Today I went buying tickets of Single Screen Cinemas...the films didn’t matter...I found this 90 year old man selling tickets trying to save his Cinema...I was so moved.
What a moving moment
as Preeti Sagar sings the famous“Manthan” song to Shyam Benegal before the release of the film tommorrow…just can’t believe she sang “My heart is beating” in Julie before that….
The film stops suddenly at midnight while watching Amar Akbar Anthony the crowd erupts and begins to sing celebrating the moment the legend turns 80 never seen something like this ….
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What an honour Waheeda Rehman donates all her personal memorabilia which she had preserved with care for over 60 years including the Sari from C.I.D to Film Heritage Foundation a true endorsement of our work in saving India’s cinematic Heritage..
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Who said Cinema is dead ? If you were at any of the Bachchan screenings people were whistling,clapping,dancing,crying ..videos coming from all over 19 cities just look at this amazing power of cinema…
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Found Pather Panchali house in Boral ...Satyajit Ray shot Pather Panchali in this very house ...met the same family...I walked around found the pond and the trees..those images all came back ..what an impact it had on me when Gulzar Sahab gave me a VHS to watch the film...
Unbelievable Third year in a row at Cannes Film Festival …Film Heritage Foundation is proud to bring the Restoration of Shyam Benegal’s milestone film “Manthan”produced by 500,000 farmers who gave rupees 2 to produce this film…I wish Smita Patil was here to see this…
This is what makes it all worth it … sheer joy of seeing the beauty of Manthan come back to live and very soon we will release it back in theatres for everyone to see….
Restored 48year old Shyam Benegal film “Manthan”releases today in 51 cities what better place then the beautiful art deco cinema Eros where I grew up watching films…. Can’t wait to watch it with everyone….
So excited that “Manthan”will be releasing in 50 cities all over India and almost 100 cinemas on June 1st and June 2nd at PVR -INOX and Cinépolis theatres… Ultimate aim of restoring a film is to bring back to the public….Don’t miss the opportunity to watch this restored Classic
Film Heritage Foundation is back with Dev Anand “Forever Young” to celebrate his 100th in 30 cities across India at PVR-INOX with his 4 Iconic films on 23rd 24th September….”Johnny Mera Naam ,Guide ,Jewel Thief and CID..
Spent time this morning in the very room Guru Dutt grew up and spent his early days …by the window he sat with Balraj Sahni and wrote his first film “Baazi”where his cousin Shyam Benegal spent many nights and his sister Lalitha lajmi started painting and his father wrote poems…
What a start...found 104 ...35 mm films in a godown found Gulzar sahab’s Lekin the film I started my career ... now lot of hardwork to save some of these rare films......
Found this amazing Bell and Howell film printer which took out the actual prints of the first sound film in 1931 “Alam Ara”...nothing remains of the film but the printer survives in a saree shop....
Checking these prints on the large screen getting ready for the biggest festival ever people’s festival “Bachchan Back to beginning “just added Chandigarh now in 19 cities…11 Iconic films
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Heartbreaking to find that Sahir Ludhianvi’s great lyricist poet early days photos,letters,hand written notes and poems all thrown to the scrap dealer just like the film Pyaasa” ...Film Heritage Foundation is proud to rescue them and preserve them in our archive....
It all began in 2014 when he gave me a 35mm print of Manthan…such a joy to work with him on the restoration of Manthan and can’t wait to show it in Cannes on 17th May 8.45pm…
Almost like a thriller we managed to rescue the only surviving Dupe negative film from a scrap dealer starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman “Baat Ek Raat Ki”1962 with the iconic song “Na Tum Humein Jano” film would have been lost in the year Dev Anand turns 100
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Satyajit Ray was born in this tiny room a house built by his grandfather UpendraKishore Ray in 1914 his printing press ...now a school lying in decay but original cupboard still in the room and the mango tree he wrote about and spent his childhood.
Went looking for the lane in Matunga ..found the houses where Prithviraj Kapoor,K.L Saigal in Amar kunj ..my favourite villains K.N.Singh and Madan Puri lived and character artists Manmohan Krishna and Jagdish Sethi...met Ramesh puri Madan Puri’s son in the balcony...
