISTS ................................................................ 364.1 Life Histories .................................................................................................................. 36

4.2 Brief Introduction of Other Artists ................................................................................. 424.3 The Professional Life of Artists ..................................................................................... 45

CHAPTER 5: AESTHETICS SENSIBILITIES OF ARTISTS ............................................. 495.1 Aesthetic sensibility in selection of images ................................................................... 50

5.2 Aesthetic sensibility in composition of images .............................................................. 50

5.3 Aesthetic sensibility in drawing and painting ................................................................ 51

Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................... 57

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 59


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Acknowledgements

I bow my head before Almighty Allah, the kind and merciful who blessed me with intellect,kind teachers, loving parents, cute sisters and supportive friends; countless salutations upon

Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) who enabled us to recognize our creator and declared it an

obligatory duty of every Muslim to acquire knowledge.

It is an honor to express my sincerest thanks to all the teachers, staff members, class fellows and

seniors of the Department of Anthropology. To Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Dr. Anwar Iqbal,

Madam Mina Zulfiqar, Dr. Naveed-e-Rahat, Dr. Waheed Rana, and Madam Zareena

Qureshi for their kindness and for providing me knowledge and intellect through these years. To

my devoted supervisor, Sir Tariq Mahmood, for his kind supervision, guidance, suggestions,

and for his patience with my mistakes. It was only because of his guidance, support and moralencouragement that I could complete this manuscript. I am also thankful Rafiq chacha,

Changzeb, and Nisar for their assistance throughout the study period and to sweet seniors,

Marryam Abid, Shahrukh Rasul, and Naila Hakro for their help and guidance during this

time. I would like to mention Dr. Huma Haque for always been an inspiration and forbroadening my intellect with her unique method of teaching.

I am really grateful to my sweet friends Shumaila Aziz, Summera Bibi and Momina Bilal fortheir sincere and true friendship. For their guidance, cooperation, and encouragement and for the

memorable time we spent together.I want to express my gratitude to all those who helped me

with a kind word, an open ear, a thoughtful suggestion, a warm heart, a tip or trick. I thank all ofthem, even if their names have not been mentioned.

You guys really made university life a lifetime experience for me!

And last but not the least, a lot of thanks and prayers for my loving parents and supportive sisters

for always being there by my side through thick and thin and guiding me at each step of life. Iam heavily indebted to the cooperation of my beloved fatherwho made this research possible. I

am really thankful for his full cooperation and patience during my fieldwork; and for the brilliantphotography that he did. I am heavily indebted to the love and support of my beloved mother for

her encouragement, suggestions and advices. I am really thankful for her assistance in studies

throughout my academics. Heartiest thanks are extended to my loving sisters Samia and Fatimafor their guidance and little Affan for bringing smile on my face.

A lot of blessings and prayers for Mama, Baba, Samia and Fatima for always being a source ofhope, inspiration and encouragement and for making life an experience_

(May Allah Bless You All)

AmeeraKamal


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Preface

There was a time when, while crossing a cinema house in interior city any day one would always

catch a glimpse of huge vivacious hoardings erected outside the cinema buildings. Films then,were one of the few available sources of entertainment to people and film billboards one of the

cheap means of marketing available. Film billboards were therefore painted in highly fantasizedand idealized fashion; delicately depicting the folds of the costumes and contours of the bodymaking the picture look real and life like. These were the golden days of Pakistans film industry

when it produced dozens of films each year that screened at jam-packed cinema halls to audiencewho were actually interested in watching Urdu films.

Cinema has contributed in more than one way to develop a signature style in the art of the

subcontinent. In 90s, the two phenomenas of the visual arts and the cinema, combined togetherto bring out a new form of art that is a film billboard art. Painted by the unsung artists for a

meager income, this remarkably unique form of disposable pop art always remained the least

known and appreciated of the artworks from the subcontinent. Inspite of the sheer hard work of

these painters this work earned them money nor recognition, and their talent remained hidden inthe backyards of cinema houses for decades.

Owing to the eventual decline in film production, advancement in cable technology, internet

downloading and digital printing coupled with increased standard of living, the art of cinema

painting suffered gradual degeneration and the artist from total extinction. The people who onceproduced remarkable pieces of billboard art are now earning livelihood in other professions.

I find film billboard paintings a very unique form of art practiced mainly by low profile artists,

who without any formal academic art training are able to produce remarkable artworks. Throughthis work I have made an attempt to preserve and record this form of art in written form before it

gives way to digital technology.


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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This is an ethnographic study, on the art of painting a film billboard with relevance to the artistswho paint these billboards. A painted film billboard is a sort of a handmade advertisement for the

film. No cinema building is complete without these huge billboards, erected outside the cinemahouse. The artists who paint these billboards are professional painters with training in this formof art. This thesis involves a detailed study of the methods and materials of painting a billboard

and the lives of billboard artists. But the main focus of this thesis is to study the process ofpainting a film billboard, with relevance to artists and their understanding towards arts and

aesthetics.

1.1 Research Problem

I chose this topic because firstly, I have interest in the field of arts and I find film billboard

painting as a very unique form of art practiced mainly by low profile artists, who without going

through any formal art training are able to produce remarkable artworks. My wish to see themaking of cinema billboards firsthand also pushed me to select this topic for research. Secondly,

besides few articles published in magazines and newspapers, TV documentary and TV news, no

proper research has been done on this topic before. However, film billboard painting issomething that is strictly a native of subcontinent, yet it is the least known and appreciated of the

artworks from the Sub-Continent.

Boas, who is considered the father of anthropology, writes: Aesthetic pleasure is felt by all

members of mankind and art is found among all the tribes known to us.1 It means that art and

aesthetics is a social phenomenon where art is neither limited to specific category or class ofpeople nor aesthetics associated with only great artists or intellectuals rather these are social

phenomenas equally available to every person. The difference lies in degrees of theirunderstanding and perception. So, the pictures are not dead images rather they speak and

communicate knowledge to viewers as well as provide an insight in to the mind of its creator.

So, how the film billboards represent the aesthetic sensibilities of artists? A cinema billboardpainting is not only an art form but by viewing it one can also judge the aesthetic level of the

artist who paints them. This is the purpose of the research that is, not only studying the method

of billboard painting but also studying its substance, subject and its creator or in other words;looking at a billboard painting from the eyes of the creator and the appreciator.

1.2 Operationalization of Concepts

The term aesthetics as defined by Collins English Dictionary means principles of beauty, tasteand art. An aesthetic is the concept of a particular school of philosophy that appraises art,

beauty, and associated concepts by certain standards.2 In short, aestheticism studies art,

interpretations of the work of art and the role of artists in it, beauty and expression and their

relationship to art. By the term aesthetic sensibilities of artists, I mean to look primarily into

1 Anderson, Richard L. Art in An Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology.1996. Pg.87.2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics


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understanding of painters towards depiction of images and painting of images in a specificfashion.

1.3 Review of Literature

Art is a result of attributing meaningful patterns to experience or imagined experience.3

In short,art provides meanings to human thoughts and experiences. Boas says that artworks affects andare affected by the religious, ideological, political, familial, educational, and other systems of

belief and practice.4 This means that any art form should be viewed in relevance to its cultural

and social context. Similarly, Adams emphasizes the significance of cultural backgroundespecially that of religion for an understanding of primitive art.5

Is it really possible then, to understand primitive art in its context? And even if it is possible thenwill not the result be highly speculative. And secondly, Can everyone understand art correctly?

Mithen proposes that the art of ethnographically recorded groups can be placed in an ecological

context in order to complement its cultural context. He proves this point by providing example ofthe difference between the frequency of animal species represented in the art and those in the

faunal assemblages of Upper Paleolithic i.e., the frequencies between art-fauna species. For

proving this proposition he has applied three methods that is computer stimulation model,archeological data and art itself.6

This study by Mithen has provided answer to one of the questions mentioned earlier. He has usedthe method of computer stimulation model, archeological data and art itself to understand

Paleolithic art in its context and has produced affirmative results. In contrast to this, in recent

studies, photographs have also provided another method for understanding art but as Wrightpoints out that a photograph should be read by looking at, looking through, and looking behind

in order to grasp its full meaning.

