Recently I was reading Big B’s blog. And this was my reply to him:
Dear Big B,
I can’t agree more! You very emphatically drive home the point that we must restore/preserve/archive the heritage of our glorious Indian cinema. It indeed cuts a sorry figure at the world diaspora. You do genuinely feel sad about it.
BUT i have a stern objection; especially with powerful, able and resourceful people like you, SRK, Kareena Kapoor etc.
I have absolutely no problem with your sky-rocketing remunerations. Acting is no kid’s business. It demands some hurculean efforts and dedication but ideally you people long ago should have assumed this responsibility upon your shoulders. With adequate ammunitions, power, resources and good intentions, this ever-gaping void could well have been filled by now.
The beaurocrats/corporates have chosen not to be clairvoyant for this particular mission. Everybody wants to count their chickens before they hatch. That’s where you people come into picture.
Some efforts however have indeed been made in this direction but they are not robust enough. I personally know of a person who is immensely passionate about the very cause. No, he’s not running from pillars to post to fecilitate/fund his passion. He’s doing it all alone because he strongly feels for it.
Imagine if the superrich scions of Kapoor khaandaan of our film industry could restore RK studio, erect an RK film museum where all the films under RK banner could be safely restored, with a new lease of life in digitalised format. Imagine if they could restore Prithviraj and Raj Kapoor’s interview tapes, manuscripts of the classic RK banner films, invaluable trivia, memorable film props which became immortal in the hearts of millions, etc.
It’s an apalling truth that before ‘a lot to be done’, there is ‘a lot left to be initiated’ and our indian film fraternity itself must initiate, for it’s they who would feel the pinch years later when they would have fruit tree that has no roots.
