Panel: Behroze Gandhy, Dilesh Korya, Partha Mitter, Mishka Sinha, Shireen Azam
Chair: Faisal Devji

In Kekee Manzil: House of Art a daughter journeys to find how her father catalysed the contemporary art movement in India as it achieved independence in 1947. But how did he get to this point? Back in 1941, Kekoo Gandhy came to the aid of a man whose car got stuck in the sand on Juhu beach in Bombay. A friendship started and a business partnership soon followed. The pair established Chemould Frames, which became the largest picture frame enterprise in Asia. A chance encounter that was the first of many moments of serendipity helping launch the most significant Indian art movement in the city.

Kekee Manzil – House of Art binds together its intriguing subjects’ histories in the context of events in India over recent decades. The film emerged in 2020, in time to celebrate the birth centenary of Kekoo Gandhy, whose story lies at its centre.

Behroze Gandhy recorded her father Kekoo from 2002, aware that he was witness to a unique period of Indian art history – and its main protagonists were fast disappearing. To bring focus and narrative thrust, in 2016 she began collaborating with Dilesh Korya, with whom she shared a vision evident in their previous collaborations.

A Film by Behroze Gandhy, Dilesh Korya, Michael Poole, Talvin Singh