Ronak Kamat’s I Am Nothing Captures Goa’s Reclusive Artist, Vamona Navelcar
~ As part of MOG Sundays, Goan filmmaker Ronak Kamat screened his documentary ‘I Am Nothing,’ chronicling the life of reclusive artist Vamona Navelcar, whose journey spanned Goa, Mozambique and Portugal.
~ Kamat talks about his experience directing the film, eight years in the making, that included candid conversations with artists and collaborators.
Saligao: According to Goan director and writer Ronak Kamat, the late Vamona Navelcar was a reclusive, but exceptional Goan artist from Pomburpa, whose life spanned stories from Goa, Mozambique and Portugal. An exclusive screening of I Am Nothing, Kamat’s documentary on Navelcar, was held at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne, followed by a discussion with the director as a part of its MOG Sundays series.
Navelcar, who died at the ripe old age of 91 in 2021, wasn’t someone who opened up easily to others and Kamat did not want to make him feel uncomfortable in the course of his interviews. “Instead of aiming for a swankier film, I thought, why not go for an honest film (with) Navelcar, two members of the crew and a simple setup where he could speak freely,” says Kamat, adding that the process of filming lasted eight years, which included engaging with various individuals associated with Navelcar.
In the course of his lengthy career as an artist, Navelkar twice received Gulbenkian Fellowships and won an international award in Monte Carlo. A master of line, his murals and bas-reliefs feature in collections across the world.
It all started when Kamat was in his second year of college, in the middle of filming his previous project Caazu, when Anne Ketteringham, author of Vamona Navelcar: An Artist of Three Continents, invited him to visit the artist’s home. “So we went and met him. I thought he was a great artist. I had heard about him, but I didn’t expect to be sitting and talking with him for four hours,” Kamat recalls. After that meeting, the director began asking around, speaking with family members, abstract artist based in Goa, Suhas Shilker, his initial introducer Anne Ketteringham and several others to learn more about the artist.
As Kamat dug deeper, he realised that, while many people knew of Navelcar, no one was making an obvious effort to preserve his story. “He’s not going to be around forever. He has so much to tell us about his life and his art, which is impeccable. So that was the impulse.”
During the shooting process, there were days when Kamat would arrive at the artist’s house with a plan and find Navelcar not wanting to shoot. “We would start chatting and after an hour, he would gesture to bring out the camera,” he narrates. He emphasises the importance of ethical filmmaking, saying, “I think that’s a big part of creating documentaries. Because otherwise everyone is so focused on just getting a film made.”
After completing a draft of the documentary, Kamat sought guidance from various producers, including Arindam Mitra, producer of Black Friday, a popular 2004 Indian crime film, but soon realised the need for an artist’s viewpoint to shape the film more thoughtfully. He then consulted Viraj Naik, an artist known for his printmaking and paintings.
Kamat is also known for his writing work for OTT platforms. His works have reached numerous film festivals worldwide and have won the ‘Best Documentary’ and ‘Best Short Film’ awards. His last short film, ‘Bare’, won the ‘Best Film on Women’ Award at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival (CICFF) in 2021 and an ‘Honourable Mention for Best Director’ at the Eastern Europe Film Festival in Romania. I Am Nothing is now set to be screened in Portugal on September 5.
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