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All these writers have collectively conferred on a point that artwork should be analyzed withreference to its context. But Ruby says that it is essential to explore the relationship between the

producer, the process of production, the product itself and its consumption in order to derive

meanings out of either film or photograph. He thinks that instead of viewing the text alone oneshould view the text in context as well. Ruby has examined the Nanook of the North (1921),

Robert Flahertys first documentary film as a director. Nanook is a narrative film of a simple

story of an Eskimo family and their fight for food and their daily activities in life. Ruby has alsomentioned various problems Flaherty faced during the filming like building an igloo and filming

inside the igloo.8

3Coote, J and Shelton, A. Art and Anthropology in Anthropology, Art and Aesthetics. 1992. Pg.16.4 Anderson, Richard L. Art in Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology.1996. Pg.875Coote, J and Shelton, A. Art and Anthropology in Anthropology, Art and Aesthetics. 1992. Pg.21

6Mithen, Steven J. To hunt or to paint: Animals and art in upper Paleolithic in Journal of Royal Anthropological

Institute. 1988. Pg. 671.7Banks, Marcus. Visual Methods in Social Research. 2001. Pg.10.8http://astro.temple.edu/~ruby/ruby/flaherty.html


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Similarly, in viewing a film billboard, in order to understand the paintings and the compositionalarrangement and their relevance to a film, it is necessary to view them by exploring their

relationship with the artists, the process of making a billboard, a film billboard itself and the way

it affects the viewer because film billboard is a sort of short story for the whole film and itdepicts various scenes from the film. But while doing so, the context in which that board is

produced should be kept in mind while analyzing images on board.

At this point, the answer to the second question, which was: Can everyone understand art

correctly, becomes clear. It means that if one understands a photograph or art keeping in view the

producer, the process and the product then it is likely that meanings derived are correct. Ruby

has presented similar view in another article 'Exposing yourself: Reflexivity, anthropology, and

film'. He has described the relationship between the producer, the process and the product

because he thinks that people want to know who made it, and what the ingredients are before

they will buy anything. He states that until recently filmmakers and anthropologists excluded topresent the producer and the process and only presented the product because it was thought that

the revelation of these two would be inappropriate.9

In another article The Viewer Viewed: The Reception of Ethnographic Films Ruby states the

importance of the producer, the process of construction, the film, text, the conditions of viewing

and the viewer to explain a theory of pictorial communication. Ruby thinks that while theproducers intentions and the way in which they construct the text are important; it is the

conditions of exhibition and the viewers that ultimately determine the meaning of the film. In

short, when viewers attribute their cultural meanings to the product, they are likely to overlook

or misunderstand the producers meaning.10

So the main point remains the same in view of Rubythat the relationship between the producer, the process, the product, the conditions of viewing

and the audience are necessary to derive appropriate meanings from the product whether it is aphotograph, a film or even an art piece like film billboard.

Firth has pointed 2 aspects in his paper Oceanic Art, first is that Maori carving should bestudied in its social context and in its original settings in order to appreciate its full value and

secondly, Maori sculpture of the human figure was often said to lack correctness, proportion or

grace, this was not because the Maori carver was unable to represent the human form inrecognized bodily shapes but because he wanted to express some other characteristics of

beings.11 So, the meanings derived should be according to the cultural assumptions of the

audience or the viewer. Our cultural conditioning determines the sensibility we bring asappreciators to our experience of any art. Art then is inseparable from culture and when art and

culture is linked then it means that we can find a link to past artworks by viewing and

interpreting culture. In this way, we can also link present artwork to past. In short, the production

of artworks in the present can be useful in interpreting the prehistoric past. Archeologicalresearch project done by Tilley, Hamilton and Bender at Leskernick Hill on Bodmin Moor,

Cornwall, U.K, was based on similar objectives. There are traces of two settlements consisting of

clusters of circular houses on the Western and Southern slopes of the hill. The hill is coveredwith various stones of unusual and interesting shapes and deep lines. As a method of

9http://astro.temple.edu/~ruby/ruby/exposing.html10http://astro.temple.edu/~ruby/ruby/viewer.html11Coote, J and Shelton, A. Art and Anthropology in Anthropology, Art and Aesthetics. 1992. Pg.20


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interpretation, Tilley, Hamilton and Bender wrapped the stones and took pictures in the samepositions to signify and attribute meanings to them according to their thoughts and ideas. They

also used flags and doorframes to capture pictures according to their understanding of that

work.12

This means that by viewing and interpreting art with reference to past we can also getknowledge of some events of history, i.e., art represents the era of which it is a part.

As Ray cites an example that in the 4th

century AD under the influence of Yoga and Bhakti theartists began to paint figures of god, goddesses and their devotees that showed inner peace,

experienced during Yoga. Then after 200 years, this inner peace gave way to the outward show

and strength by adding additional arms, heads and decoration. Ray also points out in the chapter

on social base and social character that much of the Indian art was the work of family artists orcraftsman influenced by the ideas of community therefore there was no originality in the art form

of any individual artists. For him, the object of art should give joy both to the artists and to the

viewer. The object should not be merely a copy of any existing thing but an idealized image.13

A film in sub-continent mostly revolves around fantasy and idealized story sequences hence the

billboards are also based on these idealized images. The poses of film actors are extra ordinaryand in highly idealized and stylized form. In film billboards, there is no originality of work as

these artists make what they are told to paint and even if they are given option to work according

to their own liking they are restrained to paint what general public would like to see. So,according to the changes in ideas of community and people, influenced by generally on-flowing

sets of ideas, the work and style of these artists also alters. For instance, film billboards before

were dominated by representation of female figures instead of faces, in vibrant moving dance

pose like in the Punjabi films ofSultan Rahi andAnjuman but after a decade, now film billboardsare designed to depict the title and actual thing in the film instead of just providing delight.

An artist communicates with the viewers through painted images and words. These artists make

images on billboard in such a way so as to truly capture its essence, expression and the backdrop,

which the billboard represents. So, in a way the artist through the painted images on boardscommunicate or try to communicate with the viewer. Similarly, like photography the art should

also be analyzed and understood keeping in view the cultural background, social and religious

context in order to appreciate it. Certain human parts are exaggerated so as to highlight someparts or move. Moreover, art also follows mostly traditional representation of images. As Pannill

said that, the old traditional idea that a woman is the weaker vessel, vulnerable to possession

by force is still prevalent even today. She states that the depiction of women as in literature andfilm is influenced by the gender of the creator of that particular literary work or film. 14

Although Pannill states this idea to refer literally meaning and visual meaning by referring only

to films and cinema but this idea can also be applied in painting and in art as well. Viewing filmbillboards, one can say that this traditional idea is also practiced in film billboard painting. As

quite often male gender on billboard are represented as source of power, energy and strength in

such a way as holding a riffle or a gun in hand or battling with the enemy with arms, the whole

12Tilley, Christopher, Hamilton, Sue and Bender, Barbara. Art and the representation of the past in Journal of Royal

Anthropological Institute. 2000. Pg. 35-62.13Sankalia, H.D. Appreciating Indian Art in The Eastern Anthropologists. 1978. Pg. 203-10.14Pannill, Linda. The woman artist as creature and creator in Journal of Popular Culture. 1982. Pg. 26-29.


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background behind the image of male gender is sometimes covered with effect of smoke ordepiction of motor jeeps even helicopters, also heros face is often depicted with blood streaming

down from injury. On the other hand, the depiction of female gender in film billboards is mostly

done with a smile on heroines face, the background color being soft and subtle, the expressionbeing very soft and innocent as compared to the aggressive expression on heros face because the

advertisers want to create a required impact on the viewer, which would encourage them to comeand see the film. This mood is created by paintings, by depicting what layman likes and expectsto see in a film. In the same way, WoodsideandMotes stated that advertisers use the help of

images to create a specific mood or feeling among the consumers that may motivate them to

respond. The primary focus is on design and use of color format.15 In this way, it is not necessary

to always depict everything as beautiful and perfect, because in doing so it would not create thatspecific mood or feeling among the viewers because the viewers want to see a mix of fighting,

comedy, and romance in a film.

