PVR CINEMAS AND FILM HERITAGE FOUNDATION COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF THE LEGENDARY ACTOR AMITABH BACHCHAN

National, 30^th September’22:PVR Cinemas, the largest and the most premium film exhibition company in India through an exclusive association with Film Heritage Foundation, the only non-governmental organization in the country dedicated to the preservation and restoration of India’s film heritage, will exhibit handpicked Amitabh Bachchan films from 8^th to 11^th October in 17 cities on the occasion of his 80^th Birthday. The films would be showcased as part of a film festival titled, ‘Bachchan Back to the Beginning’.

As a countdown to his birthday, starting from 8^th October, this 4 day-long festival at PVR will screen 11 superhit iconic movies of the megastar on the big-screen across 22 cinemas in 17 cities. As a special incentive to his fans who want to enjoy all the movies, PVR has made available a Movie Pass that can be purchased online through the PVR App and Web. The pass can be redeemed across all days in any of the 22 cinemas where the movies are running.

Additionally, all visiting patrons to PVR Juhu in Mumbai will get a chance to reminisce the golden days with the display of Mr. Bachchan's photos and posters, in conjunction with the festival at an exhibition curated by film historian, author and memorabilia archivist, SMM Ausaja.

Mr. Ajay Bijli, Chairman & Managing Director, PVR Ltd, said, “PVR is delighted to partner with Film Heritage Foundation for Amitabh Bachchan Film Festival to mark the 80^th birthday of the legendary actor. We are so happy that for the first time ever we are able to stage a festival of this kind of Mr. Bachchan’s films across the country to celebrate his work at the scale that is befitting the biggest icon of Indian cinema. The 4-day festival presents an incredible opportunity for fans across India, in big cities and small towns, to watch Mr. Bachchan in his most memorable roles, not on phones or laptops, but larger than life on the big screen. We look forward to working with Film Heritage Foundation in the future to regularly showcase the best of India’s film heritage in our cinemas.”

The 11 Films that would be screened as part of film festival include KAALA PATTHAR, KAALIA, KABHI KABHIE, AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, NAMAK HALAAL, ABHIMAAN, DON, SATTE PE SATTA, MILI, CHUPKE CHUPKE and DEEWAAR.

Mr. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Founder Director of Film Heritage Foundation, said, “Growing up, I was the biggest Amitabh Bachchan fan. I used to break bounds when I was in school to watch his films and was often thrown out of class in college for sitting in the back benches and writing notes about his films. I am so glad that Film Heritage Foundation is paying tribute to Mr. Bachchan on his 80^th birthday with the first-of-its-kind country-wide four-day festival. It has been a mammoth task putting together the best of his early films that launched him as a superstar and to showcase these films so that audiences across the country can enjoy the films the way they were originally screened – on the big screen. I know that this will be the first of many festivals that will bring our cinematic heritage back to the theatres where it belongs.

I’d like to thank Ajay Bijli and the team at PVR for coming on board and making it possible to screen these iconic films in 17 cities around India from megacities like Mumbai and Delhi to smaller towns like Kolhapur, Surat, Kanpur and Indore. I would also like to thank my friend Siddharth Roy Kapur for his generous support that enabled us to do the festival and mount the exhibition of Mr. Bachchan’smemorabilia at PVR Juhu.”

Mr. Amitabh Bachchan commenting on the festival said, “I didn’t think that I would see a day that all these films from my early career would be back on the big screen across the country. It is a remarkable initiative of Film Heritage Foundation and PVR to showcase not just my work, but the work of my directors, fellow actors and technicians of the time who made these films possible. It brings back an era that is gone, but not forgotten. This is why saving India’s film heritage is so important. I hope that this is just the beginning of many festivals that will celebrate landmark films of Indian cinema back on the big screen”.

*Please find below the movie schedule with the list of cities along with cinemas.

For further information, please visit the PVR Website, www.pvrcinemas.com or download the PVR Mobile App.

About PVR Limited

PVR is an industry leader in India in the film exhibition business dedicated to delivering the best cinema experience to different audiences. It currently operates 864 screens across 175 properties in 76 cities (India and Sri Lanka) and serves over 100 million patrons annually. Since its inception in 1997, the brand has redefined the way out-of-home entertainment is consumed in the country. The Company offers a wide range of cinema services such as child friendly audis, the latest screening technology, superior sound systems, wide range of F&B offerings, diverse content for regional movie goers, an array of formats in the premium screen category such as Director’s Cut, LUXE, Sapphire, IMAX, 4DX, P, Playhouse and PVR Onyx.

For further information, please visit:http://www.pvrcinemas.com/corporate/about-us.aspx

About Film Heritage Foundation

Film Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Mumbai set up by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. It is dedicated to supporting the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the moving image and to developing interdisciplinary programmes to create awareness about the language of cinema.

A member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) since 2015, Film Heritage Foundation is the only non-governmental organization in the country working in the field of film preservation.

The advisory council is comprised of such stalwarts as Shyam Benegal, Kamal Haasan, Girish Kasaravalli, Gulzar, Gian Luca Farinelli, Jaya Bachchan, Krzysztof Zanussi, Mark Cousins, and Kumar Shahani. Amitabh Bachchan is its cause ambassador.

Its core programmes include the preservation and archiving of films and film-related memorabilia, training in film preservation and restoration, children’s workshops, digitization and restoration, oral history projects and publications. Most recently it restored the legendary Indian filmmaker Aravindan Govindan’s Malayalam classics “Kummatty” (1979) and “Thamp̄” (1978) in association with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna.  “Thamp̄” was selected for a red carpet world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2022.

https://filmheritagefoundation.co.in/