Spent the morning checking the 35mm print of “Mahal”for the screening on the 26th…what a feeling 35mm…single screen…projectionist….all the things that make me love and live for films…
2021 FIAF Award to Amitabh Bachchan will be streamed live today at 6pm India time with Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan joining in...Here is the link
YouTube live stream:
This image says it all presenting “AAN” 70 year old Technicolor film to a full house of 300 people and sitting in the front row and watching the film…as the film plays in 53 cinemas tonight at the same time.
It’s taken us three years to restore this beautiful Odia film the
only film “Nirad Mohapatra”directed..rescued the negative from a godown almost impossible task to bring it back to life …will be premiered at IL Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna in June 2024….
Getting all set for Dev Anand Festival at PVR as he turns 100 this September with screening of my all time favourite film Johny Mera Naam…
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The remains of Ardeshir Irani’s Office from here he made the first Indian Talkie film “ Alam Ara “ 1931 ,First Persian sound film “Lor Girl”1932 and the first Indian colour film “Kisan Kanya”1937....both Indian films don’t survive but “Lor Girl” Iranian film survives in Iran.
Fantastic..Amar Akbar Anthony is in Rotterdam Film Festival 2023 really wish Manmohan Desai would have been here.Proud moment for Film Heritage Foundation our efforts to celebrate our heritage and importantly to celebrate a great artist Amitabh Bachchan
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Finally we got it…the only surviving artefact of the very first sound film “Alam Ara”1931…lying in a saree shop for years..this Bell & Howell contact printing machine from which the prints of Alam Ara were made …nothing survives of the film except this.
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As we begin the last round of screenings to end “Bachchan Back to the Beginning” we want to thank every single who person who came to the cinema to watch these films on the Big screen and make this a historic event…..Thsnk you.
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Just checked “Manthan”on the big screen the way it should be seen in theatres… releases on Saturday 1st June just added Ranchi the first full fledged Restored film to release all over India in 51 cities and 101 cinemas…
Deeply saddened by the passing of Punu Sen...Satyajit Ray’s life long assistant from Pather Panchali days..remembering the beautiful time we spent at Satyajit Ray’s home in Kolkatta ...what memories...
1000 people turned up yesterday in torrrential rains in Mumbai to honour these three amazing Projectionists who were given Film Heritage Foundation’s life time Achievement award …All three have worked over 50 years and continue to project films even now…
I read this tragic story of Baidyanath Bashak great cinematographer shot over 100 films many with Uttam Kumar fighting to survive in the streets of Kolkata ..when we got him to our workshop as he entered he said I can smell film and just wanted to touch Celluloid ....
Who would have thought that I will find Carlos Saura’s 1983 film “CARMEN”16mm print in Chor bazaar hanging on a string on a doorway...thank god for Chor Bazaar
Found this amazing diary of one of my favourite lyricist “Shailendra”when he worked with the railways before entering the world of cinema….thinking of some my favourite songs he wrote “Ramaiya Vastavaiya Maine Dil tujhko diya”…..
I wonder if there is a record of how many films shot through this window of Capitol cinema capturing people arriving in Bombay over decades many aspiring actors told me they too were captured for the first time on film coming out of VT..Viewfinder of Mumbai…
I had never seen a Tent or a Touring cinema ticket till I found this rare one today and that also of “Raja Harishchandra”of Dada saheb Phalke when he toured with his film for One Anna while the cinema hall where showing it for three Annas...very rare find this ticket.
It was at FTII that I fell in love with G.Aravindan’s films sadly none of his original negatives survive so happy to collaborate with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna to restore his poetic film Kummatty on 4K and give it a new life and new journey.
Missing it so much I walked into a single screen cinema hall today...cinema came alive as if Guru dutt is just about to emerge in Pyaasa...there is nothing like watching a film on the big screen....
It’s been a great year for our restorations our third in a row,
Girish Kassarvalli’s “Ghattashraddha”1977 has been selected at 81st Venice Film Festival….