Devereaux describes a long intellectual tradition, which associates beauty with goodness and

ugliness with evil, but she points out examples of physically attractive villains, which proves to

be false in this traditional notion. She mentions that this notion may be true in some cases. Shecites 3 examples from literature, first, of the ugly stepmother and stepsisters of Grimms

fairytale, where ugliness is used for bad character if not wickedness. Second, in the tale of

Frankenstein the ugliness and the social isolation turned the good man bad. Third, Beauty fallingin love with the Beast although later, in story, the Beast turns out to be a handsome prince in

disguise.

In these examples ugliness is identified with a form of badness, but the negativity is extrinsic. Inthe first example, the real object of negativity is not ugliness itself but the bad moral character

with which it is associated. In the second example, the real object of negativity is again notugliness itself, but its relationship with poor health and human vulnerability. In the third examplethe real object of negativity is the ill fortune presumed to follow from poor looks. Devereaux

thinks that an ugly face is frequently associated with a form of moral badness, which is wrong.There should be a standard to measure ugliness and for this we need a philosophical analysis of

the term ugly.16

The same is true in case of film billboards. The thinking that good is beauty and evil is ugly is

not always true in case of films. As we find many examples from our own cinema. We find some

leading actors doing negative role, which reveals towards the end of the film. In the samemanner, we find leading heroines playing the part of both beauty and bad for instance a film

called Sultana Dako or as inDako Rani played by self-acclaimed beautiful Siama in the role of

villain and at the same time representing the title Sultana and Rani which shows the good or

beauty side of the famous actress. Not all beautiful faces turn out to be good and similarly notall villains are ugly. This means that good and evil is something, which is intrinsic and internal to

human being rather than extrinsic. There is no such standard to measure the notions of beauty

and ugliness in either film or in art. These terms pertains in our thoughts that in turn are affectedby what we are shown and how we are shown about the existence of beauty and evil.

15 Woodside, Arch G. and Motes, William H. 1980. Image versus direct-response advertising in Journal of

Advertising Research. 1980. Pg. 31.16http://www.aesthetics-online.org/ideas/devereaux.2.html


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In short, by reviewing these comments by various writers following points can be safelydeduced. First, an image should be understood by keeping in view the culture in which it was

made and for which it was aimed at. Second, an image should be viewed as a product relating it

to the process, the producer, the viewer and the place of exhibition. Third, art is a representationof its era in which it was made in the same way, as it is the representation of the prevailing

social, cultural, religious, and aesthetical as well as traditional ideas of the people. These pointshold true for film billboards as well.

1.4 Objectives of Research

Objectives of this research were as follows:

1. To know about the materials used in painting.2. To study the method of painting film billboards.3. To study the professional setup of the billboard artists.4. To study the life of billboard artists.5. To study aesthetic sensibilities of artists with reference to billboards.

1.5 Significance of Study

The research is significant in two ways. Firstly, socially, it will study cinema billboard paintings

and the artists and help in highlighting and bringing recognition to this art form and artists.

Secondly, academically, this research will provide a new dimension to billboard art asrepresentation of aesthetic understanding of artists, which will provide guidance and contribution

in academics to the students of anthropology, art and art lovers. Moreover, I hope this research

thesis will be helpful in preserving this form of art before its degeneration and the artists from

total extinction. And even if this low profile art cease to exist after a year or so it will beremembered through this study as a unique pop art of Pakistan and will stand out amongst the

rest as something different and traditional as well.

1.6 Tools of Research

Participant Observation: Participant observation provided first-hand knowledge and raw dataon day-to-day basis. While doing participant observation, I observed these artists while painting

billboards. I observed their daily routine activities and activities at work place. I experienced the

whole process of making of a billboard and method of painting and individual artists style ofpainting.

Key Informant: Key informants are those persons who have knowledge about the locale, its

people, environment and issues. All billboard painters both ustaads and shagirds (students) kneweach other so it was easy to cross check information from one painter with other.

Interview as Conversation: I used the help of unstructured interview to ask some questionsfrom the artist. I also explained my questions to the artists as and when required and got some of

my queries answered by simply conversing with them.


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Case Study: Though I saw the making of 5 billboards of theatre drama but I collected step-by-step detail information of two as case studies. One case study I took was of the making of a film

Sarkaars (master) billboard the other was the making of theatre dramaEid Aashiqaan Dis (Eid

of lovers) billboard.

Life Histories: Life histories of Yousaf, Jawwad and Shahid Mahmud informed me of theirbackground and family life and the history of their professional life.

Photography: Photography provides information related to the subject and object of study area

in visual form. I used camera to capture photographs to depict painting of billboards. I also

captured photographs of artists at work, their workplace as well as the photographs of boardsafter its completion. Colored photographs were also useful for studying the color schemes and

understanding the overall design, compositional arrangement and effects of shading the

billboard.

1.7 Locale

Rawalpindi was the locale of my fieldwork. Rawalpindi is old and historical city. Although it is

not home of film making like Lahore but still every film and theatre show is released in cinemas

here. Although film billboard painting had a big market in Lahore but most of the people whowere pioneer of this profession in Rawalpindi learnt and brought this art from Lahore and

practiced it here. Rialto cinema/theatre lies in the heart of Rawalpindi city that is, Murree road.

It lies in the vicinity of some famous buildings like Al-Rehman building and Moti Plaza, roadslike Murree road and Tipu road, chowks (a square of the city) like Marrir chowk and Rialto

chowk, and bridge like the bridge of Nullah (a canal) Leh. All this makes the cinema easily

accessible and important as well.


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CHAPTER 2: LOCALE PROFILE

2.1 Brief of the City - Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi district comprises of six tehsils of Rawalpindi, Taxila, Kahuta, Murree, Kotli Sattian,and Gujar Khan. The district has an area of 5286 square km. Rawalpindi district contains the cityof Rawalpindi which is a twin city of Islamabad. Rawalpindi city is both a district and a tehsil. It

is divided in to two parts: the municipal area and the Sadder. In some places the boundary

between these areas is provided by the Pakistan Railway mainline. These two parts are generallydemarcated by the old water course known as the Leh Nullah. Rawalpindi city is the

administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District. It is the military headquarters and also served as

the Pakistans capital while Islamabad was being constructed in the 1960s. Rawalpindi is thefourth-largest city of Pakistan. The city is bound in the north by the Islamabad Capital Territory,

Abbottabad and Haripur, on the west by Attock; on the south by Chakwal and Jehlum and on the

east by the river Jhelum, across which lie Bagh, Rawalkot and Kotli districts of Azad Kashmir.

The word Rawalpindi means the abode of Rawal. The old name of the city was Fatehpur Baori.

It was completely destroyed during one of the Mughal invasions in the 14 th century. It remained

deserted for long till Jhanda Khan, a Ghakkar Chief, restored it and gave it the name of Pindi orRawalpindi after the village Rawal. Rawalpindi Cantonment was founded after the defeat of the

Sikhs by the British in 1849. It was located on the land of villages now known as Marrir Hasan

and the villages of Ghazipur where the present General Post Office is situated. This place hasbeen identified by General Cunningham as the ancient city of Gajipur or Gajnipur founded by

Raja Gaji or Gajpat, and has been the seat of the Bhatti tribe in the centuries before the Christian

era. It is presumed that Alexander and his troops must have passed through this site on their wayto meet Porus on Jehlum. General Court, an engineer in the service of Ranjit Singh mentions the

remains of two Buddhist stupas located on either side of Rawalpindi. These material remainsprovide an evidence of a Buddhist establishment here contemporary to that of Taxila.

It appears that the ancient city went in to oblivion as a result of the Huns devastation. It has been

traditionally known that Mahmud of Ghazna gifted the ruined city to the Gakkhar Chief (KaiGohar) but being on invaders route the city could not prosper and remained deserted until Jhanda

Khan, a Gakkhar Chief restored it and gave it the name of Rawalpindi after the village of Rawal.

