Return to the film poster age

Upcoming film releases are now reviving the lost art of hand-painted film posters

PHATA POSTER NIKLA HERO: Film posters past and (left) present

Remember the hand-painted film posters of yore? Those posters — Deewar, Sholay, Mother India, Roti Kapda Maakan amongst others — a rage in the 50s, 60s and 70s, are now a part of the Indian art records. It seems that Bollywood has suddenly begun missing these posters and are reviving the old world charm with upcoming film releases like Rockstar, Rowdy Rathore, Bittoo Boss and others.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta feels that the reason for the resurgence is that people want to see variation. "People love to see anything that is different from everything else around them. With people being savvy about technology today, hand painted posters seem exotic in comparison. I feel that if you serve anything old in new style, it is bound to attract more attention."
Artist Akbar Ali Mehta, grandson of the late renowned artist Tyeb Ali Mehta, feels that hand-painted film posters making a comeback prove that irrespective of technology, the audience will always crave for vintage stuff. "When technology made an entry, everyone got carried away with it, and led to the disappearance of hand-made posters. But somewhere people were eager to see them again and have therefore started archiving it. Today when technology is become a part of life, Bollywood posters getting a vintage look will be treasured as it is limited edition memorabilia. And handmade posters, like always, convey a charisma of its own," says Akbar.
Abhishek Pathak, producer of the film Bittoo Boss, feels that the genre of the film decides the look even on the posters. "It all depends on the film... the style, its genre and what it aims to highlight," he said.