Editorial: Saving India’s Cinema Paradiso

Last week, the NFDC-NFAI, which functions under the umbrella of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry took on a project  namely the preservation of content related to films such as posters, lobby cards, scripts, newspaper clippings, film magazines, costumes and equipment. Under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM), the Rs 620 crore scheme is aimed at safeguarding the vast archive of Indian films through collection assessment, conservation, digitisation and restoration. NFHM plans on digitising around 3,500 films and soundtracks, and restoring around 2,000 landmark films.

The modalities and identification of objects to be preserved was the subject of a meet in Mumbai, chaired by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The fact that the mission of film preservation has grabbed the government’s attention is heartening, considered in light of the stepmotherly treatment meted out to such projects. Stakeholders have drawn a bleak picture of the state of film preservation in India — of the 1,338 silent films made in India, just about 29 survive, with many of them existing only in fragments, as short as 149 feet. With regard to the 124 films and 38 documentaries produced by Chennai’s film industry, only one film has survived — Marthanda Varma (1931). It is shocking to comprehend, but by 1950, we had lost close to 70-80% of our films.

There are challenges faced by the handful of non-government and government bodies that have taken on the task of preserving culturally significant films. For starters, there is the acute shortage of trained film archivists, a fallout of our disdain towards careers in the film industry, and more, and the low priority that we accord to the conservation of visual heritage. In India, there are no accredited institutes offering degrees or diplomas in such disciplines, save for the workshops conducted by a few dedicated film purists.

There is also the issue of funding, which is in short supply when it comes to movies past their use by date. A majority of producers, at least those from the celluloid era, had adopted a use and throw approach to film exhibition, which led to the negatives of several important films ending up in flea markets and dumpyards. In India, film restorations also follow the easy way out — digital scans and clean-ups, which result in restored digital versions, while leaving the original source material untouched. Owing to the cost factor, several film laboratories in the country have shuttered their photochemical facilities, an essential medium for high quality restoration.

Thankfully, a new generation of film enthusiasts are shining a light on this mission. In August, the Film Heritage Foundation’s restoration of Girish Kasaravalli’s Kannada classic Ghatashraddha was showcased at the Venice Film Festival. In April, a restored version of Shyam Benegal’s Manthan (1977), based on India’s White Revolution was screened at Cannes. And three years ago, Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese stepped in to help restore G Aravindan’s Malayalam classic Kummatty (1979) to pristine condition.

Under the Modi administration,over 1,293 feature films and 1,062 short films and documentaries were digitised by the NFHM. One can only hope that the momentum is maintained, and that this aspect of our visual heritage does not dissipate.