Aoy Roy

“I devote years to each of my documentaries, returning again and again to capture the real evolution of my subjects.”

Ajoy Roy

b. 1955

Born in 1955 into a traditional Bengali family, Ajoy Roy took up photo journalism in 1975. He was appointed as a cameraman in Business India TV, the first news channel in India, in 1994, and went on to work as a producer and cameraman with Associated Press Television News from 1995. He has also been involved with reputed television channels in India and abroad such as BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Fox and NHK, and participated as a photojournalist and cameraperson at three World Cup Football events and two Olympic games.

A keen interest to look beyond mere news and a love for nature initiated his work in documentaries. He devotes years to each of his documentaries, and works through revisits in order to capture the real evolution of his subjects. His longest association, however, remains with the painter Shahabuddin, a close friend and confidant, whose journey he has followed over the last 25 years from close quarters across continents. Colour of Freedom (2016) is the final product of that long journey.

Shahabuddin: Colours of Freedom

The documentary explores the extraordinary career of the painter Shahabuddin, spanning twenty five years and two continents.The journey begins in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and moves on to Paris, where the painter is domiciled.

Considered a foremost painter of our times, he has developed a unique style that brings into synthesis his South Asian upbringing, his revolutionary past, his deep commitment to his roots and his Western experience.

His consciousness is nurtured through his deep connections with his motherland, a land that he had fought for in 1971 as a front ranking soldier in the War of Liberation. He remembers the gun on his shoulders, the smell of shells, the sounds of war. They are images deeply embedded in his soul, and they often come to life in his canvases. The film uses original documents, stills and video footage of the artist and of the War of Liberation to situate the artist and his inner world in the history of his country.

The documentary captures him in different moods, in his solitude and his interactions, and explores his paintings even as they come to life. Shahabuddin, the revolutionary who was the first person to raise the flag of Bangladesh on the day of its liberation, comes out in vibrant hues mirroring his richly colourful canvases.

Trailer: 'Shahabuddin: Colour of Freedom' by Ajoy Roy

“The flow of colours symbolises the spirit of the Liberation War… The diversity of different colours is the symbol of freedom.”

Shahabuddin: Colour of Freedom

Ajoy Roy

Published by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Produced by ARTCON

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This publication folder was published as part of the screening of Shahabuddin: Colour of Freedom, held on 27 March 2018 at the National Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka.

Directed by Ajoy Roy↗, the documentary follows the extraordinary artistic journey of Bangladeshi painter Shahabuddin Ahmed over twenty-five years and across two continents, tracing his life and creative process through Bangladesh, India, Singapore and various countries in Europe, before culminating in Paris, where the artist has lived and worked. It explores the artist’s revolutionary past, his deep connection to his homeland and the experiences of the Liberation War of 1971 that continue to resonate through his paintings.

Using archival documents, photographs and film footage, the documentary presents Shahabuddin’s life, creative process and distinctive artistic language, revealing how memory, freedom, history and personal experience converge in his work.