The year 2020 was a challenging one. As the pandemic struck, entire countries locked up their citizen inside houses to break the chain of transmission. This was an unfamiliar experience for everyone and with it came novel challenges. Many lost their means of livelihood and, for the lucky few who could transition to an online ‘work from home’ model, the threat of layoff and pay cuts loomed. For most, it was a period of solitary confinement, and meeting another human being was risky and ill advised. Besides these problems, our uninspired artist has some of his own. He finds tempers are on a short fuse, including his own, and the solitude, depression, hopelessness and fear has taken its toll. Relationships endure this stress and we see that only the strong ones survive this test. The biggest struggle our artist undergoes in finding his own identity. He contemplates on his past and his present and introspects on the changes that have driven him to be the unhappy, uninspired being he now is. Is there a way out of this or is this how it is?
‘Musings of an Uninspired Artist’ is a feature length film by Director Ronit Jadhav. This film was made during the most strenuous days of the lockdown in India. The Government mandated the entire population of the country to stay indoors for three weeks to begin with and his period was later extended by several months. The film brings alive the essence of the ‘lockdown’ life of repeated use of the same camera angles in the same room. It reminds us of the time spent watching the same scenes over and over inside our houses as we sit through the period. Ronit also adds flavour to the ‘lockdown’ life with the usual suspects like instant noodles, demanding landlords and worried parents. Having created the setting that makes one introspect about one’s life, Ronit moves forward to deal with the mind of his character, the ‘Uninspired Artist’
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out into the open the discussions on mental health. At a time when the medical fraternity was overwhelmed by the virus, mental health took a back seat. But, this was when people need help the most. Lonely, depressed and suffering, many did not even have the comfort of friends and family around them for support. ‘The musings of an uninspired artist’ inspire us to look into ourselves and also at how we can care for those around us.
