With over 4,500 vintage magazines in his collection, this Mumbaikar is a certified Bollywood fanatic

Ranjeet Kumar Gupta claims to have seen almost every Hindi film. A little over 10 years ago, the former export executive took a leap of faith to begin collecting and selling Bollywood magazines full-time

For Malad-based Ranjeet Kumar Gupta, Bollywood has always been his first love. The former export executive — and self-proclaimed filmy ‘keeda’ or die-hard enthusiast — used to save up to visit Samrat, a single-screen theatre in Goregaon, to watch the latest release as a child. Tickets were priced between Rs 2.25 and Rs 4.25 then and even though it would burn a hole in his pocket, he claims to have watched almost every Hindi film. 

He never seriously thought about converting that long-time passion into a full-time business until 10 years ago. During one of the many visits to Chor Bazaar with his export clients, he noticed the potential in antiques and wondered if he could try the concept with Bollywood magazines and posters. At a time when he wasn’t earning enough, this became a catalyst for him to switch gears in life, after having worked for 15 years in various jobs.


In his collection, Ranjeet Gupta has old issues of Bollywood magazines such as Madhuri, Filmfare, Cineblitz and Stardust among others. Photo Courtesy: Ranjeet Gupta 
 
The numbers game
Today, with some 4,500-5,000 film magazines already in his collection, there is no stopping him from continuing what he does for the rest of his life. “My collection has vintage magazines from the 1930s onwards. It includes Sound, Talkie Herald, Film India, Filmfare, Screen, Madhuri, Sushma, Picturepost, Stardust, Cineblitz, Star & Style, Mayapuri and more,” Gupta explains proudly.

The Bollywood fan informs that even the silent era, starting from ‘Raja Harischandra’ which is considered the first full-length feature film, had magazines. “Since 1935, we have had regular magazines such as Talkie Herald, Sound, Film Land and Film India which used to be published for public entertainment.” The Mumbaikar doesn’t only collect rare vintage magazines but posters and movie tickets too.

Taking Bollywood worldwide
Ask the 45-year-old who his favourite Bollywood actor is and he immediately responds, “Of course, it is the one and only Big B.” Being a lifelong Amitabh Bachchan fan, Gupta says he can watch ‘Shakti’, ‘Agneepath’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Meri Jung’ several times even today without getting bored.

Gupta also rides on the global fandom that the Khans and Bachchan enjoy. The demand for these vintage magazines helps him have a steady clientele of about 15 people every month. “Bollywood has a fan following worldwide - in France, Germany, UK, US and Russia. Even if you go to Italy, they may not remember Michael Douglas, Richard Burton or Marlon Brando but they remember Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Due to that, I get a good response from around the world.”  

However, his clients are not limited to Bollywood lovers. Some ask him to source general and political magazines including Dharamyug and Illustrated Weekly too. 

Ranjeet not only collects magazines but also film posters, both of which he has been selling for the last 10 years. Photo Courtesy: Ranjeet Gupta

Sell some, keep some 
Gupta sources his magazines from various parts of India and the search for it is never-ending. “I keep searching and hunting for these vintage magazines and posters by travelling from one city to another. I think about how I could search the actual source of the posters and try to get it from those parts of India,” Gupta says. While the posters cost anywhere between Rs 500 – Rs 4 lakh, the magazines start at Rs 3,000 and go higher depending on their rarity. 

Sourcing the original magazines and posters takes a while and it does not just end there. Being in a very delicate condition, they need a lot of care and he has mastered the art of maintenance after all these years. “I keep them all in polythene bags and open them in sunlight from time to time. They are then kept in slotted angle racks and corrugated cartons,” he explains. Buyers connect with the Malad resident through his social media pages 'Bollywood Collections’. 

Gupta may be selling these vintage magazines but that doesn’t mean he will part with all of his prized possessions. Being a collector himself, he has quite a few favourites. “The first issue of Filmfare and early issues of Film India. Some non-Bollywood magazines include early issues of Dharamyug and Illustrated Weekly. These are some of my most prized possessions.”

Beating Covid-19 with the Bollywood bug 
Like many other businesses in the city, the Covid-19 pandemic did make life tough for Gupta. He used to sit at his shop at the Mith Chowki signal in the Mumbai neighbourhood but had to shut shop and work out of his home. Given his ever-expanding collection, he might need to shift to a bigger house at some point.

However, the pandemic restrictions have played spoilsport for him, especially with couriers.  On some days, Gupta is able to sell 20-30 magazines in one go and absolutely nothing at other times. But owing to the large Bollywood fandom, he always has his hopes up. Even through this, he sees ‘lights camera action’ at the end of the tunnel for himself. 

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