hastkala

A documentary directed, shot and created by me during undergrad,
I wanted 'Hastkala' to answer my then questions about type design in India: What are the principles for signage design in India? How
has human intervention maintained, if not elevated, Indian design sensibilities? It is also an insight into how hand painted signage continues to hold value amongst the visual chaos of DTP signage and big-brand paraphernalia.

TYPE: TYPOGRAPHY, FILM

I compiled visual research from various parts of Delhi, ranging from Majnu-ka-tila to Chandni Chowk, which
led me to sign painters like Prakash, who was kind
enough to demonstrate and share his decades-worth knowledge of painting signage boards for narrow lanes
and wide grounds alike. A major inspiration for this project was Hanif Kureishi's digitisation projects on hand painted type. My film was an self-initiated quest to hear from the horse's mouth and see the state of hand painted signage where it's used the most: Indian bazaars.