Mira Nair has shared the first look of ‘Amri’, her new feature inspired by the life and art of one of India’s most important modern artists, Amrita Sher-Gil. The film stars Anjali Sivaraman as Sher-Gil and is set in the 20th century. He follows the forces that shaped his work throughout Hungary, France and India at the beginning of the 20th century. The film will wrap up production this week after shooting in India and Europe.
The first look of ‘Amri’ introduces Anjali Sivaraman as Amrita Sher-Gil
According to Deadline, ‘Amri’ stars Emily Watson as Sher-Gil’s mother, Marie-Antoinette Gottesman, and Jaideep Ahlawat as her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil. The cast includes Krisztián Csákvári as Victor Egan, Anjana Vasan as Indira Sher-Gil, Jim Sarbh as Karl Khandalavala and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas as Madame Azurie. Chopra-Jonas also serves as an executive producer.Nair directed the film and co-wrote it with Clara Royer. The project is produced by Samudrika Arora, Michael Nozi and Nair through Mirabai, Samscape and Papertown Productions in association with KNMA and Miramax. For Nair, the film has a personal connection with Sher-Gil’s art and vision.“All the films I have made in the last decades have been inspired by Amrita Sher-Gil. She taught me to see. She took the best European training to distill the soul of India like no one else had; this distillation has informed my cinema from the beginning. Her palette, colors and boldness have forever moved me to the common people of India.”
Mira Nair’s film explores Amrita Sher-Gil’s art and identity
‘Amri’ traces Sher-Gil’s growth as an artist and a woman. The film explores self-discovery, defiance of convention, love life and the desire to develop a visual language of its own.Sher-Gil became the youngest student accepted at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. Trained in the European tradition, he later developed a style rooted in the lives of ordinary Indian women and men.The producers say the film explores “seeing and being seen, and that’s its universal importance.”Samudrika Arora said Sher-Gil’s life “reflects the aspirations of the modern generation, where identity and unapologetic self-expression come together”.Michael Nozik called Sher-Gil “a true visionary artist and social revolutionist”. Major exhibitions of his work are planned for 2027 in Paris, Los Angeles, Doha and New Delhi.
