Poster exhibition to salute stalwarts of Indian cinema

To pay tribute to the legends of Indian cinema during the 10th edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), a poster exhibition called 'Salute to the Stalwarts' has been organised by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) at the Jaikar Bungalow on Prabhat Road between January 13 and 19.

The exhibition of a total of 90 posters will be inaugurated by noted producer-director Subhash Ghai and Iceland ambassador Gudmundur Eiriksson at the NFAI venue today. "Fans of the late Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor and Ashok Kumar can get an opportunity to see the original posters of their idol's films," said Aarti Karkhanis, librarian and information officer, NFAI. "In the collection, we have the oldest poster of Achchut Kanya (1936) and Bandhan (1940) of Ashok Kumar. Posters of Dev Anand's Guide and Jewel Thief will certainly create nostalgia for the old viewers."u00a0

She added that the exhibition would also pay tribute to veteran music director Bhupen Hazarika, actor-director Pt Satyadev Dubey, actor Navin Nishchal, director Mani Kaul, painter and film director M F Husain and veteran singer Pt Bhimsen Joshi.u00a0

"We are displaying the posters of films like Rudali, Pratidhwani and Aaparupa for which the late Hazarika scored the music. Another poster of Marathi feature film Shantata, Kort Chalu Aahe that was directed by Dubey in 1972 will be displayed. Shammi Kapoor's super-hit film An Evening in Paris with an exclusive collection of other posters of his films will be attracting the viewers," said Karkhanis. "Pt Bhimsen Joshi, who had given his playback voice to Anil Chatterjee in Ankahee, is among the rare posters in the exhibition."u00a0

"NFAI is also paying tribute to the legends and special screening will be done at the NFAI theatre," said Prashant Pathrabe, director, NFAI. "The Indian film industry has the distinction of being one of the oldest and the most prolific, producing the highest number of films and more than 1,000 features annually. Tribute will be paid to the personalities from Indian films."

Pathrabe said a total of 45 German films will be shown at the NFAI theatre as this year the country focus is on Germany and all these films came from the collection of the Max Mueller Bhavan in the ctiy. "NFAI is also paying tribute to Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor, who captivated audiences from 1942 through 2003," said Pathrabe.

Three diploma films directed by students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students will be screened at PIFF. These films are participating in The Whistling Woods International Student Film competition. These films are Airawat by Renu Sawant, Open Cafe v2.5 by Naveen Padmanabhan and Shankarnaama by Tanushree Das and Saurabh Shankar.