The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India may have concluded a few days ago, but the flavour of cinema still lingers in the air.
And, if you are in a mood to listen to some music from the bygone era of cinema or want to understand the art of film posters or want to watch a movie, then head to Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces.
The venue is currently hosting an exhibition titled, ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ featuring 48 film posters, ranging from the standard large format 30”x40” size to the smaller 20”x30” size.
In addition, there are 42 lobby cards and cinema stills, songs synopsis and vinyl records of Hindi films such as Umrao Jaan, Sholay, Pakeezah.
Among the film posters, there are the early films of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Guru Dutt as well as iconic films of Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna.
All of this belongs to the personal collection of Raghav Kohli and his father, Bobby, who has been collecting these items for the past 30 years. “I started collecting 10 years ago,” says Raghav who runs the store, Bobby’s Art at Assagao.
The store sells lithographs from the Raja Ravi Varma Press, Chitrashala Press, Bengal prints, Kalighat paintings, Gond art etc. Cinematic memorabilia is a major part of their collection and business.
Speaking about the exhibition, Raghav adds that it features posters of movies like Raj Kapoor’s Aag from 1948, Barsaat and Andaz from 1949. The others are from the 80s, such as Angoor and Naram Garam.
Along with posters, they also have vinyl records which have now become a collector’s item.
Raghav mentions, “We’ve bought vinyl records from all over the place, from a single piece in a store, to discarded ones from scrap dealers, to entire collections from people who no longer have the space for them or have moved on to other digital forms of music.”
“My personal favourites are the music from Guru Dutt’s films, such as Pyaasa and Chaudhvin Ka Chand,” he adds.
He opines that the collection conveys the evolution of printing technology, from the earliest hand-painted ones to photographed ones to the digital variety of today.
“As art collectors, we started collecting because we were drawn to the early hand-painted posters, which are a work of art in themselves. At the time, artists would paint murals of the film on street walls in Bombay (now Mumbai) to promote the film. This is now a lost art,” he informs.
“Posters and cinema memorabilia have significant historical importance. For example, (filmmaker) Satyajit Ray is known to have designed all the artwork for all the promotional material for his films,” he shares.
All in all, this exhibition will give viewers an idea about cinema in the pre-digital era and also how it has evolved over the years.
In addition, there will be a screening of the movie, The Lunchbox at Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces, on December 7, 2024 at 5.30 pm.
He opines that the collection conveys the evolution of printing technology, from the earliest hand-painted ones to photographed ones to the digital variety of today.
DETAILS
WHAT: ‘Icons of Indian Cinema’ exhibition
WHERE: Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces, North Goa
WHEN: Till December 10, 2024
TIMINGS: 10 am to 7 pm
WHAT: Screening of The Lunchbox movie
WHERE: Sadhana Dell ‘Arte, Merces, North Goa
WHEN: December 7, 2024
TIMINGS: 5.30 pm