It’s time for celebration for all Dilip Kumar fans. On the occasion of the actor’s 100th birth anniversary, the Film Heritage Foundation has curated a two-day film festival titled Dilip Kumar – Hero Of Heroes. The centenary celebration of the legend will take place on December 10-11, with screening of four of his films across 20 cities. The line-up includes Aan (1952), Devdas (1955), Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Shakti (1982).

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, archivist and Director, Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), says the purpose of these screenings is to celebrate Dilip Kumar. He says, “Dilip Kumar’s centenary anniversary was an incredible opportunity to bring back one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema on the big screen. His films have a contemporary appeal even after so many years. He truly is the ‘Hero of Heroes’, as even today the biggest stars look up to him.”

He says that even though some of these films were released nearly seventy years ago, the power of the actor’s performances, his craft as a method actor and his charisma make him ageless.

However, when the foundation decided to screen the actor’s films, the organizers found that many of his iconic films were not in a condition to be shown on the big screen. Dungarpur says, “I was excited about curating several of his films to mark the occasion. How can one choose only a handful of films for an actor with such an illustrious body of work? But I was shocked and heartbroken to discover that many of his great films survived only in low-resolution formats, which could not be projected on the big screen. We have cobbled together these four films with great difficulty.”

Dungarpur adds that he’s sure the actor’s fans will question why some of their favourite Dilip Kumar films are missing from the list. He says, “We have films available on online platforms, but these are not of good quality. Now we are aware how much of his work is available and how crucial it is to save what is remaining. That’s the reason we are also launching a campaign to save Dilip sahab’s films. This is also a tribute to the work of the actors, crew members and filmmakers of that time. Filmmakers and producers need to realise that time is running out and that they should look into preserving these films before it is too late.”

Dungarpur shares that when he decided to organize a retrospective of Amitabh Bachchan’s films to celebrate his 80th birth anniversary, it was difficult to convince everyone – from the stakeholders to producers – that people would come out to watch old films. He says, “People didn’t have confidence, but I knew theatres were going to be jam-packed.”

At a film restoration session recently, Dungarpur had shared how he failed to get Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer for a film screening once because Mehra’s family assumed that if the hall runs empty, then the aura surrounding the movie would fade. He adds, “However (at the Amitabh Bachchan retrospective), the film’s screening was fully booked everywhere and even Amitabh Bachchan called for two tickets of the film.”

So, what changed between these two screenings? He says, “Now everyone knows that people will come to watch old films and there is always going to be an audience for classics. Cities like London have theatres dedicated to screen old films, but in India we don’t have any such theatres. That’s why I have decided to curate these festivals for stars like Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor too next year.”

Talking about the film fest, Saira Banu shared, “I am so happy that the FHF is celebrating Dilip sahab’s 100th birthday on December 11 by screening some of his most popular films on the big screen across India. They could not have chosen a more apt title to commemorate India’s greatest actor – Dilip Kumar – Hero Of Heroes. He was my favourite hero from the time I was 12, when I first saw him in Aan in technicolor. It will be a joy to watch him on the big screen again, larger than life, like he has been in my life.”

Amitabh Bachchan says, “I am glad that we are celebrating Dilip Kumar’s legacy with this festival of films. I would urge every film lover and contemporary actor, who has not watched Dilip Kumar larger than life, to not miss the incredible opportunity of watching this stalwart back on the big screen. Even today, I learn something every time I watch his films. Dilip Kumar was and is my idol.”

Bachchan says that he was deeply disturbed to hear that many of Dilip Kumar’s films are not in a condition to be screened in cinemas. Calling it a tragedy, he adds, “Film Heritage Foundation is working to ensure that the work of legends like Dilip Kumar survives and is preserved and restored to be shown to today’s young audiences.”

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur with late Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu