The ongoing exhibition, Bioscope 2: Collection of Bollywood Posters, curated by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Suboor Usmani, is offering cinema lovers a window into the past.
It provides a glimpse of Indian cinema from the 1930s onwards. From the 1939 film Pukar, directed by Sohrab Modi, and the Ashok Kumar-starrer Kangan to the films of the 80s, the collection is loaded with trivia and quizzes put together by the collector. The exhibition is underway at Kala Srot Art Gallery in Lucknow.
The film archivist says, “It’s a labour of love for over 20 years of collecting things that show our rich past. Posters were the lifeline to cinema then, and this time we have also put up lobby cards and a meme wall which connects with youngsters and teens. We have interesting trivia and a quiz as well.”
Actor and theatre personality Atul Tiwari, who was presented as a special guest, recalled, “We have Ram Rajya (1943) posters on display here. It was known that Mahatma Gandhi did not like cinema, so director-writer Khwaja Ahmad Abbas wrote him a letter to watch a film and then form an opinion. So, this was the only film he watched and later agreed that good cinema also exists.”
{{/usCountry}}Actor and theatre personality Atul Tiwari, who was presented as a special guest, recalled, “We have Ram Rajya (1943) posters on display here. It was known that Mahatma Gandhi did not like cinema, so director-writer Khwaja Ahmad Abbas wrote him a letter to watch a film and then form an opinion. So, this was the only film he watched and later agreed that good cinema also exists.”
{{/usCountry}}Film historian Karan Bali also shared his views. Also present were educationist Geeta Gandhi Kindon, dastango and author Himanshu Bajpai and Metaphor Lucknow LitFest founder-director Kanak Rekha Chauhan.
Did you know?
- Kangan is the only film that has been made thrice (1939, 1959 and 1971) and stars the same actor, Ashok Kumar — twice as a lead actor and later as a character artiste, with Sanjeev Kumar doing the leading role. The first Kangan was directed by Franz Osten, a German, who was arrested after World War II broke out.
- The blockbuster film Sholay was made as Shole in 1953 with BR Chopra as director, featuring Ashok Kumar, Jeevan and Bina Rai as actors, and GP Sippy as one of the producers. In 2002, a film titled Duplicate Sholay was also made by director Kanti Shah. A lobby-card signed by 1953 film actors in on display.
- The poster for the Dev Anand-starrer Baazi (1951) is an original hand-painted one. It was the first film directed by Guru Dutt, and Dev, in his biography, has mentioned the film was specially written for him.
- After Kapoors' in Kal, Aaj aur Kal (1971), actor-director Mehmood’s Kunwara Baap (1974) is the only film which stars three generations - Mehmood, his son Macky Ali and father Mumtaz Ali.Catch It LiveWhat: Bioscope 2: Collection of Bollywood PostersWhere: Kala Srot Art Gallery, Aliganj, LucknowWhen: Till October 5Entry: Free