India’s First Museum Dedicated To Indian Cinema Is Right Here In Mumbai. Have You Been There Yet?
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India’s first love is its cinema and what better way to encapsulate that love than to dedicate a museum to it. Welcome to the beautiful National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC), India’s first museum which chronicles the history of cinema.
Image Courtesy: filmsdivision.org/nmic
Inaugurated in January 2019, this museum is for all film aficionados. It is set in a beautiful 19th century Victorian bungalow called Gulshan Mahal and highlights the history of cinema. Next to the bungalow lies a state-of-the-art building which houses food floors dedicated to Indian cinema and also two auditoriums.
Image courtesy: museumsofindia.org
When you enter Gulshan Mahal, you step into the past. From old cameras to publicity materials, to clippings of films made by Lumiere Brothers, Dadasaheb Phalke, Prabhat Talkies, and many more to costumes and old magazines, this place makes a note of the history and development of Hindi and regional cinema.
Image courtesy: museumsofindia.org
In the modern building, there are galleries dedicated to various themes on cinema like Gandhi and cinema, children’s film studio, technology, creativity and Indian cinema, and cinema across India, etc. You can even experience how early cinema-goers would watch movies while sitting inside a tent.
Image courtesy: museumsofindia.org
The museum has tonnes of interactive kiosks which makes exploring it even more fun. You can record a song or listen to one. You can check out a map of the world to see which film was shot where. The museum also hosts documentaries between 4 pm to 5 pm which are open to all.
The museum is so fascinating that even those who are not lovers of cinema will appreciate the amount of detailing that has gone into creating it. It is truly a must-visit.
If you do happen to go there then don’t forget to take photos and tag us on @whats_hot_mumbai.
Where: Gulshan Mahal, 24, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai
Cost: Rs. 20 for Indians, free if you have a student ID, Rs. 500 for foreigners
Cover and header image courtesy: museumsofindia.org, filmsdivision.org/nmic
