Twenty-two-year-old sociology graduate and theatre artist Darshana Choudhary had grown up listening to old Hindi songs, courtesy of her parents. One of the albums that played the most in her house was ‘Guide’, which had gems such as ‘Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain’ and ‘Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai’. However, despite her fascination with the album, Choudhary had never watched the 1965 film. So, when it was announced that the film would be screened across multiple theatres in India to commemorate Dev Anand’s 100th birth anniversary, along with ‘CID’, ‘Jewel Thief’ and ‘Johnny Mera Naam’, she booked tickets instantly.

“I realised that such movies require the audience to surrender to them. I couldn’t do that on YouTube,” says Choudhary.

Like her, many young and old moviegoers across the country are filling up theatres to catch a rerun of films first released years ago. Like Dev Anand, similar screenings in PVRs and single screens have been held by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) to commemorate iconic films of superstar Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar. To celebrate his 45 years in Bollywood, director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s best films hit the big screen on Friday.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, archivist and founder of FHF, is leading this initiative. “My dream was to make classics accessible to the public, and not just restrict them to film festivals. Most of these films are available on OTT platforms but I always felt that the films made with so much effort are our heritage, and deserve to be screened on the big screen,” says Dungarpur.

Ahead of Big B’s 80th birthday last year, Singh reached out to PVR, producers, and the actor himself, to figure out a way to screen films such as ‘Deewaar’, ‘Don’, and ‘Mili’. Most of the responses were skeptical, he says, including that of Bachchan, who very politely asked why people would pay to see such old films in the theatre again?

However, FHF’s persistence paid off and some exhibitors agreed to screen the films across three days in October. The event was a huge success, with most shows sold out. It was followed by similar screenings to pay tribute to Dilip Kumar in December last year, and then Dev Anand this September. The ticket prices ranged from Rs 100-150, and the posters were redesigned to appeal to the young and old.

The trend began last year, when theatres were struggling to bring back audiences after the pandemic, but has now taken a life of its own. “For Mr Bachchan’s films, we had screenings in 17 cities. For Dilip Kumar, it increased to 27 cities, and for Dev saab, we were able to reach 30 cities and 58 cinemas!” says Singh, with pride.

From big production houses such as Yash Raj Films bringing back their biggest romantic hits for Valentine’s Week this year to small-budget films with a cult following, there’s room for multiple genres and stories today. Among the upcoming releases is Kamal Hassan’s 1987 silent black comedy ‘Pushpak’.

Director and writer Pawan Kumar’s landmark Kannada film ‘Lucia’ was re-released in September, ten years after its initial run at the box office. This small-budget debut venture has been lauded by fans and critics for its alternate style of filmmaking. However, the director never thought that he’d see people buying tickets for it again. “Even at a time when shows of a big film like ‘Jawan’ were running housefull, people agreed to give a few screens to us. I took my daughter to see the film; she was not even born when it was first released,” Kumar says.

It’s the coming together of commerce, nostalgia, and heritage. Above all, it’s an excellent way to reach two generations, says Vebhuti Duggal, film studies professor at Delhi’s Ambedkar University. “For the generation that has seen the films and stars on screen, rewatching them with their family holds value and nostalgia. Then, there’s a generation that has only watched them on television or on YouTube, and has been curious to see them on the big screen,” she says.

Film producers and multiplexes are also waking up to the commercial value of classic films, like music labels did decades ago. “When the trend of remixing old songs or creating new renditions became popular, music labels such as HMV and T-Series remastered old tracks, and re-released them online, via cassettes, and vinyls,” she says.

For PVR Pictures’ chief executive Kamal Gianchandani, the trend is a sign of the value that the moviegoing experience holds even today. “It’s a big validation of theatres because all these films are freely available on so many platforms, and yet people choose to buy tickets. It also makes business sense because on a long-term basis, this is helping us get new customers. And as for those ones who already come to the cinema, this is helping us increase their frequency,” he says.

Beyond the commerce, Durganpur says the films are also helping drive conversations around the importance of preserving film heritage. More and more youngsters are attending workshops to know more about the process, and flocking to see screenings of rare prints of black and white films such as Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal (1949).

Choudhary says that a crucial part of the experience of watching old movies in a theatre is a sense of community. “We are together to celebrate a film that we love.”