‘The world should understand the language of our cinema’

In a lighter vein, Bachchan — the newly-appointed ambassador of the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) that is instrumental in starting the school — also said that if he could “sell Gujarat tourism”, this is a cause he could happily lend his support to. The actor, who had earlier made contributions for the restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight, urged others to support the cause. He also honoured PK Nair, former director of National Film Archive of India, for his contribution to film preservation. Gian Luna Farinelli — director of Italy-based Cineteca di Bologna, which spearheaded the film restoration movement internationally — too was felicitated on the occasion.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, founder director of FHF Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, said, “Cinema should be recognised as a national treasure. As an integral part of social documentation, it should be protected and restored.” Citing that by 1960, India had lost nearly 70 per cent of its early cinematic works, he hoped that the school would aid in building a pool of film archivists and restorers.

While large-sized images from the early Indian cinema are displayed across Films Division’s compound, the stage is set for the week-long course on the preservation and restoration of cinema that 53 students will attend in Mumbai. While classes by a select international faculty will be held in the hall during the day, in the evenings, few of the restored movies will be screened at Liberty Cinema for a select audience.