LEKHA SHANKAR

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                                               A Monumental Tribute to Indian Cinema

There have been many events in India, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of  the country’s film industry,  and one of the most important, was the recent  launch, at the New Delhi World Book Fair, of  the first of  100  masterful volumes, entitled ‘ 100 landmarks of Bombay Cinema’.

This phenomenal collection is the result of a recent collaboration between two outstanding publishing houses of art books- the Osians  Group and the Mapin Publishing  house. The latter is noted for  its high-quality art publications, the former is well-known for its pioneering Osian film festival of Asian and Arab cinema, its art auctions, as well as the ambitious Osianama Foundation which aims to be the biggest archiveal storehouse for the  arts in India .

Infact, the first  volume of  ‘100 landmarks of Bombay Cinema’ , with its grand range of lithographic prints,  posters, photographs, handbills, offered a  glimpse  of the vast collection of the Osianama Foundation. The 100 film-publications will also complement the launch of the dedicated search engine theosianama.com, which will contribute towards a deeper understanding of Indian cinema and Indian arts, for the cultural aesthete and the research scholar.

Four more volumes of the film-series will be released, at a gala star-studded event in Mumbai , this month.

They are  ‘Mera Bharat Mahan – Patriotic Fervor in Indian Cinema’, ‘Meena Kumari Ki Filmi Kahani ’ (Meena Kumari’s film-story), ‘Mere Paas Maa Hai – The Mother in Indian Cinema’ and  ‘Kaun Hai Bhagwan -The Magnificent Gods and Goddesses of Indian Cinema.’

The publishers hope that by the time the 100 volumes  have been completed, every aspect of  Indian film history, whether its dialectics, fashion, music, characters, would have been presented to the readers, in a historical context. The books have been priced at a low Rs 250- Rs 300, to make them affordable to all movie-lovers ( the international edition is priced at $ 9.95 ).

“ We truly hope that the vast range of ideas and imagery which will build up over the 100 publications of the ‘Celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema’ series, will irreversibly transform a generation of cinema lovers into a more sensitive, respectful and passionate audience, of the greatest show on earth! ” said Neville Tuli, the dynamic Chairman of the  Osian Group.

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