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India's Lost Films Rediscovered by Preservation Pioneer
22 Apr
Summary
- 70% of Indian films made before 1950 are lost forever.
- Film Heritage Foundation works to save India's cinematic past.
- Restorations premiere at major international film festivals globally.
A staggering seventy percent of Indian films produced before 1950 are now irretrievably lost. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), established in 2014, is dedicated to salvaging the surviving cinematic treasures.
The foundation's efforts include free weekly screenings at Mumbai's Regal Cinema and workshops that have trained nearly 500 archivists across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan. FHF is the sole non-governmental organization in India committed to film preservation.
Dungarpur's passion ignited after experiencing Italy's Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, realizing the neglect of India's own film heritage. This led to his documentary "Celluloid Man" and his involvement in restoring Uday Shankar's "Kalpana" (1948), which premiered at Cannes in 2012.
FHF champions India's full linguistic and regional spectrum, restoring films from states like Manipur, Karnataka, Odisha, and Kerala. Their work, often a detective story, recently unearthed censored scenes for "Sholay - The Final Cut" from elements found in London.
Currently, FHF is restoring "Pakeezah" and Kamal Amrohi's "Bhumika," with Dev Benegal's "English, August" also in development. Satyajit Ray's "Days and Nights in the Forest" (1970), restored by FHF, premiered at Cannes 2025, presented by Wes Anderson.
The foundation is building the Moving Image Centre in Mumbai, set to become a public hub for exploring Indian cinema's history, aiming to recreate the immersive experience of watching films on the big screen for new generations.
