<p>Bengaluru: The main entrance of LuLu Mall was transformed into a time capsule on Friday. In a rare treat for cinephiles and the “Gen-Z” crowd alike, the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) kicked off its open-air screening series with the legendary 1972 Kannada classic ‘Bangarada Manushya.’</p>.<p>The atmosphere was thick with nostalgia as a vintage 35mm projector, a rare dinosaur in the digital age, whirred to life. For many in the crowd, it wasn’t just a movie; it was a pilgrimage. They welcomed back ‘Annavru’ with a standing ovation and whistles all over, fans screaming his name “Dr Rajkumar ge Jai.”</p>.<p>“I saw this film during my engineering days in 1972 at Chamundeshwari Theatre in Mysuru. It ran for over a year,” recalled sound engineer G S Prashanth, who helped maintain the antique Christie’s projector used for the screening.</p>.BIFFes shines a spotlight on African cinema with ‘Chronicles of Africa’.<p>“To see these reels spinning again in the age of WhatsApp is a miracle. Most of these machines have been scrapped, but we restored this one to show the new generation what real film looks like,” he said. </p>.<p>The screening, inspired by open-air festivals in cities, like Budapest and Paris, aims to bring the “festival of celebration” to the streets.</p>.<p>N Vidyashankar, artistic director of BIFFes, noted that the initiative was born from a desire to preserve Karnataka’s celluloid heritage.</p>.<p>For the audience, the 174-minute epic starring Dr Rajkumar remains as relevant as ever. An elderly man who travelled from the outskirts of the city shared a memory: “In 1974, families would arrive in bullock carts just to catch a glimpse of this film. It taught us the value of the soil and Gandhi’s vision of village development. Seeing it restored on a big screen under the stars brings back the soul of Kannada cinema.”</p>.<p>Technical experts on-site, including veteran operators C H Chandrashekhar and Narayanaswamy, highlighted the Herculean effort required to play physical prints.</p>.<p>They recounted how, decades ago, cinema operators were felicitated for managing a single print for over 100 weeks without a scratch, a feat of precision lost in the digital plug-and-play era.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The main entrance of LuLu Mall was transformed into a time capsule on Friday. In a rare treat for cinephiles and the “Gen-Z” crowd alike, the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA) kicked off its open-air screening series with the legendary 1972 Kannada classic ‘Bangarada Manushya.’</p>.<p>The atmosphere was thick with nostalgia as a vintage 35mm projector, a rare dinosaur in the digital age, whirred to life. For many in the crowd, it wasn’t just a movie; it was a pilgrimage. They welcomed back ‘Annavru’ with a standing ovation and whistles all over, fans screaming his name “Dr Rajkumar ge Jai.”</p>.<p>“I saw this film during my engineering days in 1972 at Chamundeshwari Theatre in Mysuru. It ran for over a year,” recalled sound engineer G S Prashanth, who helped maintain the antique Christie’s projector used for the screening.</p>.BIFFes shines a spotlight on African cinema with ‘Chronicles of Africa’.<p>“To see these reels spinning again in the age of WhatsApp is a miracle. Most of these machines have been scrapped, but we restored this one to show the new generation what real film looks like,” he said. </p>.<p>The screening, inspired by open-air festivals in cities, like Budapest and Paris, aims to bring the “festival of celebration” to the streets.</p>.<p>N Vidyashankar, artistic director of BIFFes, noted that the initiative was born from a desire to preserve Karnataka’s celluloid heritage.</p>.<p>For the audience, the 174-minute epic starring Dr Rajkumar remains as relevant as ever. An elderly man who travelled from the outskirts of the city shared a memory: “In 1974, families would arrive in bullock carts just to catch a glimpse of this film. It taught us the value of the soil and Gandhi’s vision of village development. Seeing it restored on a big screen under the stars brings back the soul of Kannada cinema.”</p>.<p>Technical experts on-site, including veteran operators C H Chandrashekhar and Narayanaswamy, highlighted the Herculean effort required to play physical prints.</p>.<p>They recounted how, decades ago, cinema operators were felicitated for managing a single print for over 100 weeks without a scratch, a feat of precision lost in the digital plug-and-play era.</p>