Rare reel posters a runaway hit at international film festival

KOLHAPUR: It has been a treat for many cinephiles visiting the third Kolhapur International Film Festival (KIFF) to witness rare posters of the films of late filmmakers Anant Mane and Guru Dutt.
There are as many as 15 posters of films made by Anant Mane. Some of them include ‘Lakshmi’, ‘Kela Ishara Jata Jata’, ‘Awghachi Sansar’, ‘Haldi Kunku’, ‘Sangu Kashi Me’, ‘Ek Gaon Bara Bhangadi’, etc.Chandrakant Joshi, president of Kalamaharsi Baburao Painter Film Society, said the posters have been arranged from National Film Archives of India (NFAI).
“Altogether 13 posters of legendary actor-director Guru Dutt’s films have been arranged from the personal collection of city-based Riyaz Shaikh, former news anchor at Akshwani,” Joshi said.
“Posters of films such as ‘Chaudhvin Ka Chand’, ‘Pyasa’, ‘Mr and Mrs 55’, ‘Baazi’, ‘Aar Paar’ and ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’ are on display at the exhibition and are being appreciated by the audience visiting the festival,” he said.
Joshi said the poster exhibition had received an overwhelming response from the audience last year as well. “It’s the birth centenary year of Mane and the 50th death anniversary of Guru Dutt. Hence, thought of arranging the posters of these legends,” he said.
“All the posters represent the beauty of respective era and hand drawing. With the current generation going more and more digital, this collection will surely remind all the people why they say old is gold,” he added.
Umesh Patil, a cinephile visiting the exhibition, said, “I had not even heard about half of these films displayed in the exhibition. But these posters have surely sparked curiosity in me about the films. Fortunately, some of the films are being screened at the festival and will prove a great help in understanding the depth of the poster versus the actual film content. The depiction in these hand drawn posters is quite strong as compared to today’s digital ones.”
Rohit Kulkarni, another visitor at the exhibition, said, “This collection of posters is must for any cinema enthusiast. I wish a little summary would have helped many understand the performance and impact of the film during its release.”