The maximalist, colourful film posters of Bollywood’s yesteryears transported a city art gallery to a bygone era through Bioscope: Karwan Guzar Gaya, featuring the collection of Suboor Usmani, an IRS officer and archivist. From Renuka Tandon and Kanak Rekha Chauhan to Jayant Krishna, visitors posed with their favourite posters.
(L) Andlib Ahmad (R) Aditi Rastogi
Dheeraj Yadav
Jayant Krishna
(L) Kanak Rekha Chauhan (R) Mansi and Anurag Didwania
The exhibition brought together hand-painted posters and contemporary digital works, alongside trivia and anecdotes. Mughal-e-Azam, Aan, Bhuvan Shome and Umrao Jaan featured prominently, while a vibrant Ram Rajya (1943) poster, widely regarded as the only Indian film watched by Mahatma Gandhi, was another highlight. The Independence Day showcase also included patriotic films such as Son of India, Saat Hindustani and 15th August.
(L) Renuka Tandon (R) MA Khan
(L) Srishti Singh (R) Simran Lekhi
Tahseen & Suboor Usmani
Suboor, who has collected film posters and newspaper memorabilia since childhood, said, “I have always been intrigued by cinema, and that led me to collecting film posters.”For curator Dr Vandana Sehgal, the idea was to create an exhibition people could connect with. “Not everyone understands the nuances of abstract art, but Bollywood is something we all resonate with,” she says.— Amina Ashraf
