NEW DELHI: The ambitious project of restoration of rare Indian classic and historic films initiated by National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is halfway through.
At present, preservation of about 65,000 film reels is underway while more than 64,000 reels have already undergone conservation. The deadline to complete the project is February. The project that began in 2022 has helped in the revival of masterpieces including about a century old iconic movies including the silent era production Kaliya Mardan (1919) directed by Dadasaheb Phalke.
The other notable productions are a biopic in Bengali Vidyapati (1937) directed by Debaki Bose, V Shantaram’s Agnikankankan (Marathi/ 1932), Mukti (Hindi/1937) directed by BC Barua and Sushil Majumdar’s Rikta (Bengali/ 1939).
“Films from different regions of India have been selected, ensuring a diverse representation of India’s cinematic heritage. So far, more than 500 feature films, shorts, and documentaries are undergoing digital restoration. More than 1,500 titles are in the pipeline for restoration,” said officials associated with the recovery process of cinematic treasure.
The mission has already digitised more than 5,600 films including over 2,000 feature films. The process ensures that the films are preserved in high-definition formats with the addition of subtitles, the creation of Digital Cinema Packages and other deliverables formats.
After restoration the National Film Development Corporation of India-National Film Archive of India (NFDC-NFAI), an arm of the ministry executing the project, organises their screening. Besides events in the country, the restored films are shown in prestigious films festivals abroad such as Cannes, Venice, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Shanghai Film Festival and cultural Institutions such as the British Film Institute (BFI), German Film Museum, Swedish Film Institute, and Filmpodium Zurich.
This year, seven films including Kaliya Mardan of legendary filmmakers and artists have been selected to exhibit at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting November 20 in Goa. The list includes Raj Kapoor’s Awara (1951), Telugu romantic drama Devadasu (1953), Dev Anand-Nanda-Sadhana starrer Hum Dono (1961), Harmonium (1975) directed by Tapan Sinha, Superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s debut film Saat Hindustani (1969) directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Satyajit Ray’s Bengali social drama Seemabaddha (1971).
“The films are undergoing an intricate digital restoration process to remove time induced defects such as but not limited to scratches, color fading, dirt, dust, noise clicks and pops without altering the original vision of the filmmakers... These meticulous processes incorporate International archival ethics thus ensuring that modern audiences can experience these iconic films as close as possible to their original form,” said officials.