By Yasmin Pascual Khalil
Whether it is going back down memory lane to the times where silent films were the bomb or revisiting recent glories only to remember today’s successes, struggles, and failures, India’s highly renown film industry will have its very own museum for the first time to represent and preserve the rich heritage of Indian cinematography.
Having lost a major part of India’s early movies, curator Amrit Gangar feels like it is about time for India to protect its Bollywood legacy, he said, “Many things have been lost. We have only one percent of early silent films left. Therefore this is not a museum of collections but a museum of information, interaction and education through a sensory experience.”
The government-funded National Museum of Indian Cinema is located in a grand 19th century heritage bungalow in south Mumbai with two floors showcasing Bollywood’s history from its black-and-white silent era to its musical modern blockbusters along with original artefacts, memorabilia, recordings, and film-making tools. Some featured movies include, “Prem Sanyas” (The Light of Asia, 1925) and “Prapancha Pash” (Throw of Dice, 1929).
The museum took seven years to make and cost nearly $20 million. It is expected to have an education oriented presence for future generations to admire and learn from. Through touch screen panels, visitors can watch past movies and witness how acting and cinematography have evolved from the golden days to recent times.
Curator Amrit believes “It’s about time India had its own film museum.” saying “We have archives, but not a museum and today a museum can become vibrant because of technology and interactivity.” This museum has the potential to serve as a lively tourism spot; tourism officials have already begun offering “Bollywood Tours” inclusive of visits to Film City’s studios and costume galleries. According to the chairman of TravelMartIndia, Manoj Gursahani, “The idea of the tours is to give a peek into Film City and its various locations and also how Bollywood functions.”
The museum successfully opened last February, 10 months behind schedule with its initial opening date being, May 3, 2013. As of today, Bollywood enthusiasts can expect to explore three stages of India’s rich heritage – the silent era, the golden era, and the modern era with a section on regional cinema also on display. For the future, we can only hope that the museum is well maintained for the world to enjoy.
