Yesterday’s Films For Tomorrow , a book compiling the writings of film archivist, historian and scholar P.K. Nair, was launched in Mumbai on Thursday.
Filmmakers Shyam Benegal, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, actor Naseeruddin Shah, founder of Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, filmmaker and editor of the book Rajesh Devraj, and Nair’s children Bina and Bikash Nair released the book and paid tribute to the archivist, fondly known as the celluloid man of India.
Shah read excerpts from the book, emphasising on the importance and paucity of archiving Indian cinema.
Benegal said, “Films are living images in time, and Nair saab ’s recording of it is incredible. What we enjoy today is his efforts.”
Chopra recalled the time when Nair let him sneakily watch Godard’s Breathless (1960) in a cinema hall to understand the cuts in the film. “In his lifetime, he was not just archiving films, but also creating filmmakers,” says Chopra.
Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who was supposed to be present at the launch, could not attend due to an unexpected illness, but expressed his fondness and admiration for Nair through a message.
Films are living images in time, and Nair saab ’s recording of it is incredible. What we enjoy today is his efforts: Shyam Benegal,filmmaker