In 1765, Milkha Singh and Sahib Singh occupied it and invited traders from Bhere, Miani, PindDadan Khan and Chakwal to settle here. This action brought the city into prominence. In 1805 it

came under the direct control of Ranjit Singh who appointed Jivan Singh and Anand Singh as its

governors. In the beginning of 19th century, the city became for a time, the refuge of Shah Shuja,

the exiled ruler of Kabul, and his brother Shah Zaman who built residences here for their use.

The earliest existing building in Rawalpindi is the Garrison Church built in 1854 and restored in

1879. The Massy Gate was built to the memory of Brigadier General Massy. The Market wasbuilt by Sardar Sujan Singh. The city became famous for wood carving as an architectural

embellishment.


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Murree Road-The Heart of Rawalpindi City

The city has two main roads: the Grand Trunk road (G.T road) and Murree road. The Grand

Trunk road runs from east to west and is known as the Mall road as it passes through the

cantonment area. The Murree road runs north from the Mall to the east end of the old city, on itsway to Islamabad to Murree. The two main bazaar(market) areas are RajaBazaarin the old city

and Sadder Bazaar, which developed as the cantonment bazaar between the old city and theMall.

Murree road is the main road which joins Rawalpindi with Islamabad. It is easily accessible from

Islamabad. It is rightly said the heart of Rawalpindi city as it contains all kinds of shops and

markets at both sides of the road. From clinics like that of Dr. Riazs eye clinic and hospital likeRawalpindi General Hospital, sweet shops like the very famous Garato Jalebi, road side hotels,tandoor and restaurants to car rental, motor shops, hardware stores, banks, and schools like

St.Patrick high school, merchants, etc., almost anything and everything can be found on Murreeroad. Murree road is marked by the load of traffic on it. Most of the drivers use this road for

going to Sadder, Raja Bazaar and to other areas of Rawalpindi as well as interior parts of the

city. For this reason, Murree road is never without traffic jams.

Leh Nullah

The Leh stream raise from the Saidpur hills passes through Rawalpindi town and then joins theSoan. Leh Nullah is the old and known stream of Rawalpindi. It runs throughout the city and

passes Murree road. There are seven bridges at different places on Leh to connect the

Cantonment with the city.History describesNullah Leh water pure enough for washing clothesbut now it has become polluted with the waste from factories and houses. Nullah Leh is famous

for its floods. People of Rawalpindi saw the flood of Leh in 2001. There are shantytowns along

the bank of the Leh, which suffered much loss and damage. Ever since the flood, efforts arebeing made to renovate the stream for future security of people living nearby.

2.2 Cinemas in Rawalpindi

There were 22 cinema houses in the city of Rawalpindi till mid-90s. But now only 10 of them are

operational: Shabistan, Gulistan,Moti, Odeon, Plaza, Capital, Cirose, PAF, Khurshid, and Rose.There is only one theatre, which is the Rialto Theatre. The rest of the cinemas were either closed

down or sold to make way for commercial plaza, marriage halls, markets and residential flats.

Odeon, Plaza, Cirose and Capital cinemas are located in the Cantonment area of Rawalpindi. Theother cinemas are located at other places of the city. The A-class cinema houses in Rawalpindi

include Gulistan, Shabistan and Kehkashan (now closed). Of all these 22 cinemas, 7 cinema

houses lie at the main Murree Road. Those are Naz cinema (which is now demolished),Shabistan cinema, Gulistan cinema, Kehkashan cinema (now closed), MotiMahal cinema,

Sangeet cinema (now closed), and Rialto cinema (now theatre). Of these 7 cinema houses lying

on Murree Road, Moti Mahal cinema was once considered the best cinema with two galleries.Neighboring Rialto and Sangeet Cinema (which was owned by Ijaz, husband of actress Noor

Jehan) at each side of Leh Nullah, there used to be quite a competition between these three

cinema houses once. But now this cinema has lost its charm and presently old English films are

screened in it.


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Photo 1: Rialto Cinema

Naz Cinema, which is now demolished, was first converted in to theatre. The last drama shownthere wasDulhan Fifty Fifty screened on 16th July, 2005. The boards for this drama were made

by Yousaf and his painters. The drama could not be shown on the released date as the license of

the theatre to show commercial theatre dramas had expired. The drama was shown after therenewal of the license some days later.

RialtoCinema/TheatreRialto is one of the 7 cinemas

located on Murree road. The area

near the cinema has got some of

the well-known buildings andplaces in its vicinity like Moti

Plaza building and Moti cinema,

then there is the famous Al-Rehman building which belongs

to the Jang Group of newspapers.

Behind Al-Rehman building isSangeet cinema. National Science

College and Waqar-Un-Nisa

College also lie in the vicinity.There is also the Railway line

over Marrir Chowk. The well-

knownNullah (a canal) Leh passes Murree Road and a bridge connects Rialto Chowkto MarrirChowk. (Photo 1)

The construction of Rialto Cinema started in 1963. The first film was shown in 1965. It was anEnglish film. The cinema is built on the area of approximately 7-8 canals. Mian Ayub Banday

built the cinema. He was also the first owner of the building. The cinema has a total of 785

seating capacity. The building of the cinema itself is not impressive. It is built on oldarchitectural style. The facade is shabby and the paint has worn out. The cinema boundary wall is

joined with Moti Plaza at left. The back boundary wall of Rialto cinema is joined with the

boundary wall ofMoti Cinema. A small room at front serves as ticket booth. Rialto cinema wasfirst closed down in 2003; in the same year, it was converted in to a theatre then again closed

down in 2004. After two-three months on 9th September 2005 the cinema was converted in to a

theatre a second time. The opening theatre show was Tere pyar tu sadqay jawaan screened on9th September along with a small opening ceremony in the evening of 8th September. The

cinema building was decorated. The cinema owners and the chief guest delivered speeches.

Refreshments were given after the program. The first show was able to sell 720 tickets. Rialto

cinema was closed after the earthquake and remained closed during Ramadan. The dramabillboards were also taken off. Then Eid special show was screened on 4th November.

Shabistan Cinema

Shabistan Cinema lies on Committee Chowkon Murree road. The place where the cinema lies is

known as TaqqiPlaza. It is counted as one of the A-class cinemas of Rawalpindi. Ijaz Gul is the

owner of the building. The backside of the Shabistan Cinema provides place to another group ofpainters: Shahid Mahmud, Shabbir and Shahid Abbas.


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Photo 2: The backyard of the Rialto cinema.

Dhok Ellahi Bakhsh

A sharp narrow street just after Committee Chowkleads to the self-made shop of a person locally

known as Shah Jee or Baba Jee and, as Jawwad Shah among the people of this profession. The

backside of the shop is adjoined with the boundary wall of the shrine of Syed Sakhi ShahJahanMuhammad Badshah. This place is also known by the shrine and called Shah dian Talian in

local language. The walls of the shop are made half with bricks and mud and half with ironsheets. Every corner in the shop is cluttered with paint buckets, old boards, brushes, wood slabs,and canvas. The roof of the shop is made up of tin sheets and would leak after rain. Even the

drawer of his desk was full of papers, small pencils, and a lot of waste of sharpened pencil. There

is no proper door outside the shop. He locks the shop by simply putting heavy material like

boards, wood boards at the entrance.

Cinema-a place for Painting

The backyards of cinema houses provide space to cinema owners to use as store. Besides this,the place is also rented out to billboard painters to use as their workshops. As the backyard is

spacious enough to accommodate the huge boards, ladder, and usually have a small room where

the painters can place their painting things, so it is convenient for painters to use the place fortheir work.

One such cinema is Rialto Cinema, the backyard of which provides space and a shop to one suchgroup of painters. The backyard of Rialto cinema is currently in use of a group of 3 billboard

painters. The one who is the most senior in respect of work experience is Yousaf. He is calledustaad. The rest are Karamat and Imanat. They are called shagirds. Yousaf has been in this

profession of painting for more than 30 years. All three of these artists have known each other alltheir lives partially because they are relatives and partially because initially they started to learn

painting under the supervision of same ustaad. So in view of this background, there is a goodunderstanding and cooperation visible among them. All the information related to cinemas of

Rawalpindi, Rialto cinema and about film billboard painting, was provided by Yousaf and

Karamat.

