Fade to Flashback

That is not to say, however, that the NFAI only lulls Palekar into nostalgia. ‘‘The archives are a treasurehouse of Indian cinema, not just the Guru Dutts and Satyajit Rays, but much beyond that, to films like Sant Tukaram. But in today’s times, when the profit motive overrides all others, the institution just does not get the attention it deserves. Why, I even read that the government was contemplating closing down the archives because it doesn’t make money!

‘‘I am also perturbed by our own film industry’s apathy towards this place that has contributed so much to their success. If only all those who have benefited so much from the Archives — be it Subhash Ghai or Jaya Bachchan or Shatrughan Sinha — donated even a drop of their earnings to the archives, it would do wonders for its maintenance and upkeep. I have personally donated negatives and a print of all my films to the institute and keep telling my friends to do the same.’’

How does a brick-and-mortar building evoke so much passion? That could have something to do with the interactive sessions Palekar has had here. ‘‘We did a Marathi play based on Kurosawa’s Rashoman, a reversal of the norm. I saw the film here many times, and had long, interesting discussions with P K Nair, then the institute’s director, and Satish Bahadur, a professor of film appreciation,’’ states Palekar as he looks up to a black-and-white poster of Sant Tukaram. That, after all, is where it all began…