Versatile writer-filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has presented supplementary materials from six of his films to the preservation vaults of the city-based National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
While the films themselves comprise a mixed bag in terms of critical acclaim and box-office success, the materials presented offer valuable insight into the machinations of the present-day Bollywood filmmaking at its stylish best.
Mr. Chopra, who penned the blockbuster Munna Bhai series, is known for marrying intimate tales with elaborate vistas in his films.
The ancillary materials include lobby cards, film posters, song booklets, contact sheets, promotional catalogues and working stills from Mr. Chopra’s first film, the superb mystery-thriller Khamosh (1985), his masterpiece, the gangland drama Parinda (1989), the middling musical-drama 1942: A Love Story (1994), the muddled Mission Kashmir (2000) and the fascinating misfire Eklavya (2007).
Of particular note is Mr. Chopra’s detailed handwritten notes and audio-video continuity sheets penned by him during the making of his labour of love, the ornate and ambitious Eklavya: The Royal Guard, which boasted of an all-star cast headed by Amitabh Bachchan, imbued with Shakespearian overtones and opulent period detail.
A handsome cinematic artefact in the form of an embossed, leather-bound book containing the synopsis and promotional material for Eklavya is also part of the package given to the NFAI.
In addition, Mr. Chopra has also presented a ‘retrospective book’ and a DVD set containing all his films. At present, the NFAI’s preservation facilities currently holds negatives of 12 of Mr. Chopra’s films.
“We are thankful to Mr. Chopra for entrusting his valuable ancillary material to us. It is particularly satisfying that such a valuable collection is coming to NFAI on the 84th birth anniversary of P. K. Nair, the first director of NFAI,” said Prakash Magdum, Director, NFAI.
Commenting on the need to inculcate the habit of cinematic preservation, Mr. Chopra said: “I appeal to everybody who has anything worthy of preserving, be it a leaflet, photographs, prints, movie stills and send it to them to NFAI so they can preserve it for posterity.”