2.3 The Backyard of the Rialto Cinema

It is a wide place, at right is thecinema and at left is the building of

Moti Plaza. The walls ofMoti Plaza

are adjoined with Rialtos boundarywall here. This place serves as the

junkyard for the cinema owners as

there are some old and brokenfurniture with torn seats, pieces of olddusty carpets, wood and iron sheets. A

door leading in to the hall opens here

at the backyard. In front of this doorare 4-5 shops which once sold

refreshments during intervals. At theend is another door, which is the


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make-up room and dressing room of artists. The cinema walls are in poor condition, with paintand cement falling off from various points, and few minor cracks. The artists here hold the Leh

flood responsible for this condition of cinema and its walls as during the flood the cinema was

amongst the badly affected areas. A train passing over Marrir Chowkcan often be heard fromhere. (Photo 2)

After entering from the gates, there is a small-unpainted room of walls without rendering. It isthe generator room. Its doors always locked. Opposite this room is another room, which is the

artists shop. The space between these two rooms is covered by boards. Two poles support these

boards and make a roof. There are small spaces and gaps at various places, which according to

these artists were caused by storm. There is one large gap at the rear left corner. A board with apainting of an actress covers the space over the shop. The painting is dull and dusty probably

because it is old. The roof was built by these artists. There are two tube lights on the roof.

There are often wooden and plastic chairs, stools, and a bench placed outside the shop. Besides

this, there are two ghhorris (a high bench used by the artists while painting the upper portion of

the board) placed near the shop. There is also placed a steel cabinet. Empty paint boxes areplaced on it. These artists have been working at this place since long. They first came here 25

years back. Before that, they used to work at cinema, either standing at front, back or even at

roof of the cinema. The place was first hired by their first ustaadnamed Rauf. After his death in1990 Yousaf kept the place. Yousaf gives the rent of 1000 Rupees for shop and the covered

space, to the cinema owners. Only Yousaf has keys of the shop and gate. He opens the shop at

around 10-11oclock in the morning and leaves at around 8 oclock. But when working, they can

stay till 10 oclock at night.


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Photo 3: A billboard of film Sarkaar

CHAPTER 3: THE MAKING OF BILLBOARDS

The hand painted billboards, which are made to advertise the screening of a film is the result ofthe continuous work involving a group of artists. This chapter is divided in to three parts. The

first part is about the subjects of the billboards in which I have also discussed the selection andcomposition of the images. The second part is about the materials used in painting of billboards.The third part is about the method of painting of billboards. All this, is based on the making of

the billboards, which I observed during my fieldwork, plus two case studies that I took during themonth of Ramadan. One case study was for the Drama billboardEidAashiqaanDiscreened at

Rialto Theatrewhile the other case study was for the film Sarkaarscreened at Gulistan Cinema

on Eid Day.

3.1 The Subject of Billboards

Film Billboards

The subject of a film billboard is representative ofthe title of that film. Film titles are more expressive

in nature so the billboards made for them are also

vibrant and vivacious. The subjects of the films areselected from the posters of that film, and from these

posters various scenes are taken and used in painting.

Usually people from the cinema give artists a

particular poster and instruct them to draw exactly

like the poster without making any alteration. Forinstance, in case of the film Koi Tujh Sa Kahaan

screened at Shabistan Cinema, billboard made forthis particular film was merely reproduction of its

poster. Not a single color was added out of the

printed poster. Sometimes people from the cinema

give various posters of the film to the artists and givethem choice to select images, compose and paint

from them according to their own liking.

Composition of images is done according to the title

of the film. For instance, in case of the film Sarkaar,(Photo 3), this billboard comprises 3 images drawn on

6 boards. The lead actors of this film were Shaan and Siama so their images are painted largerand the center focus of the whole board. Moreover, the title of the film is Sarkaar and the title

role was played by Shaan so his image is painted on top of the board besides the title of the film.

The third image is of a supporting actress and her image is painted on the low left corner of theboard. Besides title, this board also contains the names of the film and the music director.

Photo 4 shows the second set of billboard of the same film that is Sarkaar painted on 12 boards.In this set again there are 2 images of Shaan and Siama. The middle portion of the board


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Photo 4: Another set of film Sarkaar

contains 3 images of three main characters, while the title is also written in center. The right sideof the board contains the images of 2 supporting actors. The background of both these sets is

somewhat similar depicting smoke, which represents action film. Also the depiction of guns,

smoky background, and tensed expressions gives this board an impact of an action film.Moreover, the depiction of romantic and dance scenes shows the soft and entertaining side of the

film as well. All these images were drawn from 5 different posters of this film called Sarkaar.

Similarly, in Yousaf words if the title of the film reflects the male person like the title of the

film Shehanshah (emperor), then obviously the picture of that leading male actor, which wasShaan, was the center focus. Likewise if the title is of some female person like the title of the

film Sultana Daku, then the picture of the actress playing the title role which, in this case wasSiama was center focus of the board; we try to show the story of the film in one set (boards of

the same film/drama) seeing which a person can get a glimpse of the story line of the film.

Drama Billboards

The subject of the drama billboard unlike film billboards does not depict the storyline of the

drama but only the faces of the main actors of the drama. These faces are painted from the studiophotographs of the actors provided by the producer. So there is no chance of actual character

expression on these boards. As Yousaf commented, that its only the portrait of the main actors.

There is no particular rule in composing photographs on to the boards for drama billboards, butmostly the female faces are drawn on upper portion of the board while the male faces on the

lower level of the board. In Photo 5 of the drama billboard ofEidAashiqaanDi, all the names of

the team including the actors, director, writer and producer are written on the boards; thebackground color is given according to the artists liking, keeping in view the color scheme of the

board.


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Photo 5: A set of drama Eid Aashiqaan Di

3.2 Composition of Images

Sometimes people from the cinema, producers or even the actors of a drama interfere or have a

say in the selection of a particular image and its depiction on board. As Yousaf said that as weare old in this profession so people know us and our work well, so normally they dont interfere

much in selection and depiction of images but sometimes, if there is a new actor or new producer

then they sometimes tell us about the making of the boards, like to make one particular facebigger and in front. Sometimes they tell us totally wrong, we would be painting right but they

come and tell us to draw in a particular manner but we dont care and make the board as they tellus to make. For instance, during the painting of the boards for the drama Eid Aashiqaan Di,while I was present, the rehearsal was going on inside the hall when 4-5 actors came out to havea look at their pictures being painted and one of the actresses actually criticized her painted

image. But during her criticism the painters didnt justify the painting but quietly continued with

their work. After the actors were gone again, Imanat, who was painting that particular image,said that the painting isnt even complete yet so pointing out mistakes from incomplete painting

is stupidity. Yousaf spoke that this type of situation often happens, but in that case we only

listen to the producer, if the producer asks us to change something from the board then we do it,because they give us payment, nobody listens to these actresses.

Composition of images is usually done orally but when there are many images to be drawn thenthey compose on paper and then draw on board. It is Karamats job to collect pictures fromproducers and posters from cinema houses. From these photographs they select some

photographs. As Yousaf commented once that there is rarely any choice of pictures as we have

to paint from the photographs which are available. So we try to use those photographs which aregoing with the overall compositional arrangement of the board. While drawing on boards, the

artists rarely add anything from their own especially in drawing and painting features, or totallychanging costumes etc., but while painting clothes, hairstyles & makeup and clothe colors, they


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Photo 6: After whitewash it is left to dry

Photo 7: A board bein white washed

might make some changes according to their own liking but only when necessary. As Yousafsaid that they have to make changes when they make overlapping faces. Changes are also made

if a certain thing doesnt go with the whole composition of the board. Changes in terms of color

are also made only according to the size of the image and its placement on board.

3.3 Materials used in Painting

All the materials used in paintings are easily available from any hardware store and art shop in

Rawalpindi. Yousaf buys these materials from a shop in Committee Chowk and from Sadder.

