Ode to the creative genius of Josef Wirsching to unveil in Mumbai
Josef Wirsching, a forgotten figure in Indian cinema, is finally getting recognition through an exhibition in Mumbai showcasing his iconic cinematography work.
Josef Wirsching, cinematographer of some of the most iconic Hindi films till the 1970s such as Achhut Kanya (1936), Mahal (1950), Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) and Pakeezah (1972), is largely a forgotten figure today. A German national, Wirsching left Munich for Bombay in 1925 to apprentice as a cinematographer on Franz Osten’s Light of Asia (1925) and stayed on here to become the main cameraperson (1935-55) for the first professionally run Indian film studio, Bombay Talkies. Hallmarks of his cinematography like asymmetrical perspectives and a dramatic, expressionist lighting technique continue to remain in vogue, but his name and contribution in the history of Indian cinema is largely invisiblised. Except for glowing reviews in various publications from film critics and cinegoers, he has received no awards or recognition, either from the film fraternity or the government.
A Cinematic Imagination: Josef Wirsching & The Bombay Talkies – a 48-day long exhibition in Wirsching’s karmabhoomi Mumbai, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), seeks to address this lacuna. Organised by CSMVS and Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) in collaboration with The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, the exhibition is curated by Debashree Mukherjee and Rahaab Allana Creative.
Wirsching’s grandson Georg told HT, “Both my elder brother Josef and I look forward to this exhibition as it’ll finally bring this collection to Mumbai where all the magic of grandpa’s filmmaking legacy in India actually started.”
This collection of images curated from the Wirsching family archive was first publicly exhibited under the aegis of the Alkazi Foundation at Goa’s Serendipity Arts Festival (2017) and reprised at an exhibition for the Goethe Institute and Max Mueller Bhavan at Chennai’s Lalit Kala Akademi (2019). This was consolidated into another exhibition with archival grade limited edition photographic art prints of some of the best images of Wirsching’s works were made available to the public and collectors through the Art Heritage Gallery at Delhi in 2020. All of this spawned a book, Bombay Talkies – An unseen history of Indian Cinema published by the Alkazi Collection of Photography and Mapin Books, which was released at the 2023 Jaipur LitFest.
“This has brought together film academicians, scholars and authors to paint a historically accurate and vivid picture of Josef Wirsching’s contribution to early Indian Cinema,” says Georg. “The exhibition and book release in Mumbai culminates years of work which my late father Wolfgang Peter Wirsching and I initiated (2009) to archive my grandfather’s photographic collection.”
While emphasising he harbours no ill-will against India’s film fraternity for “the unforgivable and wrongful ‘invisibilisation’ of my grandfather’s contribution to Indian cinema just because he was a foreigner and a quiet, soft-spoken creative genius who stayed away from politics and publicity,” Georg admitted, “They only respond to hits and misses. Once out of the limelight even the most lauded, well-loved, highly acclaimed actors/film practitioners fade into obscurity living their dying days in penury. And then on cue – as if scripted – crocodile tears of loss and remembrance gush forth for cameras.” Georg connects this to why his late grandfather advised his father to stay away from the film industry. “He knew all too well how fickle, selfish and temperamental this industry was and still is.”
Peter Dietze, grandson of Bombay Talkies founder Himansu Rai, a Melbourne-based visual artist who is the custodian to some archives that will be displayed at the exhibition also acknowledged how it will showcase Josef Wirsching’s exceptional contribution in the foreground for a change. “After all, filmmaking is a team effort and while enjoying and reviewing the Wirsching Collection over a number of years, I can ascertain its value to Indian Cinema is priceless. It is a culturally significant asset to one of the world’s largest movie businesses.”
CSMVS director-general Dr Sabyasachi Mukherjee expressed delight at bringing a unique look into the early history of Indian cinema to audiences in Mumbai. “This is an education in the cinematic arts of India, a glimpse into its Indo-German links, and innovation of the early 1900s,” he said. Echoing him JNAF director Puja Vaish said, “As an organisation focused on expanding debates on the modern and contemporary, we welcome the show which traces the impact of Indian and European modernist aesthetic influences within cinema. The show prompts further thought into cross-cultural connections and slippages between art and film in imaging India of the time.”
The exhibition underlines how India and Germany already had a close cultural collaboration a century ago. Achim Fabig, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Mumbai which is supporting this initiative said, “Josef Wirsching came to film in India before WWII. Though he was put under internment (1939-45), he settled and continued to work here. He created a rich tapestry of images of what filmmaking was like at the time and who were the people behind the lens. It is through his work that we revision the early years of cinema realistically.” He also highlighted how Wirsching’s images help us visualise and “complete the many stories Manto wrote about the film stars and the industry of the 1930s and ’40s.”
According to Fabig, growing Indo-German relations, are “a splendid time to remind us of early pioneers in arts and cinema and their legacy remains a testament to the universal appeal of cinema and entertainment.”
Christian Jack, deputy consul-general of Australian Consulate-General, Mumbai said the consulate is proud to be part of the exhibition honouring Bombay Talkies. “This pioneering Indian film studio in many ways defined modern Bollywood. The studio made many landmark films and was home to master technicians like Josef Wirsching. Melbourne-based visual artist Peter Dietze, the grandson of Bombay Talkies founder Himansu Rai, maintains a collection of nearly 3,000 rare artefacts from the famous studio, including letters, scripts, photographs, screenplays, shoot schedules, costume charts and much more. The exhibit in Mumbai of these incredible pieces of cinema history is a great platform to promote collaboration and creative exchange between Australia and India, showcasing the best of both cultures, landscapes and people.”