Anoushka Shankar renders live score to silent movie on Taj Mahal

HYDERABAD: Anoushka Shankar and her orchestra delivered a live score in the city to the re-mastered Franz Osten's silent film Shiraz.

The classic movie is based on the love between

Shah Jahan

and

Mumtaz Mahal

that culminated to the construction of the Taj Mahal.The film was played at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre and saw widespread reception from the general public.

Himanshu Rai, who produced and acted in the classic from 1928, is widely known as the founder of

Bombay Talkies

and a pioneer of Indian cinema. This is the first time the re-mastered film with a live sitar score is being screened in India. “The movie is based on a play by Niranjan Pal. It is a unique concept that a silent film made in 1928 has been restored by the British Film Institute (

BFI

) and is being screened to a live score. This is a one of a kind feature of the Qadir

Ali Baig

Theatre festival-2017,“ said

Moham

med Ali Baig, director and curator of the festival.

The movie was re-mastered by the conservation team at BFI National Archive, London, while the live score by Anoushka and her 8member-ensemble featured both Indian and western instruments.

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