Rajkumar Hirani's 'Pk', one of the last films shot on celluloid, enters NFAI collection

Rajkumar Hirani Picture Courtesy: Mid-day Archives

National award winning filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's blockbuster 'PK' (2014) -- one of the last few films to be shot on celluloid in Indian cinema -- has entered the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) collection, top officials said here on Tuesday.

Hirani called on NFAI Director Prakash Magdum and handed over the original camera negative of 'PK', a socio-political satire centred around an alien who's stranded on Earth played by Aamir Khan.

Directed, edited and written by Hirani and co-produced with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 'PK' is also one of the last few films shot on celluloid in the country as film production transited to the digital format from 2013-2014 onwards.

Besides the original camera negative, Hirani also handed over around 300 cans consisting of rushes of the film. The out-takes of his earlier blockbuster, '3 Idiots', were also handed over to the NFAI for preservation.

A lot of paper material comprising posters, lobby cards and photographs of the films directed by Hirani will also be handed over to the NFAI.

Prior to this, the original negatives of Hirani's earlier mega-films like 'Munnabhai MBBS' (2003), 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' (2006) and '3 Idiots' (2009) are also preserved at the NFAI, Magdum revealed.

"We are happy to continue our association with Hirani. His earlier acclaimed films are also being preserved at the NFAI. It is wonderful to add 'PK' to our collection, especially because it was one of the last few films to be shot on celluloid," said Magdum.

Expressing his pleasure at the NFAI plans to preserve 'PK' for posterity, Hirani said it is the duty of a filmmaker to ensure that the films are kept for future generations, as he appealed to all filmmakers to support the NFAI in this important cause.

An alumnus of FTII, Pune, Nagpur-born Hirani, 58, is among the major contemporary Indian filmmakers who has carved a niche for himself with his distinct filmography, tackling ticklish social subjects in a light-hearted manner and providing a new perspective to the extant issues.

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