Special screening of restored silent film ‘Muraliwala’ held

RK News
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25 Nov 2025

PIB

Goa, Nov 24: Day 4 of IFFI proved to be magical for IFFIsiasts experiencing time travel during the special screening of ‘Muraliwala’, one of the restored classics. National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) has brought 18 classics back to life under the National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) and curated the Indian Panorama Special Package for this year’s IFFI. The bouquet includes Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi cinema and reflects a vast spectrum of artistic expression preserved with rigorous archival standards and deep respect for each film’s original creative intent. Silent Era Recreated Managing Director of NFDC Prakash Magdum explained intent of the screening. He said, “The idea is to revive silent film experience for today's generation where the musicians would sit in the front row and perform live music for the audience. And with the talented Rahul ji at the helm, I am certain this moment will be brought to life with the same spirit and grandeur that it deserves.” Music composer Rahul Ranade remarked, “It was a great honor and a big challenge for me and my entire team to recreate the music for a film made 98 years back and perform it live. You are going to experience the kind of film Baburao ji made in 1927, the kind of special effects he created. I hope I and my team will be able to do justice to it.” It is to note that Muraliwala (1927), made by the late Film-maker and artist Baburao Painter, is one of the very few surviving Indian silent films and one of the rarest treasures of NFHM. The screening offered audiences a sensory experience reminiscent of 1920s film exhibition. It is also noteworthy that the screening was attended by of Baburao Painter’s two daughters The Indian films restored for IFFI 2025 serve as a testament to this meticulous effort, each frame painstakingly restored and color-graded with precision, often under the guidance of the filmmakers, cinematographers, or their close collaborators. A highlight of the festival is the restored Subarnarekha by Ritwik Ghatak, revived from the 35mm master positive in the NFDC–NFAI collection, with final color grading supervised by cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay. Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan, restored from a preserved 35mm release print after the original negative faced irreversible decay, sees Ali’s personal supervision in the grading process, ensuring the film’s signature chromatic grace is faithfully retained. The restorations honor the legacy of India’s most influential cinematic figures, reinforcing the country's resolve to preserve its film legacy and ensuring that the cultural, historical, and artistic narratives within these works resonate with new generations.