Following materials were used during painting.

Boards:

Boards are made by securing tin sheets overwooden beams with the help of nails. These

boards are made on order. There are various

shops in Sadder and near Tipu Road who make

these boards on order. There are two variedsizes of boards, 10 x 12 and 10 x 10. A board

of size 10 x 12 costs 2000 rupees, while the

other of size 10 x 10 costs 1800 rupeesapproximately. One board can be used

approximately for a year or two depending on

the way it used and handled. Sometimes aboard may also get torn or damaged, in that

case the painters get it renovate or fixed.

Boards are always kept outside and it isbecause of their enormous size that painters

require spacious area preferably an open space to paint film billboards.

Boards are the most important material used incinema billboard painting. They provide a base

to paint on. Various boards are painted

individually and then fixed together. Thepainters may require 25 to 30 boards at one

time. As for films usually 18 to 20 boards

while for drama usually 6 to 9 boards arepainted. The numbers of boards to be painted

for either a film or a drama are told by the

people from cinema as payment is givenaccording to the number of billboards paintedfor a particular drama or film. All the boards

belong to the painters. These boards are reused

again and again for the next project by whitewashing the old painted images. This process


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Photo 8: A white-washed board

with one face left unpainted

Photo 9: A set of the film Borderwith boards cut out as per the shape ofthe images.

of white washing boards is called aster lagana. By giving a wash to boards, the old images onthem becomes light and it becomes easier to draw another image on them without being

distracted by the previous painted image. (See Photo 6 & Photo 7)

Sometimes, if the previous board contains the face of

some artist who is also working in the next show sochances are that his/her image will be used for the nestset. For instance, Photo 8 shows a board of drama

billboard Tere Piyar Tu Sadqay Jaawan the painted

face of one of the actress was not white washed as she

was also in the cast of the next drama, which wasDewaney Nonstop.

Sometimes, boards are also cut out according to theshape of the image painted on it thus giving it a life-like

two-dimensional character. As Yousaf explained that

we used to cut boards for some films, for which wewould first draw the image on the board then cut out the

sheet in that shape and afterwards paint itthe boards

would get wasted afterwards, so we would sell it tokabariya (junk yard owner). (Photo 9)

Paints

For cinema painting, enamel paints are used as they adhere well on tin sheets and are durable as

well. Yousaf and his shagirds use paints of Master and or Homebrite. Main colors used are

black, white, red, blue, yellow, and brown. Mixing these colors they make various other shadesand colors. As Yousaf commented once that, in oil painting there is vast variety of colors, but in

cinema painting the range of colors are limited. The reason can be that of film paintings are

temporary, as boards are to be reused again and again, moreover enamel paints are expensive,their prices ranging from 140-190 rupees per color. Fifteen or sixteen years back these painters


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Photo 10: A typical wooden paletteused by the painters

used to make their own paints, by mixing the color powder in alsi ka tail (linseed oil) to make apaste and then use it as paint. Enamel paints were used after sometime as they were easy to use

and were available in every color and saved time.

Brushes

Brushes are required in large quantity as they are specified for a particular color once used. Forinstance, there are separate brushes for dark tones like blue, black and brown; separate brushesfor medium tones, for bright colors like yellow and orange, and a separate brush for white.

Brushes used in billboard painting ranges from the sizes of 1 to12. Moreover, these brushes need

to be changed frequently as their bristles get dry and worn out due to frequent use. Flat square

brushes are used for oil painting while round brushes for watercolors.

Oil

Enamel paints are oil-based colors and used along with kerosene oil in order to dilute paint, towash brushes and to clean a palette for making fresh colors. Each painter during painting keeps

this oil in an empty paint bucket on his palette.

PaletteA palette is used for mixing and making various shades

and tones of colors before applying them on board.Billboard painters use a wooden slab about 24 x 20 as a

palette. On this palette are lined 7 paint buckets in order

white, yellow, red, brown, blue, and black, brushes, a

container of oil, and cloth piece for cleaning brushes.This type of palette provides a vast space to artists to

mix and experiment with various colors. Moreover, it iseasier to use, (as it can be both placed flat on the ground

or on a stool while painting) carry and clean. Before

leaving, one of the shagirds of Yousaf would alwaysclean all palettes with oil as all colors were made fresh

each day. (Photo 10)

Thread

A thread called sutar is used to make lines on board. As long straight lines were not possible to

make on boards with a ruler, so this thread used along with zinc powder is used for drawing longstraight lines on boards.

Piece of Cloth

While painting, in order to sweep the excessive paint or oil off the brush, to clean hands or forcleaning palette, a piece of absorbent clothe becomes handy in various ways.

Other materials used in Painting

For oil painting, a glass slab was used as a palette. These painters use Maries oil paints tubes for

oil painting and Wamiq paints for watercolor. A steel ruler in L-shape is often used to draw lines

on boards. While painting the upper portion of the board the painter would mount on the table ora ghorri to paint.


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Photo 11: A picture with graph

3.4 Painting of Billboards

According to Yousaf, painting is the most difficult and time-consuming aspect in making offilm billboards. I shall now provide a step-by-step process of painting of billboards.

Division of WorkThere is no such strict division of work among painters. As Yousaf pointed out once that, hedoesnt always tell his shagirds what to draw and how to draw. Talking about division of work

he said that, he and Imanat make one or two mainfaces. Imanat is very good in drawing; he

can draw very quickly and very well. Sajid is good in giving details of jewellery and hair whileKaramat is good in giving backgroundwash. Imanat and Yousaf himself are experts in painting

and finishing. This is contrary to what I actually saw during fieldwork that Yousaf, Imanat and

Sajid each would paint individually on separate boards but details and finishing would be givenby either Yousaf or Imanat. Also, the background wash was always given by Yousaf himself

instead of Karamat. So, in short each of Yousafs shagirdis expert in one thing or other, which

means that various artists work on a single board. But the senior artist like Yousaf and Imanat

mostly paint a board all by themselves.

Making Graph

Graphs are made on the pictures and on the boards foraccurate drawing of images. First graphs are made on to

that picture from which an image is to be painted. The

artists divide a photograph or an image taken from aposter, with a pencil or ball pen in to small squares of

equal size. The areas that require details like eyes, nose

and lips are then further divided in to squares of equalsize. After drawing graph on the pictures, the artists then

draws same number of squares on to the board as weredrawn on the photograph and then enlarge each square

from the photograph on to the board. In this way, theimage however small it may be can be enlarged over ten

times. Some squares are further divided. This further

subdivision is done for the areas, which are to be drawnwith detail like eyes, nose and lips. The artists draw lines

on the board by putting zinc powder on a long piece of sutar (thread), as it is not possible to

draw long straight lines from ruler. In drawing lines on the boards one person would hold thesutarat end of the board, while other from top and after adjusting it to make a straight line, a

person would pull the sutar from middle and then release it immediately, the sutar would hit

back on the board and create a white straight line. (Photo 11)


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Photo 13: A sketched face from the boardof drama Eid Aashiqaan Di

Photo 14: Images with correction

Sketching

After drawing graphs on boards the artists then start drawing images. This step is called as

sketching of the images. Each square in a photograph is drawn on to the same square on the

board, this, automatically enlarges the images. The graph is further divided in to equal halves andthose halves are further divided in to more equal halves. In other words, one main square was

subdivided in to 16 squares of equal sizes. Sketches are drawn in ochre color using flat oil paintbrush. These sketches are mainly outline of the face with less detail drawn, only eye and noseportion are drawn with some detail. (Photo 13 & Photo 12)

Drawing with correction-Outline

Once the sketching is complete then before

starting to paint either Yousaf himself or Imanatwould go through the sketching and correct the

stray lines. This step is known as doingcorrection. These corrections are done in redcolor as it is dark and blend easily with other

colors as well. This step is also sometimes called

drawing outline. In this step more detail is added

to the drawing like details of shades and shapesand contours of the face. Sometimes Yousaf and

or Imanat who is the senior shagird would do

correction along with sketching. (See Photo 14,Photo 15 and Photo 16)

Photo 12: Imanat drawing a sketch forthe board of film Sarkaar


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Photo 16: Image of drama billboard EidAashiqaan Diwith correction

Photo 17: A board of drama depictinginitial painting

Coloring

After correction is done, the artists start painting. The painters call it as aik coat de dena orshakal de dena. This is the stage when the painters start to paint. Usually, the cheeks of the face

are painted first; leaving eyes, lips and eyebrows every part of the face is filled in with color.

