Interview: Shantanu Suman

While we have all seen the vibrant and dazzling truck art in India through our own eyes and often through various photographers’ and videographers’ lenses too, but have never really gone to the roots of where and how it all started. Shantanu Suman decides to travel to the interiors of the country to throw spotlight on what the truck art really means to the truck owners and how it goes way beyond just being colorful “art”.

A masters student at the University of Florida, Suman, along with a group of talented individuals, has created the unique documentary Horn Please. The film talks about the origin of truck art in India, its evolution and how it influences not just the world of art but also the lives of the artists and truckers who interact with it on a daily basis. Apart from this film, he has extensively worked on various other innovative projects centered on Indian trucks as a part of his university thesis. For him, this is just the beginning.

Here is an in-depth interview with Shantanu Suman and a showcase of his work.