A Cinematic Imagination: Josef Wirsching and the Bombay Talkies in Mumbai!

Presented by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation in collaboration with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, the exhibition displays rare, behind-the-scenes photographs by the German cinematographer Josef Wirsching, a pioneer of Indian Cinema. Shot across film sets and outdoor locations, most of these photographs were taken in the 1930s and ‘40s by Wirsching on his pocket-size Leica camera, when he was employed at the legendary film studio, Bombay Talkies Ltd. (est. 1934).

It includes photographs of cast and crew, production stills, and publicity images that visualize the very making of early films, the star image as well as the on and off-screen lives of major actors/producers such as Devika Rani, Himanshu Rai and Ashok Kumar among others. Earlier showcased at the Serendipity Arts Festival, the exhibition foregrounds the critical role of German technicians and interwar image-making practices in the history of Indian cinema.
 
Inauguration: 29 February 2024 at 5:30 pm
On view: 1 March – 17 April 2024 (10:15 am to 6:00 pm daily)
Venue: Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, 2nd floor, CSMVS, Mumbai
 
Curated by: Debashree Mukherjee and Rahaab Allana
Creative Collaborators: Josef (Jr.) Wirsching and Georg Wirsching
 
Collateral support: Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Mumbai, Australian High Commission India, Film Heritage Foundation
Educational support: Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai
Co-publishers of the book: Mapin Publishing, The Alkazi Collection of Photography
Outreach Partner: Asia Society India Centre
 
Stay tuned for an exciting line-up of events and talks planned during the course of the exhibition!