Our Bureau
New Delhi, India
The first encyclopaedia of cinema in Hindi was the topic of discussion at a special discourse organised at the Theme Pavilion of World Book Fair on February 18, 2024, in which famous filmmaker-actor Rahul Mittra participated as a celebrity speaker, amidst a large turnout of youth, media persons and film lovers. Rahul Mittra spoke about the utility of such an encyclopaedia on Indian cinema in Hindi in the presence of film lovers, students studying cinema and filmmakers, affirming its potential to serve as an invaluable resource.
Mittra, acclaimed for his contributions to the Indian cinema with hits like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster trilogy, Bullett Raja, Revolver Rani, Sarkar 3, Torbaaz, etc lauded the effort behind the creation of this comprehensive encyclopaedia. Mittra further stressed the importance of contextualisation of narrative, explaining how cultural, social, historical and political contexts in which the film was produced influenced the film’s narrative.
The discussion was moderated by Anurag Punetha, senior journalist and media controller of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts with senior journalist and author Avijit Ghosh also participating in this discussion. Avijit Ghosh, who has authored many books on cinema, also praised this effort and said that it is important to write with evidence and facts, about how cinema has been growing in every decade.
Senior film critic Arnab Banerjee considered the launch of this encyclopaedia as an important literary step for cinema amid Hindi films and the common Indian’s love for Hindi. Film historian Rajeev Srivastava also took part in the discussion, who has played a role in creating this encyclopaedia, which is a fact-checked account of the entire history of Hindi films till 2020.
