Wasim Kapoor is a renowned painter in India. He was born on 3rd January 1951 in Lucknow. He completed his Diploma in Fine Arts from the Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship, Calcutta in 1971. Wasim Kapoor is ‘art’ personified is an understatement. Mr Kapoor embarked on this journey at a very young age when his father introduced him to the art of great painters such as Jamini Roy, Nandalal Basu, Michel Angelo. By the time he was 12, he got selected for ‘Academic All India Exhibition’ and AIFACS, Delhi (All India Fine arts & Craft Society).
Through his art, Kapoor depicts the dark emotions of pain, suppression, suffering and loneliness. The poignant and melancholic images are an expression of what he sees and feels every day. His big break came at the hands of Actor Victor Banerjee who first stumble upon his art through the “Anti-Burqa series” in the 1980s. He has exhibited various series with themes ranging from Adam and Eve to depicting the hardships of prostitutes in his “Victim” series which received high acclamation and got exhibited at Birla Academy. He is the recipient of various distinguishable awards and accolades like the Shiromani Award from Asian Paints in 1985, the award from Government of West Bengal 1984, awards from the Academy of Fine Arts and Birla Academy of Art & Culture.
Abhishek Dutta is an acclaimed fashion designer based out of Kolkata. He is known for his quirky, bespoke leather creations. He received his fashion technology degree from Wigan and Leigh College, Kolkata. His career has been nothing short of an inspiration for many to follow. From bagging the most creative design award at his graduation show ‘Entracte99 to winning the Smirnoff International Fashion Awards in 1999, Mr Dutta has done it all. He designed clothes for the Femina Miss India 2001.
He is an internationally renowned fashion designer who has had multiple opportunities throughout his career to showcase his designs in Jakarta, Malaysia, London, Singapore, Dubai and Tranoi, Paris. One of the major highlights of his career is when he was invited as the only Indian fashion designer to showcase at Bali Fashion Week in 2005 followed by Asia Fashion Week in 2006 and 2007 respectively. He also has been honoured by the Bharat Nirman Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of fashion in 2013. He has been associated with the Wills India Fashion Week and Lakme India Fashion Week for almost 8 years and has been an intrinsic part of Bangalore Fashion Week, Hyderabad Fashion Week and Kolkata Fashion Week. His designs have been donned by Bollywood’s A list celebrities like Sanjay Dutt, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Jaqueline Fernandes and Yami Gautam among others. 15 years into his career and he can be still seen carrying the baton of couture in India.
Abhiishek Mohta who has been recently turning heads with his latest music debut ‘Tu hai wahi’ (2021) is best known for his book ‘Once Upon Us’ released in the year 2019 which was massively loved by his fans. Besides this, he is well-known as a Casting Director in the TV industry. He has been credited as an Associate Creative Head for the Color’s Tv mythology show named, Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran (2019) where he also worked as a Casting Director.
Currently, he is also working as an influencer collaborating with different brands and is in talks for a Sony Sab TV show titled ‘Wagle ki Duniya’ where he can be seen playing a prominent role. He has many exciting projects in his cache for his fans. He can be seen in an upcoming Bollywood movie ‘Ice Cream 2’ as a parallel lead. He will most certainly be working as an Executive Producer for ‘Oh My God’ (2012) Bollywood feature film. He can be seen in a condom ad for a renowned big brand. He is also in talks for an International Canadian based movie.
This brings us to the most important part of this article; how are these three incredible men related. Abhiishek Mohta though originally born in Delhi has a special connection with Kolkata. Abhiishek’s father had a business in Kolkata. His dad who is a retired Activist & Social Worker has known Wasim Kapoor for more than two decades. Though not related by blood they are like brothers to each other. Abhiishek used to frequently travel to Kolkata to visit his dad. He fondly calls Mr Kapoor ‘Wasim Uncle’ and he is thankful to him for being a mentor and playing an incredible role in his career. During his teenage years, when Abhiishek was unsure of his career, Mr Kapoor was by his side to help him build his career. Abhiishek still visits him often whenever he is in Kolkata.
Mr Kapoor introduced Abhiishek to Mr Dutta for whom he worked as an intern for around 2 months. In this process, he learned a lot about fashion and styling, etc. He got the opportunity to attend many fashion shows with varied themes like Halloween, Porsche Fashion show and photoshoots of many Bollywood and Tollywood celebrities. Abhiishek Mohta is grateful for all these experiences that have shaped him into the man he is today as he continues to charm the film industry with his talent.