Now, NFAI vaults to host original negatives of V Shantaram’s films

PUNE: Original negatives of as many as 15 films directed and produced by renowned Marathi filmmaker V Shantaram will now find a place in the vaults of the city-based National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
V Shantaram’s son Kiran, who lives in Mumbai, has decided to deposit the negatives with the NFAI for posterity. These titles include Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Navrang (1959), Stree (1961), Toofan Aur Diya (1956), Amar Bhoopali (1951), Lokshahir Ram Joshi (1947), Dahej (1950), Shakuntala (1943), Pinjra (1987), Sehra (1963), Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne (1964), Iye Marathiche Nagari among others.
Kiran will hand over the negatives to the NFAI during a ceremony celebrating 100 years of Marathi cinema at 6.30pm at the film archive’s main theatre on Sunday. The event is being organized by the V Shantaram Film Foundation in association with the NFAI and the Aashay Film Club. A book on the journey of Marathi cinema will also be launched during the programme.
“We kept the negatives in an air-conditioned godown at Rajkamal Studios in Parel, Mumbai, so far. However, due to lack of manpower I decided to deposit them with the NFAI. These titles were made under the banner of Rajkamal Kalamamdir. I will deposit the negatives of my films too,” Kiran told TOI.
The discussion on the issue started two years ago when Kiran visited the city to see the facilities at the vaults of the film archive. “The vaults at NFAI are best in the country. I would also urge the families of all filmmakers to hand over the film material to the NFAI for posterity,” he said.
NFAI director Prakash Magdum said while the NFAI had master positives of some of V Shantaram’s films, the original negatives will be a valuable addition to the collection. “We do not have all of V Shantaram films in our archive. It is a proud moment for us. We are yet to get the entire list of all the titles Kiran will be depositing with us. Original film materials are very important from archival point of view. It is a message to other filmmakers and their families to deposit such film materials with the NFAI so that they can be preserved,” he said.
Do Aankhen Barah Haath, which starred V Shantaram and Sandhya, won the President’s Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film and the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. It is also the first Indian film to win Golden Globe Award in the category Samuel Goldwyn Award in 1959. Amar Bhoopali was nominated at the Festival de Cannes in 1951. Pinjra won a national award in 1972.
These titles along with some others are likely to be considered for digitization or restoration under the policies of the National Film Heritage Mission, which received sanction from the Union government some months back. The film archive officials have been trying to coax filmmakers and their families to deposit film materials with them for years now as they need to be preserved and conserved in proper temperature and humidity.
Recently, actor Amol Palekar approached the NFAI for the preservation of some of his films, including Anahat (2003), And Once Again (2010), Dhoosar (2011), Quest (2006) and Dhyaas Parva (2001).