Thanks to the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), we now have one more way to remain connected with the majestic past of Indian cinema. From Pasamalar in Tamil and Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy in Bengali to Guide in Hindi and Jevitha Nauka in Malayalam, the NFAI’s Facebook page now celebrates the films and lives of all the film personalities from the golden era of cinema.
Prakash Magdum, Director of the National Film Archives of India says, “Our aim is to reach out to maximum people and we thought that this can only be done by the online media. The idea is to share all the materials we have with the public.”
The page updates the anniversaries of famous actors, producers, directors, script writers and poets. On the birth anniversary of great artists like Meena Kumari, Kishore Kumar and Dev Anand, the page displays uncommon photographs and posters of their films with a detailed description of their lives.
The Director says, “We have started a new series of posts #bornonthisday in which we put up the rare pictures or posters of the person on that day.”
Apart from anniversaries, the page also shares exclusive material that is available with NFAI. In one of the posts, the original negative in nitrate, of a Telugu movie Palnatiyuddham of 1947 is shared.
It also shares details of events which are taking place in the NFAI campus. They often organize exhibitions of old film posters or have discussions on the lives of legendary artists, the most recent one being in remembrance of Smita Patil who was born on October 17. They also have screenings of movies which are updated on the Facebook page.
Prakash Magdum said, “Another reason for this page is to collect more film material from the public, make a copy of it and keep it with us. In one of their posts, they have put up the pictures from the first talkie Devdas film in Bengali language which they received from the Bangladesh Film Archive.”
The page not only focuses on legendary film artists but also tells stories of eminent personalities from regional films. The page has posted details about veteran Malayalam actor Kaviyoor Ponnamma, eminent film director and script-writer Thirukkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Dr. K. Shivram Kranth, the famous Kannada novelist, prominent Tamil actor Nagesh, Telugu Director and Producer P.S Ramakrishna Rao and G.D Madgulkar, leading name in Marathi literature among others.
Besides film personalities, the page has commemorated the death anniversary of eminent poet and writer Subramania Bharti and has also hosted pictures of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
The page also has a new section in which caricatures of famous artists including Raj Kapoor, Madhubala, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and many more, made by late cartoonist RK Laxman are shared.
Prakash says, “We also want to spread awareness of film preservation in the country. We want to tell people about the good cinema that has been made in India as well as abroad.”
He adds that the response from the public has been overwhelming. “We want our page to be interactive and that is happening. The youth is really interested in knowing more about the golden era of cinema.”
Images: NFAI Facebook page