The sepia world of film memorabilia

Film buffs are always on the lookout for posters of iconic films, old movie cameras and vinyl records

The Indian Hippy gallery in Mumbai restores and auctions old posters.

When you are in Hauz Khas in Delhi, you encounter at least two antique stores selling posters of old iconic Hindi films. Similarly, you find vintage vinyl records being sold on the footpaths of Mumbai.

Many film buffs dream of collecting objects related to the silver screen, and some are fanatical hoarders of film memorabilia. From vintage posters to costumes worn by stars, they collect whatever they can find, and turn their love of films into a treasure hunt for the rare.

Before the advent of OTT and TV, collectors picked up stills, lobby cards, and old issues of cinema magazines. Museums and archives recognise the importance of individuals conserving film memorabilia and often work with them to find and preserve objects related to movie history.

Vintage posters

Posters of classic Indian films, particularly those from the golden era of Bollywood, such as ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (1960), ‘Sholay’ (1975), and ‘Mother India’ (1957), are highly sought-after with auction prices ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80,000. The auctions are often held at regular intervals.

Viveka, writer and cinephile, says he is eyeing a poster of Guru Dutt’s 1959 film ‘Kaagaz ke Phool,’ on a website selling vintage posters.

Indian Hippy was launched in Mumbai in 2009. It says it holds the largest collection of first-release vintage film posters. “We look for posters at old abandoned warehouses, shut-down distribution offices and single screen theatres,” says Hinesh Jethwani, founder of Indian Hippy.

The company holds the record for the most expensive unsigned Bollywood poster ever sold in the world. At an auction in September, 2014, it sold hand-painted two-sheet and three-sheet posters of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ for Rs 6.84 lakh (posters came in multiple sheets which had to be aligned and pasted). The buyer was Shah Rukh Khan.

“These posters were fragile, we had to work with the country’s leading paper conservationist to restore them. They were thoroughly restored and conserved by pasting on linen,” says Hinesh. Indian Hippy also holds the record for the most expensive signed poster — the first release vintage original one-sheet poster of ‘Sholay’ signed by Amitabh Bachchan at an NFT auction in November 2021 — it fetched Rs 25 lakh.

What started as a hobby for Kanakanhalli Gopi, theatre artiste and film actor from Bengaluru, turned into a rare collection of film memorabilia. “He started collecting pretty much early in his life, when he was about 21. He was a movie buff,” says Sudarshan, his son.

Gopi, who passed away in 1994, had a huge collection of hand-painted film posters. Posters of ‘Alam Ara’ (1931), the first Indian talkie film, and iconic Kannada films like ‘Bedara Kannappa’(1954), ‘Sadarame’ (1935), ‘Chandavalliya Thota’ (1964), ‘Samskara’ (1970), and ‘Vamsha Vriksha’ (1971) were in his collection, recalls Sudarshan.

“He would keep in touch with film producers and distributors to get posters and stills after they were done with displaying them at the theatres,” he says. Apart from film posters and stills, Gopi also collected LPs, and photographs of popular film personalities visiting Bengaluru — Satyajit Ray, Amitabh Bachchan, and some Russian filmmakers who visited the city during the Indo-Soviet Film Festival in the ’80s. The family donated the collection to the Kannada Film Chamber of Commerce.

Costumes and stuff

Costumes worn by legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and Madhubala hold immense value. These garments, including the “angry young man” attire from Amitabh Bachchan’s films and the white sari from Sridevi’s ‘Chandni’ (1989), are treasured for their historical significance. Madhuri Dixit’s lehenga from ‘Devdas’’ iconic song ‘Maar dala’ was auctioned at a whopping Rs 3 crore.

Scripts of landmark films like Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ (1955), Guru Dutt’s ‘Pyaasa’ (1957), and Mani Ratnam’s ‘Roja’ (1992) fetch high value during auctions. Vintage film cameras used during the early years of Indian cinema, such as the iconic Mitchell BNC or Arriflex models are among the rare finds. These cameras, associated with the pioneering days of filmmaking, are considered valuable as they tell the story of the industry’s evolution.

Original 35mm or 16mm film reels of classic Indian films, especially rare prints or unreleased versions, are among the most treasured memorabilia. Film-related merchandise such as lobby cards, press kits, promotional materials, invitations, and passes to film premieres, especially of iconic films, hold immense value. Rare editions of film magazines, featuring exclusive interviews, photographs, and behind-the-scenes stories of stars are sought-after by collectors.

In Bengaluru, Seetha Phone Company on Avenue Road sells old records. Other destinations for collectors of vintage records in Bengaluru are Rams Musique inside the Public Utility Building and Blossoms on Church Street. Records are also sold at the Sunday market in Chickpet.