NFAI to preserve film historian’s collection

Pune: The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has announced that it would preserve the archives of late film historian, filmmaker and film society pioneer Vijaya Mulay, including rare books on films as well as VHS tapes and educational films.

“We have been in touch with Mulay family even before the passing of Vijaya Mulay in 2019. Her daughter, actor Suhasini Mulay, donated the collection to us for preservation. The handing over was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The logistics also needed to be worked out as the archives were in Delhi and the Mulay family lives in Mumbai,” said Praksah Magdum, NFAI director.

Magdum added that one of the standout collections in the archive was a three-episode programme VHS tape on then French public broadcaster RTF.

There Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, known for his work with Indian public broadcasters in the 1950s, spoke about his experiences in India in an interview with the journalist Etienne Lalou. The interview is interspersed with footage that Rossellini shot during his time in India.

Also in the collection are books about cinema of auteurs, such as Akira Kurosawa and Satyajit Ray and books about theory and language of cinema across film industries as well as cinema collectives all over the world.

The film that Mulay’s family donated to NFAI is Kishan and the Magic Chariot, which Mulay produced in 1980 in 16mm format.

It is on methods to teach young children by invoking their curiosity. Another tape, Bhopal Beyond Genocide, a documentary from 1986 co-directed by younger Mulay, speaks about stories of loss, and the timeline of incidents post the tragedy in 1984.