Once these portions are filled in, then the eyes, lips and eyebrows are painted. Then come neckand hands. In short, every visible skin is painted first. After painting every skin portion, hair and

clothes are given color. Three or four shades are made for every dominant color on the picture.

While painting face, the dominant colors used are shades of brown, yellow and ochre. Colors are

applied in matte form, which means that the whole faces are painted in somewhat neutral andsmooth manner. Some painters, like Imanat doesnt give first coat he starts painting and gives

details side by side. If the image also supports jewellery, hat or cap then these extra accessoriesare also given shape in this first stage of painting. In short, the whole face is given color withoutemphasizing on details. (See Photo 18, Photo 17, Photo 19 and Photo 20).

Photo 15: Images with correction

Photo 18: A board of drama in which oneof the faces is given color


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Photo 21: A face of Shaan for filmSarkaar with shading

ShadingIn addition of just 3 tones, which were given earlier,

now more shades are added, and more tones, arepainted. This is the most difficult stage of painting as

now the actual facial expressions are to be achieved in

order to resemble with the original photograph. As

Yousaf once said that, painting is the most difficultpart and painting a face takes days, as it is difficult to

obtain the required facial expressions. Shading isdone in the most detailed form. Each and every part is

painted with most detail. Strokes are very important,

as it is due to these strokes that the actual texture andshape is carved out of the sketched image. Painting is

done according to the contours of the face and strokes

are given according to the shape of the surface like forpainting cheeks strokes are given in a similar round

fashion as the shape. (See Photo 21, Photo 22, Photo 23 and Photo 24)

Photo 19: A face that was freshly painted Photo 20: Yousaf painting an image fordrama billboard

Photo 22: A painted face Photo 23: Shaded image


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Photo 25: A board for film Sarkaarwithbackground washes

Background Wash

In painting background few things are kept

in mind. First, the background color shouldalways be different from the painted images.

Either it should be lighter or darker then the

image at front. Second, the background color

should not be too much bright to be jumpingout of the board rather background color

should be made in neutral tone in such a waythat it should give life to the painted faces.

Painting background is also calledbackground wash dena. Background ispainted flat i.e., colors are mixed well before

applying that is there are no patches of

different shades visible. It seems like eachshade is emerging out of other shade. Also

the background wash is in very thin diluted

form. Strokes are not made in backgroundrather background is made flat and smooth.

(Photo 25)

Writings on boards

Another important aspect of painting is the writings on the boards. Writing on board or

calligraphy is a separate art and it is practiced by separate painters known as signboard

painters. Words constitute an important part of billboards as they communicate meanings withthe viewers. In both film and drama boards there are written words painted on them. These

writing are of three types. First, there is the title of the film or the drama, which is painted in bold

form, bright color, aimed to be read at a distance. Second, there is information about the film ordrama like the name of the producer, music director, director, cast in case of drama billboard in

Photo 24: Two painted boards


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Photo 26: Painted words

Photo 27: Yousaf giving highlightsin hair

which names of the painted actors are written on them. Third, there is the information about thevenue and timings of the show or other features like guest appearance of some actor. Among

Yousafs group of painters, there was a separate person who would come and write on boards.

He was a signboard painter and his name was Yousaf Rafiq. Yousaf Rafiq worked in a paintingshop at the vicinity of Rialto Theatre and whenever he was needed one of the painters would go

and bring him.

For writing, first horizontal lines are drawn on

the board with the help of chalk. Then by

holding two chalks together words are written on

the board. After drawing alphabets, they arepainted white and left to dry. Once the whole

painting is complete, then words are painted. The

title, which was previously drawn and paintedwhite, is now painted in color. Name of each

actor is painted on his/her image in drama

billboard, while this is not the case in filmbillboards as the film actors are well known.

There are no hard and fast rules for fonts in

writing words. However, the size of the title,language to be used and the timings of show are

shared by producers or cinema people. (Photo 26)

FinishingLastly, finishing kerna or final touches dena is a

stage where each and every minute details are given toeach image like giving shades in ears, putting

highlights in hair, face or in eye pupil. Jewellery like

bangles and cloth designs are also painted in the last.Moreover, overall adjustments are made, like adjusting

background. Another important point in finishing is

that the faces are distinguished from the backgroundand in some cases in order to show images at front or at

back of each other an outline in light color is painted

on images. At some points like nose tips, teeth, cheekspure white color is used to give highlights. See Photo

27, Photo 28 and Photo 29


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Photo 28: Sajid and Yousaf giving final touches to boards

Photo 29: A board of film Sarkaar after its finishing


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Transportation of Boards

When the boards are completed the next task is to transport these boards to the cinema houses.

According to Yousaf everything from making of these boards to taking them to cinema houses

and fixing them there to taking the boards off when the film is down and returning them back tothe workshop is part of our job. We even have to pay the carpenters from our pocket for fixing

these boards outside cinema and transporters for transporting it. Transportation of these boardsis done on donkey-cart or rherra (a cart pulled by man).

Fixing Boards

When the boards are transported to the cinema houses the next task is to fix them outside the

cinema houses. Carpenters do this job. It is not necessary for any one of the painters to be presentthere during this task to tell the carpenters about the order of arrangements of boards. As

Karamat pointed out that, those carpenters are well experienced and more expert than us as they

have been working for us for quite some time. Yousaf added that, we only tell the carpenters tofix the boards by matching the background color.

3.5 Orders of Work

Order for painting a billboard either for the film or for the stage drama is given by the cinema

walay as these artists call them. The owners of the cinema mostly deal with painters. There weretwo ways by which painters were informed about the film project. First, a person from the

cinema would come to these painters and tell them about the screening of the film and ask them

to make boards. Second, a person from among the painters keeps in touch with cinema houses inorder to be informed about the change of boards for the next film. All the talking with cinema

people is done either by the ustaad(teacher)or by the middle person.

Due to slump in Pakistan film industry these days, and increasing cable technology, these artists

get very less work now as compared to that which they used to get back in 70s and in 80s, whichwas the peak time of Pakistans film industry as well. According to Yousaf, at that time the

scene here in their workshop used to be totally different. They would be so busy then that theywouldnt even had time to eat. There used to be chaos here in the workshop. There was even a

time when we had to refuse work because we would already have so much workload. People

would even bring shifarish (reference) of our close friends.

Before, when cinemas were in business there used to be some parties who would show films but

now cinema owners themselves show films in order to keep their cinema halls from shuttingdown. These artists get work on the basis of their links. The more social they are the more work

they get. Likewise they have to make and expand their professional links and inform people

about their availability for taking new work projects.

Back in the business days of cinema houses, as Yousaf said we would work for all cinema

houses but gradually; it so happened that work started coming from some specific cinema

houses. So one group started working for some specific cinema houses while others for someothers. It depends on the cinema walay that to whom they give work to. Yousaf and his shagirds

(students) had worked for almost all cinemas but till recently they were getting work fromGulistan Cinema, Naz Theatre and Rialto Cinema/Theatre on regular basis. In one case, that is


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for the drama of PinddiKuri screened on 20th

December, cinema owners of Rialto Theatregave painting work of this particular drama to another painter namely Inam, who according to

Karamat was also once ustaadjees (meaning Yousafs) shagird. Imanat also worked withInam for the painting of that billboard. That billboard was not painted at Yousafs workshoprather it was painted at some other place nearby.

3.6 Mode of Payment

Initially, the artists were reluctant in telling about the payment they get for this work. Yousaf

even told me to leave this question as he said that, they feel ashamed telling the amount ofmoney they get from this work, its just like as if we are doing it for free. They are paid by the

cinema owners.

