Forerunner, Sahej Rahal

From the depths of space to Mughal architecture, from urban ruins to stock footage of Skylab, Forerunner enacts a temporal slippage that moves simultaneously from a deep past inhabited by shamans to a distant future where Jedi-inspired warriors battle with lightsabers. By cutting across time and space, Rahal crafts a lyrical and at times mysterious narrative that splices mythical characters with surreal performances, woven together by a text narrated in the silky voice of Bollywood actor Rehaan Engineer.
The voyage begins at Pir Gayab, a 14th-century observatory built by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309–1388) that doubled as a hunting lodge. The dual use of Pir Gayab propels Forerunner in its two principle directions: first, as a tale of masculine pursuits such as hunting in an unnamed empire, and second, as a space odyssey on the wings of birds that “shine like the sun.” The grand remains of the Mughal Empire contrast with derelict urban decay in present-day India. Forerunner concludes with views of Earth taken from Skylab overlaid with a stream-of-consciousness recital of associative catastrophes, tribulations, and wonders that the forerunner must endure and overcome.