Bringing the Film City closer home

Be it a man dressed in a white-kurta pyjama or a young girl in a sexy LBD, Delhiites in all likelihood would make sure that they strike a pose in front of SRK’s Mannat or AB’s Jalsa to make their Mumbai darshan memorable.

But now the City-zens don’t need to travel all the way to the Financial Capital for a glimpse of their favourite star because all of them are right here – in the form of murals, no less!

Compiled and curated by Mumbai-based artist Ranjit Dahiya, the exhibition ‘Filmnagri Ka Safar’ is not just a collection of some murals painted by the artist but a trajectory of the history of Hindi cinema from its inception with Dada Saheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra (1913) to Slumdog Millionaire (2009).

While Raja Harishchandra was the foundation stone of Indian cinema, the latter brought the most-coveted worldwide recognition to Bollywood, which is probably the reason behind its inclusion, even though it cannot be tagged as a product of mainstream Hindi cinema.

Nevertheless, an entry into the gallery and a dapper-looking Rishi Kapoor in flashy clothes in his 20s catches the viewer’s eye! The exhibition takes one back to the era of Bobby while simultaneously reminding one of Bollywood’s most melodramatic mother Nirupa Roy - since they both have been etched on the same canvas. 

Slightly to Rishi Kapoor’s left, one sees his late dad Raj Kapoor romancing his eternal heroine Nargis in Barsaat (1949). The steamy hot, intense scene definitely redefines the word ‘sexy’.

The mural of Bimal Roy’s classic Do Bigha Zameen (1953) shows Balraj Sahni with his onscreen wife Nirupa Roy and their son looking towards the sky in a recreation of the classic shot from the film. Even the iconic poster of Nargis holding a plough in Mother India (1957) retains the charm of the original work!

The experience gets larger-than-life when you behold the mural of the one and only Mughal-e-Azam (1960) immortalised by Dilip Kumar and Madhubala on the one side and Prithviraj Kapoor on the other. Painted against the backdrop of the Battle Royale, the mural does justice to the expanse of the movie. The lines are so neat that they attract the viewer from afar and the mural makes it difficult to move on to other – equally compelling exhibits.

The murals of Guide (1965) and Sholay (1975) are not so overwhelming but the artistry in Don (1978) and Don (2006) is captivating. With Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan on one canvas, it makes for an unforgettable sight. Shahrukh dominates, for he appears thrice in the exhibition - on the mural of Devdas (2002), Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) as well as Don.

Aishwarya’s jewellery in Devdas and Jodha Akhbar (2008) has been recreated with finesse and the artist’s skill lies in highlight her fragility when he paints her for Guru (2007) with Abhishek Bachchan holding her in his arms.

For fans of Aamir Khan, Ranjit dedicates a lifesize mural to Bhuvan and his rag-tag cricket team in Lagaan (2001) and his joker look from Taare Zameen Par (2007). But what one really admires is the perfection in an exact replica of Omkara (2006).

Ranjit has managed to document the history of Hindi cinema and paid a rich tribute to it in its centenary year through not just these landmark films but also through portraits of Dadasaheb Pha lke, Guru Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Raj Kapoor!  

The exhibition is on display at India International Centre till August 14.