Synopsis:

In the book “The Art of the Company School: Indian Painting under the British, 1770–1850” by Mildred Archer one encounters a brief and curious account. In the measured language of botanical records, Lutchman Singh appears first as a “promising youth,” soon rising to become one of the most valued artists at the Calcutta Botanic Garden, drawing birds, animals, and even miniature portraits with extraordinary skill. Then the tone shifts. The same documents begin to record a growing unease. They note that he has fallen into debt, acquired bad habits, and repeatedly tries to run away. He is caught “three marches from Suharunpoor on his road to the Punjab.” He tries again, around the time of the Kumbh Mela, and this time vanishes for months. When he is finally traced, he is found living in the hills of Tehri, before being brought back under custody. Here the story ends abruptly, with a line that carries both discipline and regret: “Yesterday he arrived and he is now in custody, heartily sorry for the foolish trick he played.” This film takes that abrupt ending and imagines Lutchman Singh speaking for himself, revealing what compelled him to run again and again, in his own voice.