For the ages
Revered Indian actress Waheeda Rehman, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest film honour, last year, has donated her personal memorabilia to Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for preservation. The 86-year-old dame of Indian cinema, Rahman has worked with most of her country’s legendary filmmakers during her career and the roles she has chosen have been in films considered classics in the annals of Indian cinema. She worked with Guru Dutt in “Pyaasa” (1957) and “Kaagaz Ke Phool” (1959), Satyajit Ray in “Abhijaan” (1962), Basu Bhattacharya in “Teesri Kasam” (1966) and Yash Chopra in “Kabhie Kabhie”. (1976), among many other memorable roles.
Donated items include the sari worn by Rahman to the premiere of ‘CID’ in 1956, her photo albums and photographs and pressing cards from ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’, ‘Chaudvin Ka Chand’ (1960) and ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’. (1962). “CID”, “Bees Sal Post” (1962) and “Baat Ek Raat Ki” (1962). The donation was supported and enabled by Sohail Rekhi and Kashfi Rekhi, son and daughter of Rahman.
“I am giving all this to the Film Heritage Foundation, because these are very important memories that need to be preserved. People who are interested in learning about films and the history of Indian cinema can check out these valuable memorabilia preserved in the FHF archives. I hope you all do so and enjoy seeing all These albums.
FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur She added: “It was a very emotional moment for me when she donated her precious personal memorabilia to the Film Heritage Foundation and entrusted us with their care and preservation for future generations. She had kept the sari she had worn at the premiere of ‘CID’ nearly seven decades ago, and as she browsed through the photo albums It was a beautiful walk down memory lane, and it was as if we were living those times with her. As I leafed through her photo albums filled with stunning black and white images from her famous films, I was struck by her enduring grace and dignity and reminded me once again of her amazing legacy that spanned a career of over “Six decades and I am very proud that she was chosen. We are the custodians of her memory.”
***
Elsewhere, about 1,000 radio plays have been returned BBC archive by Radio circuitA group of radio enthusiasts and collectors. The plays consist of reels and home recordings sent in by audience members. BBC Radio 4, 4 Extra and Radio 3 will include a season of broadcast recordings, including Macbeth, which when first broadcast in 1971 was the first ever stereo production of the play. The season also includes adaptations of works Charles DickensWilkie Collins, Edgar Wallace, Kingsley Amis, and J.M. Barrie. Radio 4 will also commemorate the BBC Archive by broadcasting two plays by Harold Pinter and Dennis Potter, which have not been heard on BBC Radio since their original broadcast in the early 1980s.