According to Yousaf, one board is made by one painter, if a person starts work on a board then

he will finish it and he will get its money. Payment is according to who makes what rule, if a

board is made by Imanat or Sajid, then he will get the pay for that board. The payment for one

board is between 200-300 rupees. Sometimes, we dont even get the full payment, we get somepayment in advance and the rest of the payment we get later or sometimes we dont. Yousaf was

of the opinion that there is work but the money is very less and also it comes very late.

According to Shabir, a cinema painter at Shabistan Cinema, we get 3-4 rupees per foot for

cinema boards. For one board we get maximum 500 rupees, so for ten boards we would get 5000

rupees, and from these 5000 rupees the painters, signboard painter, rehrray wala(a person whopulls cart), and carpenters are paid. So each painter would get maximum 500 to 700 rupees,

which have no value these days. Most of the time cinema walay gives us only 2000 rupees in

advance and said baqi ke paisey buhat rula rula ker daitey hain(they give the remaining moneyafter much fuss).

Another view given by Jawwad Shah, a self-acclaimed painter at Dhoke Ellahi Baksh is that, a

board of size 24 x 100 ft cost approximately 4000 rupees from which some money is given inadvance and the rest after completion of boards. So each painter gets approximately 300-400

rupees which is very less as compared to the hard work they do.

So looking at the making of the billboards in this way signifies the amount of hard work and time

the painters put, in the making of billboard either of film or that of drama. It also signifies the

skill and experience of individual artists, which enables them to paint effectively.


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Photo 30: UstaadYousaf sittingoutside his shop and painting

CHAPTER 4: THE LIFE OF CINEMA ARTISTS

Cinema billboards are painted by the artists who had learnt this work through extensive trainingby the masters of this field referred to as ustaads (teacher). Usually this work is learnt in teenage.

This chapter is divided into 3 parts. The first part provides detailed life histories of 3 artists. Thesecond part gives a brief introduction of other artists whom I met during my fieldwork. The thirdpart is about the professional life of cinema artists consisting of their learning and trainingprocess as well as organization amongst them.

4.1 Life Histories

Yousaf Sajjad

Sitting on his usual chair outside the door of his small shop, painting a portrait supported by a

black easel placed against the wall, either drinking tea or smoking a diplomat cigarette, and

mixing colors on a glass palette placed on a white stool-cum-bench is a setting in which Yousaf

is usually seen working in. (Photo 30)

Yousaf has been doing cinema painting for 30 years. He

started to learn painting when he was 13 years old.Yousaf is now 43 years old now. He was born in zilla

Gujrat. Yousafs father was a zameendar (farmer) and

a pehelwaan (wrestler)by profession. In village, theyused to live in a family house. He was in 3rd class when

his father got a job in a mill in Rawalpindi so the whole

family shifted to Pindi. In Pindi, Yousaf studied in SaintPatrick High School till class 5th and left to learn

painting. Yousaf learnt cinema painting from UstaadAbdul Rauf who had a workshop in Commercial

Market. Yousaf says that, his family were not aware

that he was doing this work and when they came to

know of it they scolded him badly especially his fatherwho slapped him, but later his family gradually

approved of this profession and appreciated Yousafs

work. Among his family, Yousafs elder brother wasalso a painter but he became an addict and died at the

age of forty-three. Now, one of Yousafs sons is also

learning oil painting.

Yousaf now do both cinema painting and oil painting. He says that he learnt only cinema

painting from his Ustaadand learnt oil painting by himself. He had been doing oil painting since

beginning at home. Personally, he likes oil painting more than cinema painting and in oilpainting he likes to paint portraits. Speaking of his favorite face to paint, Yousaf said that, he

used to paint face ofSultan Rahi with most interest, he used to enjoy painting the chin and nose

of that actor as his facial expressions were very good and intensive.


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Besides Pindi, Yousaf has also briefly worked in Mardan, Gujranwala, and Gujrat. He has alsodone paintings for church as well. Speaking about the best years of his professional life, Yousaf

thinks that, the time in the years of 1986-1987 was his golden time, professionally and the work

he did during those years was his best and favorite work. The best work of his career he thinkswas for the filmAngaray while the most memorable event of Yousafs career was the making of

billboards for the filmsNikkah and Kuriyoun Ko Dale Dana. It was Thursday, as Yousaf spokeremembering the day, and we were working on boards of these two films since morning,weather was not good and it became windy in the evening and started to rain heavily and

continuously for two three hours. When the rain stopped we resumed work then the light went

out and again it started to rain and it became windy as well and all our boards started falling

down. We worked like that all night with breaks in between and next day we finished work at 1oclock.

When not working for cinema, Yousaf was usually seen painting in oil for his clients. Thesetypes of projects were mostly portraits, landscape or simply a picture taken from a book. When

asked that which kind of scenes he gets to paint mostly, Yousaf said that, the scene related to

Afghan and Pathan culture, village scenes, women carrying water pitcher with camels, are quitepopular scenes. But mostly he gets to paint portraits. Talking about portraits of politicians,

Yousaf said that he had made portraits of almost all politicians but he likes to paint Musharraf,

Bhutto and Zia as their facial structure was good. Besides this, Yousaf has also made portraits ofhis parents, grandparents and his late elder brother.

Talking about the work of renowned artists, Yousaf said that, their work is also very good

because they are famous as he thinks that, naam insaan aise hi nahi banata, koi kaam kerta hai

tu naam banata hai (a person cannot earn name for nothing; he must have done something then

made name in that). Artists like Gulgee and Sadeqain learnt art first then practiced it. Yousafsaid that, his work is nothing as compared to the work of these renowned artists. They paint

from their own on the spot unlike us who paint from photographs. Yousaf said that, he also

longs to learn to paint like them as drawing from a photograph is totally different than drawingfrom real life. Yousaf likes to do detail work in painting not abstract painting as he thinks that

abstract painting is mostly done and liked by foreign artist.

All painters when new in this profession do a lot of experimentation and learn new things from

their own experience, then after sometime, they reach a point when they know what looks right

and what not, what people like and what not. When they know this then from that point onwardsthey keep on practicing that same thing in the same manner. Eventually, it becomes their style

and they become recognized by it and they also teach in the similar fashion to their shagirds so it

becomes tradition. This is how style in painting develops according to Yousaf. Explaining his

understanding of style to me, Yousaf said that, style emerge out of experiments. He said mein ne

bhi buhat experiments ki hain, mager phir mujhey aik cheez pasand a gaee aur wahan pe meri

soch ruk gaee, wo phir mera style ban gaya. (I have also done much experiment in work, but

then I liked something and my mind accepted it and gradually it became my style) Usually, thestyle ofustaadresembles the style of his shagird. It is natural. For the shagird it is an honor if

somebody tells him that his style is like his ustaads.


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Yousaf used to be very disappointed about the future of cinema painting. He would often say ab

tu board pe apna naam likhne ka bhi shook baki nahi raha, shagird khud hi likh dete hain,

kiyounke in cheezoun se kuch faraq nahi parta, pait bharna hota hai, hum ne sari zindagi naam

hi kamaya hai paisa nahi kamaya. (Now writing name on boards have no meaning for me,students write it themselves, as these things doesnt make a difference, we have to feed

ourselves, we have earned name all our lives not money). The worst thing about this professionas Yousaf pointed was that, this work didnt earn us money.

Yousaf counted three reasons, which according to him are responsible for the decline of cinema

painting as a profession. First, he thinks that digital boards have taken the place of hand painted

boards. Second, reason he said was the availability of cable to everyone has affected this work aspeople have facility to watch any new film in homes so they dont bother going to cinema

houses. Third, he said that Pakistan film industry is in slump these days; if there is no film so

there is no work. Also the standard of films in Pakistan is very low and all films are being madeon same pattern. So people prefer to watch an Indian film rather than watching a Pakistani film.

So the cinema owners are either converting their cinemas in to theatres or in to plazas. When

asked, that why he never changed his field like many other cinema painters, Yousaf said that, anartist cannot do any other work besides art, and admitted that he cannot do anything else except

painting.

Documents

Aesthetics in Billboard Arts