Bhubaneswar, Feb. 8: Artist Gajendra Padhi is known for his contemporary paintings and has garnered a steady following over the years.

But ever the risk-taker, he has now tried his hand at acting, undergoing nine makeovers for an hour-long film on music and art, titled Rasabhisaara and directed by Ambuja Satapathy.

The film is a trek through emotions and was conceived by Padhi last year, said the director. It depicts an artist's life, wherein he finds the various rasas or expressions around him in society.

"The artist looks into the society to search for different emotions on the subjects he is depicting," said Satapathy.

Padhi, who teaches applied arts at B.K. Art College here, transformed himself into nine different characters to depict the nine different emotions that are portrayed in all art forms. "Nine emotions or nabarasa is a philosophy in Indian aesthetics that has been mentioned in ancient texts such as Natya Shastra by Bharat Muni. All moods and emotions are variations of these nine major expressions - anger, surprise, fear, sorrow, joy, bravery, kindness, beauty and peacefulness. To express these, I chose a different medium than my brush and canvas. Performing as an actor is also a form of art," Padhi said.

His venture as an actor come as a surprise to artists but it has also earned him their appreciation. Some of the avatars that Padhi tried are that of an angry Goddess in which he has played the role of a female, a comedian and a romantic Krishna.

"It is inspiring since, as artists, we must keep learning and trying new media that may not necessarily be related to the fine arts," said painter Meenaketan Patnaik.

The film was screened at the JDCA film festival on films based on art and artists in the city last month and also at Ekamra Haat last Friday.