A Rider, An Auteur, & An Artist: Remembering The Cultural Legacy Of Navroze Contractor

Last Sunday, a talented cinematographer, photographer, and writer, Navroze Contractor, slipped beyond the veil at the age of 80. The multi-award-winning professional has had a career spanning decades. Celebrated for his creativity and loved for his humaneness, his death has come as a shock for several people, who knew him personally or professionally. Besides his artistry behind the lens, he was also an accomplished bike rider, who rode and wrote regularly for bike and car magazines and also created a documentary film Bharat Parikrama (2005), which centered around his 57-day circumnavigation of India on his motorcycle.

It was a tragic bike accident in Hasur, Tamil Nadu that claimed his life. Life is full of such cruel ironies. However, we look back at the accomplished life he has led and his cultural legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.

Hailing from Ahmedabad and later settling in Bengaluru with his family, Contractor's journey was a testament to his relentless pursuit of artistic expression and a thirst for adventure. He was married to prominent renowned documentary filmmaker Deepa Dhanraj. Along with her, Abha Bhaiya, and Meera Rao, Contractor had co-founded Yugantar Film Collective in 1980, which is India’s first feminist film collective.

During the politically transformative years of 1980 to 1983, Yugantar created four innovative films that were ahead of their times. They collaborated with women's groups across India, capturing the essence of their stories. They documented the lives of domestic workers in Pune, female factory workers in Nipani, and collaborated with Sri Shakhti Sanghatana in Hyderabad, a feminist research and activist collective. Witnessing the landmark environmental activism of the Chipko movement, Yugantar collaborated with the activists and made another path-breaking film. Yugantar's films became pioneering forces in their own right; challenging societal norms and empowering marginalized voices.

Contractor is renowned for his contributions to documentaries, both in India and abroad. Some of his documentaries include Ballad of Pabu by George Luneau, Are you listening? by Martha Stewart, and Last House in Bombay by Luke Jennings. Some of the Indian feature films he worked on include Limited Manuski (1995), Devi Ahilya Bai (2002) directed by Nachiket and Jayoo Patwardhan, Pahela Adhyay (1981) by Vishnu Mathur, Percy (1989) directed by Pervez Merwanji, Love In The Time Of Malaria (1991) directed by Sanjiv Shah and Devarakadu (1993) directed by Pattabhi Rama Reddy.

It was Contractor’s role as a cinematographer in Mani Kaul's horror film Duvidha (1973) that etched his name into the annals of Indian cinema history. The movie's frames spoke volumes, making it one of the most celebrated Indian films in terms of cinematography. Duvidha is a foundational film for amateur cinematographers looking to learn the craft. Contractor's collaboration with Kaul was a case of the stars aligning, as Kaul's background in Indian classical music allowed him to sing rhythmically into Contractor's ear, which was the basis of his speed and the rhythm of the shot — creating a unique synergy that only they understood.

Contractor was a multifaceted talent and his passions existed beyond films. As a professional photographer, he documented the Grand Prix races in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a long-time jazz enthusiast, as well, and his photographs of jazz musicians are part of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, while his pictures of artist Bhupen Khakhar are part of the collection at the Tate Modern in London. He had been recently engaged in working on a collection of photographs on the dying art of kusti and akhadas. Contractor also wrote a book titled The Dreams of the Dragon’s Children, about his filmmaking experiences in China in 1984.

Contractor’s love for motorcycles was as intense as the frames he captured on film. People from all over India’s motorcycle community showered love and shared grief at his demise. He was on his Kawasaki Ninja bike on his usual Sunday morning tour when a bike from the opposite direction crashed into him. When you think about it, Fate can often be quite cruel. Contactor, who has always been a proponent of safe riding, lost his life because of the actions of a reckless rider. It just goes to show that life is transient and any moment could be your last. Keeping that in mind, it is prudent to say that Contractor led a fulfilling life, fuelled by creativity and a thirst for adventure. When one dies, it is not just their achievements that we count but the number of lives they have touched. Today we mourn the loss of not just an exceptional artist but a genuine human being.

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