Restoration of Indian classic films halfway through

THE ambitious project of restoration of rare Indian classic and historic films initiated by National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is halfway through.

- PARVEZ SULTAN

At present, preservation of about 65,000 film reels is underway while more than 64,000 reels have already undergone conservation. The deadline to complete the project is February. The project that began in 2022 has helped in the revival of masterpieces including about a century old iconic movies including the silent era production Kaliya Mardan (1919) directed by Dadasaheb Phalke.

The other notable productions are a biopic in Bengali Vidyapati (1937) directed by Debaki Bose, V Shantaram's Agnikankankan (Marathi/1932), Mukti (Hindi/1937) directed by BC Barua and Sushil Majumdar's Rikta (Bengali/1939).