New Delhi : The first encyclopaedia of cinema in Hindi was the topic of discussion at a special discourse organised at the Theme Pavilion of World Book Fair today in which famous filmmaker-actor Rahul Mittra participated as celebrity speaker, amidst a large turnout of youth, media persons & film lovers. Rahul Mittra spoke about the utility of such an encyclopedia on Indian cinema in Hindi amongst film lovers, students studying cinema & filmmakers, affirming its potential to serve as an invaluable resource. Mittra, acclaimed for his contributions to Indian cinema with hits like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster trilogy, Bulett Raja, Revolver Rani, Sarkar 3, Torbaaz, etc lauded the effort behind the creation of this comprehensive encyclopedia. Mittra further stressed on the importance of contextualisation of narrative, explaining how cultural, social, historical and political contexts in which the film was produced influenced the films narrative.
The discussion was moderated by Anurag Punetha, senior journalist and media controller of Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts with senior journalist and author Abhijit Ghosh also participating in this discussion. Abhijit Ghosh, who has written many books on cinema, also praised this efforts and said that it is important to write with evidence and facts how cinema has been growing in every decade. Senior film critic Arnab Banerjee considered the coming of this encyclopedia as an important cinema literary step in the midst of Hindi films and the common Indian’s love for Hindi. Film historian Rajeev Srivastava also took part in the discussion, who has played a role in creating this encyclopedia,
