The 70s@NFDC-NFAI

An Exhibition of Iconic Hindi Film Posters & Publicity Material from the 1970s

May 3-12 | 10:00 am - 10:00 pm | Convention Centre Foyer, IHC

An exhibition of iconic Hindi film posters and publicity material from the blockbuster decade of 1970s. The exhibition is supported by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India.

From its inception in 1964, the NFDC-National Film Archive of India has counted as one of its primary mandates, the acquisition of film publicity material in its myriad avatars. This includes, among other material, posters, lobby cards, show cards, song and summary booklets, publicity stills and handbills. This exhibition, held in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre, celebrates the decade of the 1970s with posters and lobby cards that bring to the forefront a time of great visual and thematic adventure. From angry young men, long-lost siblings, flamboyant villains and glamorous divas in films like Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Sholay (1975) and Don (1978), the new revelations on the life and loves of the average Indian in films like Anand (1971), Rajnigandha (1974) and Chitchor (1976), and the rigorous filmic experimentations of the Indian New Wave in Garm Hava (1973), Duvidha (1973) and Ankur (1974), the images on display bring to life a decade which marked a turning point in Hindi cinema, with its powerful and enduring craft and style.

Screenwriting Workshop by Ashwini Malik

May 4, Sat | 9:00 am - 6:00 pm | Gulmohar, India Habitat Centre

Learn the craft of Screenwriting at an exclusive Screenwriting Workshop at Habitat Film Festival where the participants can delve into the art of crafting compelling screenplays with noted screenwriting mentor, Ashwini Malik.

Ashwini Malik is a Mumbai-based screenwriter, screenwriting mentor, script consultant and an independent filmmaker. A graduate of Film Direction from FTII, Pune, Ashwini has been teaching screenwriting at FTII and is currently senior faculty of screenwriting at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai. His selected film credits include Pine Cone (2024; co-writer), Maali (2018; writer-director), Monophobia (2012; writer-director), I Am (2010; dialogue writer), Road, Movie (2009; Hindi dialogue writer), Sorry Bhai (2008; writer), Bas Ek Pal (2006; dialogue writer), Clever & Lonely (2002; writer-director), among others.

Supported by Niv Art Movies.

Student fee: ₹1500 | Non-student fee: ₹1800.

Click below to view session details and register:

Kumar Shahani Retrospective

May 4, Sat at 6:30 pm | Stein Auditorium, IHC
Screening of Char Adhyay (35 mm/Hindi with Eng subs/1997/110 mins). The film will be introduced by the script writer of Char Adhyay, Udayan Vajpeyi, noted poet and translator.

May 6, Mon at 9:00 pm | Stein Auditorium, IHC
Screening of Kasba / The Town (35mm/Hindi with Eng subs/1991/121 mins). The screening will be introduced by noted actor Mita Vasisht who plays the role of Tejo in Kasba. She has also collaborated with Kumar Shahani on Khayal Gatha (1989) and Var Var Vari (1987).

May 8, Wed at 7:00 pm | The Theatre, IHC
Screening of Maya Darpan / The Illusory Mirror (Hindi with Eng subs/1972/107 mins). Maya Darpan is Kumar Shahani’s debut feature. The screening will be introduced by Roshan Shahani, long-time collaborator of Shahani. She has collaborated with Shahani on Tarang (1984), Bhavantarana (1991) and Kumar Shahani on the River (2006).

Book Launch and Panel Discussion

May 4, Sat | 7:00 pm | Gulmohar, IHC

The Launch of "The Swinging Seventies: Stars, Style and Substance in Hindi Cinema", jointly edited by Nirupama Kotru & Shantanu Ray Chaudhary. Published by Om Books.

Followed by a panel discussion on Hindi Cinema of the 1970s:

“A turning point, the beginning of a new wave: a conversation about Hindi cinema of the 1970s”. Panelists: Avijit Ghosh, Aseem Chhabra, Gautam Chintamani, Jai Arjun Singh, Kaveree Bamzai and Uday Bhatia. In conversation with Nirupama Kotru.

Production Workshop led by industry experts

May 11, Sat | 9:00 am - 6:00 pm | Gulmohar, IHC

A workshop offering a unique opportunity to gain insights into the intricacies of Film Production led by industry experts. Sessions on - “Investment and Pitching” by Sanjay Gulati, Producer, Crawling Angel Films Delhi; “Film Distribution” by Rahul Merchant, CEO Runaway-Luminosity Distribution Mumbai, joining remotely via Google Meeti; “Film Festival Ecosystem & Marketing” by Aseem Chhabra, Festival Curator, New York Indian Festival.

Supported by Niv Art Movies.

Student fee: ₹1000 | Non-student fee: ₹1500.

Click below to view session details and register:

Book Discussion

May 11, Sat | 7:00 pm | Gulmohar, IHC

A discussion on film scholar Smita Banerjee’s “Modernities and the Popular Melodrama: The Suchitra–Uttam Yug in Bengali Cinema” (2023). Published by Orient Blackswan.

The book examines the film careers of Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar, the media frenzy surrounding their public and private lives and selves, and the imprint they left on the popular imagination in newly independent India. A fascinating account of the Suchitra–Uttam phenomenon, its social context, and its enduring emotional appeal.

Discussants: Dr. Anugyan Nag, Asst. Professor, Film and Media Studies, MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia; Dr. Abhija Ghosh, Asst. Professor, Film and New Media, Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, OP Jindal Global University. In conversation with the author- Smita Banerjee, Professor, Dept. of English, DCAC, University of Delhi.