One Life Many (2022)

Sudarshan Shetty
Still from One Life Many (2022)
Single channel video, 30:21 minutes
Image courtesy of the artist

Drawing from a medieval Indian myth of a sage who transforms into another being and back, One Life Many raises the age-old question about how can there be one true self we identify with, when we also carry a multitude of selves inside of us. 

Produced in 2022 when the world slowly emerged out of the pandemic, the film resituates the myth into a contemporary world that is reawakening after a long period of isolation and introspection. The journey of the protagonist takes place on a meandering path that cuts through empty streets, a busy marketplace, bus terminals and a vast body of water set against the horizon. The character recollects events throughout the film as memories of the past intermingle with folklores and dreams.