The sight of a black dog resting against a white and pink backdrop looked beautiful on a sunny afternoon at Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village, a popular social haunt in the city.
On stepping inside, Poonam Sabharwal, the owner of Café Pink, said that she had been running the place for two years. “As many people admire creativity, I decided to hire artists for transforming the outer area into a bright, arty space.”
Perhaps the beauty of the place led to the shooting of Jamnapaar here. Poonam explained that she did not find the the earlier wall graffiti in black attractive.
“It didn’t seem a welcoming place. It was full of garbage and junk. So, I had to step in and do something. I thought that the outside should match the interior of my café which has pretty pink flowers.”
Right in front is where one can watch the sunset over the beautiful lake. “I felt that tiles and carpets would not have made the ground look so pretty as the painted white and blue flooring looks now.”
Painter Arbaj Khan braved the heatwave and worked for a almost month to turn things around for Poonam. He studied at the College of Art in New Delhi, and currently runs the Oval Art Studio in Dwarka, with his friend Karan Veer.
There is a 3D mural in gold and black and another shows the moon and mountains. The rest of the murals recall ancient Greece.
Karan drew attention to David, perhaps the most famous creation of Italian Renaissance man Michelangelo, based on the Biblical story of David and Goliath.
“Arbaj and I made the painting of David in 2021-22. This time, we made the 3D using our signature colours, gold and black. There is an interesting mural of an old man with waves above his head.”
While giving some finishing touches, Arbaj said that the ongoing heatwave made a few of his colleagues ill and they had to take a break.
Poonam, on her part, explained that many people run cafés and shops but do not pay attention to their surroundings. “I want musicians and artists to visit my café. Youths are coming and clicking photos against the background.”
Adding that, “I personally like art. By Friday the place will be totally ready and the litter cleaned up.”