A talk on ‘The Art of Theatrical Backdrops’ was organised at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Saturday. The session, organised by Studio Gestalt and Heritage India Communications, was based on its namesake publication by Invincible Publishers, Gurugram that was launched in 2022. The speaker Dr Amol Divkar is the director of Niteeka Archival Research Infotech, Mumbai and film-maker and lawyer Sandhya Gokhale was as chief guest.
Attendees were taken on an informative journey on the role of backdrops and sets in theatre and early cinema along with lively images and technical details of their art. The speaker, who is the grandson of celebrated backdrop painter VV Divkar and a professional historical researcher, had undertaken this study to showcase this lesser known art which has steadily faded away. Advertisement On display at the event were sketches, black and white photos and much reference material from Dr Divkar’s private archive, that everyone could go through in person to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the art.
This included specimens such as the original sketch of Mehboob Productions logo and a conceptual sketch of the Shiv Shambho set made for V Shantaram. “We had organised a similar event last year at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, where art historian Pheroza Godrej and Museum Society of Mumbai gave us valuable support. But we were always keen to host a talk here.
Pune is an important city in the history of early Indian Cinema and na.
