Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that film industry has an enormous role in promoting tourism, which has the added benefit of employment generation. He was inaugurating the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai on Saturday, 19th January 2019.
The PM took a tour of the Museum, after which he addressed a gathering of the film fraternity. Speaking on the occasion, he congratulated everyone for the inauguration of NMIC, which he said showcases the entire history of Indian cinema in one place. He also congratulated the film fraternity, under whose guidance Indian cinema has been continuously making new strides.
Talking about NMIC, he said that it showcases the multi-faceted aspects of the film industry, its rich tradition and the struggles the people have undergone in making movies. It will serve as an opportunity for the younger generation to understand several aspects of films and film-making.
He said that the Government is working on a single window clearance system for grant of film shooting permissions from multiple authorities to ensure Ease of Filming. A web portal is being created to facilitate such permissions for film completion in a time bound manner.
Mentioning that Design in India is as important as Make in India, he talked about the setting up of National Centre for Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics. He also discussed the need of setting up a separate University for Communication and Entertainment which focuses on technology and finance while giving scope for creativity. He also explored the idea of organizing a Global Film Summit on the lines of Davos Summit which would focus on the business and exploration of expansion of market for Indian Cinema.
Stating that theatre and cinema are connected to each other, he talked about India’s rich theatrical heritage and focussed on the need of preserving and highlighting it to encourage, attract and inspire new talent.
Highlighting that the government needs sabka saath in order to ensure sabka vikas, the Prime Minister called upon the film fraternity to contribute to nation building and to take the extraordinary heritage of Indian Cinema to the world.
The inauguration was also graced by the presence of Governor of Maharashtra Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale. Government officials along with people from the film industry were also present on the occasion.
The Museum is housed in two buildings – the New Museum Building and the 19th century historic palace Gulshan Mahal – in the Films Division campus in Mumbai.
The New Museum Building has four Exhibition Halls which encapsulate:
Gandhi & Cinema: it not only depicts the movies made on the life Mahatma Gandhi but also showcases the deep impact his life had on cinema.
Children’s Film Studio: it gives visitors, particularly children, an opportunity to explore the science, technology and art behind filmmaking. It offers hands on experience on various facets associated with making cinema like camera, light, shooting, experience of acting, etc. – presented in an interactive format. The exhibits displayed include chroma studio, immersive experience zone, stop-motion animation studio, virtual makeover studio, etc.
Technology, creativity & Indian cinema: it showcases the creative use of technology by Indian film makers over the years to produce cinematographic impact on the silver screen.
Cinema across India: it showcases the charismatic kaleidoscopic presence of the vibrant cinematographic culture across India.
Gulshan Mahal is an ASI Grade-II Heritage Structure which has been restored as part of the NMIC project. The displays present here showcase the journey of over a hundred years of Indian cinema. It is divided into 9 sections viz. The Origin of Cinema, Cinema comes to India, Indian Silent Film, Advent of Sound, The Studio Era, The impact of World War II, Creative Resonance, New Wave and Beyond and Regional Cinema.
