MUMBAI:
India’s movie industry toasted its 100th birthday on Friday with the
release of two films celebrating its humble origins in the silent era
and the influence of glamorous modern-day Bollywood.
“Bombay Talkies” comprises four short stories inspired by India’s love
of cinema and the impact of the movies, created by some of the country’s
leading filmmakers.
“You usually celebrate birthdays and that’s what we are doing today.
Indian cinema turns 100 and we are acknowledging that,” said Zoya
Akhtar, who directed the film along with Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and
Dibakar Banerjee.
The acclaimed cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rani Mukherjee, with a cameo from acting legend Amitabh Bachchan.
The film’s theme song features Bollywood A-listers that include Aamir
Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor.
The movie will have a special gala screening at the Cannes film festival
this month, where India is to be honoured as the “guest country” in its
landmark year.
“The four short stories are about passion for cinema and ingredients
like drama, music, dance and entertainment. All of these ingredients are
a huge part of our films and culture,” said co-producer Ashi Dua.
Its release comes 100 years to the day since the opening in Bombay (now
Mumbai) of “Raja (King) Harishchandra”, the first all-Indian feature
film, based on the tale of a virtuous king from the Hindu epic
Mahabharata.
It marked the birth of one of the world’s most vibrant film industries,
which produced almost 1,500 movies last year in various corners and
languages of the country, with Hindi-language Bollywood leading the way.
While “Bombay Talkies” explores life in the present, the second film
opening on Friday is the award-winning “Celluloid Man”, which pays
tribute to the founder of the National Film Archive of India, P.K. Nair.
The documentary, so far only shown at festivals, showcases Nair’s
lifetime dedication to preserving films that date back to the silent
era, and it is peppered with clips from historic black-and-white
productions.
Thanks to the efforts of 80-year-old Nair, nine silent films out of
1,700 made in India have been preserved, although no records remain of
many others.
“Almost 70 per cent of the films made before 1950 are lost, including
some real gems like the first ‘talkie’,” Nair told AFP, referring to the
first Indian film with sound, 1931′s “Alam Ara” (The Light of the
World).
Also on Friday, Indian president Pranab Mukherjee will join stars and
filmmakers at the annual National Film Awards in capital New Delhi,
following a six-day festival showcasing the colourful history of Indian
cinema.
Award-winners, already announced, include “Paan Singh Tomar”, a Hindi
film starring Irrfan Khan about the Indian soldier and athlete who
became a notorious bandit.
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