Of the 1,000 films produced in India, less than 10 are available now. The prints of Alam Ara , the first-ever talkie, were lost forever in a fire. Only the first and last reel of Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra are still with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
The government now plans to prevent such disasters and safeguard the country's celluloid treasures through a Rs.660-crore project called the National Film Heritage Mission, aimed at digitising and restoring, within the next five years, 8,000 films lying with government and private agencies.
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry sources say the Planning Commission has given its in-principle approval to the proposal and has asked for a project report.
While 8,000 films will be digitised, restoration will be done for 2,000 films, with 100 important films being restored to a pristine condition. Vintage equipment, costumes, properties, posters and other materials will be restored and preserved.
The Ministry is also exploring ways to extract a financial benefit from the project, with commercial exploitation of film catalogues, sale of DVDs and footage, publications, webcast and exhibitions all being planned.
