India’s first National Museum of Indian Cinema was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, at a 19th century heritage bungalow in Mumbai.
Bollywood celebrities like Manoj Kumar, Aamir Khan, A. R. Rahman, Asha Bhosle, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Randhir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Kiran Shantaram, Boney Kapoor, David Dhawan, Rohit Shetty, Waheeda Rehman, Jeetendra Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Pankaj Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Parineeti Chopra, Divya Dutta, and many others were present at the event.
Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, union ministers Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Ramdas Athawale, as also Shyam Benegal and Prasoon Joshi were also present.
Talking at the event, the Prime Minister said that films were ‘silent powers’ that could quietly bring about major social changes. He said films shape people’s hopes and aspirations, and new India’s ‘million problems have billion solutions.’
“Films are identified with social change. They help unite people who speak different languages. They have the knack to catch the future developments. Films help integrate our people who speak hundreds of different languages and thousands of dialects, the vastly diverse cultures, boost tourism in a big way and help generate employment opportunities, thus contributing immensely to the nation-building process,” he said.
The PM also mentioned about Indian television serials, and said that serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Ramayan among many others were popular abroad where people have a desire for a glimpse into the common Indian’s life.
Modi also said that the government will support the film industry with a number of measures including a university for film and entertainment, and the amendment of piracy laws.
Set up at a cost of Rs 140 crore, the museum is to help visitors understand the history of Indian films. It is said that it will be helpful for film students, filmmakers, fans and critics to learn and understand cinema as a medium of artistic expression in the country and globally.
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The museum displays a collection of rare artefacts like vintage cameras, projectors, old and new editing and recording equipment, costumes, photographs and other materials. It has movie materials used since the beginning of Indian cinema in 1913, including the first full-length feature film Raja Harischandra made by the legendary Dhundiraj Govind Phadke. It also has a chroma studio, immersive experience zone, stop-motion animation studio, virtual makeover studio and more.
The new building is said to have four exhibition halls, including one called ‘Gandhi & Cinema’ which features not only the movies made on Gandhi, but also showcases the impact his life had on cinema.
Photo courtesy: India TV