In his latest series of oil paintings, Atul Dodiya reimagines scenes from Hindi and Bengali cinema from 1949 to 1971. In the two works presented at Art Basel, he spotlights frames from Padosan (1968), directed by Jyoti Swaroop, starring Sunil Dutt as Bhola and Saira Manu as Bindu. Dodiya’s frozen moments guide the eye to the decor in the scenes – period furniture, patterned vases, bookcases, console cabinets, statutes, vases, the radiogram, photographs and occasionally a piano. They evoke the image of home and life in post independence Indian cinema before the economic liberalization of 1991, when the influence of modernism and Deco aesthetics was rampant. The false interiors are celebrated, recreated in the tonal quality similar to the celluloid colour of films from this era. Layers of paint are applied in rough impasto, heavily loaded in thick pastel hues, pinks, turquoise and pale blues. Both characters’ faces remain hidden; Dodiya flattens and blends them into the settings, taking the focus off the actors and imbuing a sense of mystery in the cinematic moment.