Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday inaugurate the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) that has come up in a 19th century heritage bungalow and a modern building in the country’s film capital, an official said here on Thursday.
A galaxy of dignitaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, A.R. Rahman, David Dhawan, Rohit Shetty, Waheeda Rehman, Jeetendra Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Raveena Tandon, Pankaj Kapoor, Rakesh Mehra and others are expected to attend the opening ceremonies.
The NMIC will provide a glimpse into the Indian film history and help film students, film-makers, fans and critics to learn and understand cinema as a medium of artistic expression in the country and globally.
The museum has on display artefacts like vintage cameras, projectors, editing and recording equipment, costumes, photographs and other materials portraying the journey of Indian cinema since its dawn in 1913 with the first full-length feature film, “Raja Harishchandra” made by the legendary Dhundiraj Govind Phadke, known as Dadasaheb Phalke. There are also film sets, props, film tapes, sound tracks, trailers, transparencies and a rich collection of film-related literature and memorabilia depicting Indian film history in a chronological order.
Designed by the National Council of Science Museums, it was first envisaged in 1997, and set up in the 19th century heritage bungalow Gulshan Mahal and in another adjacent modern five-storeyed building, spread across 12,000 sq. metres. The museum comprises more than three dozen interactive galleries devoted to cinema and its journey from the silent era to talkies, black-and-white to colour, from the film rolls era to digital technology and a children’s activity gallery.
The NMIC project was undertaken by the state-owned Navratna public sector undertaking, NBCC (India) Ltd, and promises to be a delightful treat for historians, tourists and film buffs from all over the world thronging the country’s film headquarters. NBCC Chairman-cum-Managing Director Anoop Kumar Mittal said the entire NMIC complex is a potential ‘film hub’ narrating the rich history of Indian cinema in the heart of south Mumbai.
The unique design features include a unique front elevation designed with inclined structural glazing support by cable nets with spiders and a glass facade to provide a 3D view impression to the structure, said Mittal. The complex includes a multipurpose hall for movie previews, social events, conferences or seminars and cultural gatherings, besides incorporating several features to make it green and eco-friendly.
