Yahoo, cries the museum

Shammi Kapoor’s first major hit was the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957. Kapoor became a star and fans began paying him a form of homage that had previously been paid to Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor and, most famously, Dev Anand. They began copying his hairdo. A flamboyant dresser, Kapoor often sported a frontal knoll of hair that unravelled into an attractive comma over his forehead when he danced or, rather, lurched.One of these fans was Rajan Jaykar.
In 1961, Jaykar missed a day of school to watch Junglee with a group of friends at Roxy cinema. Swept by Kapoor’s “overall appearance”, he says, he began to model himself on the star. Around five years ago, Jaykar embarked on a different kind of tribute to his favourite star. He started collecting memorabilia related to Kapoor’s movies. ‘Tum Mujhe Yun Bhula Na Paoge’ an exhibition of Jaykar’s posters, song books and lobby cards will be on display at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) from October 9.
The exhibits are of films in which Kapoor played the lead. “I’m not concerned with his side roles,” Jaykar says. “That’s not my Shammi Kapoor. He was getting old and obese.” Some of the posters, Jaykar says, are of films that even Kapoor fans might not have heard of: unsuccessful films such as Chor Bazaar, Rail Ka Dibba and Sipah Salar, which were made before Tumsa Nahin Dekha. The exhibition also has censor certificates of the films Daku, Vallah Kya Baat Hai and Mujrim, which Jaykar acquired at a stamp and coin exhibition in Chennai a few years ago.
A solicitor and collector of Bombay mint coins and historical pictorial material on Bombay, Jaykar decided to display his collection when he heard of a new scheme offered by CCSMV. The museum offers the Curator’s Gallery free of charge to collectors to encourage them to show their private collections to the public. In June, Manisha Patil, professor of art history at the JJ School of Art, showed her collection of works by Vinayak Masoji. The artist was a student of Shantiniketan and the exhibition was part of the celebration for Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary. “Usually collectors don’t want to share their collections,” says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director of CSMVS. “So we thought, why not invite them to the museum by giving them space and a little financial support.” This exhibition is particularly special for Mukherjee, who is an admirer of Kapoor.
An exhibition on a film star is something museum regulars might find strange, given that exhibitions at the CSMVS are usually on archaeology and ancient and modern art. However the CSMVS has, in recent months, been making an effort to transform itself from a staid storehouse of statuettes and stuffed animals to an institution that creates an interest in its collection by engaging with the public. “We are changing with the changing world,” Mukherjee says. “It is important for a cultural institution to do different exhibitions.”
The city’s other major museum, the Bhau Daji Lad, has been showing contemporary work that relates to its permanent exhibits since it reopened in 2008. Artists such as Jitish Kallat, Sudarshan Shetty and Nikhil Chopra have done shows that recall the Bhau Daji Lad’s history. The museum has hosted travelling exhibitions from the Victoria and Albert Museum, with which it has a historic connection—Bhau Daji was founded in 1872 as the local V&A. “Bhau Daji is more oriented to contemporary art,” Mukherjee says. “CSMVS is oriented towards art and archaeology. But we are paying attention to all disciplines: traditional, modern and contemporary art.”
The show will be on at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya from Oct 9-22. For more details, visit themuseummumbai.com.