Amazing to once again collaborate with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation with Support of George Lucas ….
When Alfred Hitchcock was in Mumbai in 1955 with Ardeshir Irani family and with Dilip Kumar watching a film…Moti Gidwani the director of Khazanchi and the first colour film Kisan Kanya worked with him in 20’s…
We are honoured to preserve great composer Vanraj Bhatia’s music scores of all his films like Bhumika,Junoon,Mandi,Tamas his photos and his personal effects which he donated to us to be preserved at Film Heritage Foundation Archive ...
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We made 1338 Silent films in India 99 percent of these films are lost here are some of the fantastic images of the Silent stars of the 20’s ..Dinshaw Billimoria,Zubeida,Master Vittal(swashbuckling star)and Sulochna one of the earliest superstars.
Great to lead the “Manthan” team on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with Naseeruddin Shah,Ratna Pathak ,family of Smita Patil,Nirmala Kurien and Dr.Jayen Mehta MD of Amul….
Finding Traces of J.F.Madan in the streets of Kolkata the first Movie Moghul of India setting up Madan Theatres Limited with 127 movie theatres in 1920’s ...now his office a Hotel in their memory and a street named after him...a few cinema halls built by him survives...
Woke up to see the Return of the Angry Young Man what a great way to kick off the “Bachchan Back to the Beginning “festival…11 iconic films 19 Cities and exhibition of rare photos curated by S.M.Ausaja..
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Found the Mitchel Camera which Satyajit Ray shot Pather Panchali and the original cameranegatives of Devi ..Abhijan and many of his films in great condition...
Incredible to have our work recognised by “India Post”to have a special Postal cover and Stamp what could be better two legends releasing the cover
with the Chief Postmaster General …Gulzar Sahab I started my career with and Shyam Benegal interviewed me for FTII…
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Great start to my day as I check Dilip Kumar on the big screen what a feeling….we are releasing the films in Chennai Udaipur Raipur Bareilly nearly 30 cities at the same time on 10th and 11th with PVR and INOX coming together to celebrate Dilip Kumar 100”Hero of Heroes”..
Went looking for Jaddan Bai’s house in Kolkatta one of the pioneers of Indian early cinema music composer and filmmaker had a studio in Bandra ..this is also the house where Nargis was born....
Amitabh Bachchan has been hero since I was a child so proud Film Heritage Foundation’s relentless efforts has brought back 11 of his Iconic films on the big screen thanks to Ajay Bijli PVR in 17 Cities…
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Went to see Chris Nolan’s “Tenet “first day with my entire team and just loved it ...this film could only be seen on the big screen... what a feeling to be there...lovely to see my name in the credits thanks Chris Nolan.
It was during Baazigar that I first met Shahrukh and today so happy that Film Heritage Foundation is preserving original camera negatives of Baazigar,Josh,Khiladi,Akele hum Akele Tum and the entire Venus library…
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Ardeshir Irani’s studio now a wedding hall where the first Indian Talkie “Alam Ara” was shot..Nothing remains of the film...I often come by and think how they shot in the nights when the trains fell silent ...the only living witness is the Rain tree that still stands.
Excited to find this rare image at the Film Heritage Foundation Archive of Mehboob Khan and Sardar Akhtar with one of my all time favourite directors the legendary John Ford in Hollywood...
People are asking me what films of Dilip Kumar are you screening .. Gunga Jamuna we can’t ..very few films of his early career survive or are in a condition that can be projected they may be on YouTube,Tapes,Pen drives but not good enough to be projected…it pains me deeply.
Getting ready for the big day tom..Bachchan Back to the Beginning”in 19 cities..Hoardings are up.Exhibition is getting set at Juhu PVR …Can’t wait to see Bachchan back on Big screen with DON…
Finally found Celluloid Man 35mm print thanks to the efforts of Mumbai Mirror ...it’s been sleepless nights as they chased Fedex it took three weeks found this film lying in the warehouse ....Now they have to find my other film Czechmate it’s been four months....