Get the real taste of cinema in Pune

The purpose of initiating film clubs around the world is to watch and appreciate cinema. It was with the same hope that the Film Circle of National Film Archive of India (NFAI) was formed in January 1994.

The aim was to showcase the best of cinema and make archival films available for people.

The late 50’s saw the Indian film fraternity voicing their concern through the film society movement. In 1959, eminent film-maker Satyajit Ray with like-minded individuals started the Federation of Film Society of India. With the establishment of NFAI in 1964, an informal group called the Friends of Archive was formed, comprising people with a common passion for movies. To many, being a part of this activity was a “prestigious affair”. However, the group could not sustain for a long time due to the advent of technology.

“The purpose of any film archive is to preserve movies and also make them accessible to people apart from research-related activities. At NFAI too, our objective is to exhibit films and allow people to access our rare collection,” says Suresh Chabria, NFAI’s ex-director. A particular film that remains etched in his memory is that of the screening of Dadasaheb Phalke’s silent film Kalia Mardan. “We had arranged for live music as an accompaniment during the screening,” he says.

The Film Circle thus gave birth to film buffs in the city, who met on every Saturday at 6:30 pm to watch rare and good cinema. The movies were categorised into Indian and world cinema (alternate Saturdays), apart from various themes such as retrospective, history and mythology, revolution, regional language films and others. Academician, Pramila Davidson, who is a member says, “NFAI is a great platform to watch and appreciate offbeat films. Earlier, Chabria used to select films to be screened. It is because of him that we got an opportunity to watch films made by masters like Akira Kurosawa and Ingrid Bergman. He also taught us what to look out for in a film. This activity also filters the audience, who would enjoy watching masala films.”

Another member, Arnaud Devic, a retired professional, says “I am originally from France and have been living in Pune for the past 15 years. I have been a part of the film circle for around 10 years. It gives us a great opportunity in viewing good films from across the globe. There are similar clubs back home in France, but I agree that Puneites are enthusiastic and cultured when it comes to cinema.”

According to librarian Veena Kshirsagar,  since its inception, the number of members has fluctuated due to several reasons. The club started with 80 members with an annual membership fee of Rs100. A gradual increase in the fee saw drop-outs and then in 2005, the club stopped functioning altogether. It was restarted in 2006 with a fee of Rs600 which continued for the next couple of years. “However in January 2009, there was a steep increase to Rs2,000, which resulted in disappointment among the members. The audience was also selective about watching particular movies. At one time it became difficult for us to make everyone happy with our selection,” she says. At present, the club has around 100 members, who watch films from a huge collection of around 10,000. A brochure helps them choose the film they want to watch.