Lens and Legacy: Adv. Ashish Shelar Inaugurates Bollywood Photo Exhibition at Film City Mumbai
Lens and Legacy – Bollywood in Focus, a black-and-white photography exhibition on Hindi cinema, was inaugurated on Thursday, 17 September 2026 at Studio No. 14, Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) in Goregaon (East), Mumbai. The Hon'ble Minister of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, Adv. Ashish Shelar, graced the 4 pm ceremony as chief guest.
Who Inaugurated Lens and Legacy at Film City?
The exhibition is presented by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and the Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corporation (MFSCDC). The chief guest, Adv. Ashish Shelar, is the Hon'ble Minister of Cultural Affairs and also chairs the corporation that manages Film City.
The Hon'ble Minister was welcomed on stage with a bouquet, lit the ceremonial brass lamp alongside the organisers, and addressed the gathering from the podium. The stage was styled like a film set, with a film-strip backdrop framed by a giant heart-shaped arch and "The Bollywood Park Show" signage overhead.
The Dignitaries Honoured at the Ceremony
The event invitation and the organisers' official pages name the following dignitaries associated with the programme. AltBollywood extends its respect to each of them, and to every guest and well-wisher who joined the ceremony.
Adv. Ashish Shelar – Hon'ble Minister of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, and Chairman, MFSCDC (Chief Guest)
Smt. Nidhi Choudhari, I.A.S. – Director, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Ministry of Culture
Smt. Swati Mhase Patil, I.A.S. – Managing Director, Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation, which stewards Film City
Smt. Nidhi Choudhari, I.A.S.: The Director Behind NGMA Mumbai
Smt. Nidhi Choudhari, I.A.S., leads the National Gallery of Modern Art as its Director. A Maharashtra-cadre officer of the 2012 batch, she brings a distinguished administrative record to the world of art: Assistant Collector in Raigad, Chief Executive Officer of a Zilla Parishad, Joint Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and District Collector of Mumbai Suburban, along with assignments in the state's Finance Department and Sales Tax Commissionerate. She joined the Ministry of Culture on central deputation in August 2024 and was re-designated Director of NGMA for a term running up to August 2029.
Her work at NGMA Mumbai has centred on opening the gallery to everyone. She has spoken of inviting more than 3,000 students from tribal ashramshalas, municipal schools, government colleges, orphanages and children with special abilities, and of expanding youth workshops, interactive exhibitions and vernacular-language programming. Exhibitions from the gallery have included Nabhsparsh, a showcase of 150 women printmakers from across the country, alongside Chitrakavyam Ramayanam and Shakti.
She is equally forward-looking on technology. Digitised collections, 360-degree virtual exhibition records, an immersive dome show of the NGMA collection and explorations of AI and augmented reality all aim to carry the national collection well beyond the gallery walls.
Speaking about Lens and Legacy, she has said that NGMA brought together practitioners who have not only captured cinema but shaped its visual language. It is a fitting description of an exhibition that treats Bollywood's photographers as artists in their own right.
Inside the Exhibition: Bollywood in Black and White
The gallery walls carry framed monochrome prints hung in tight grids against textured backdrops, with oversized clapperboards and gold-framed mirrors adding a studio feel. The photographs lean candid: quiet portraits, on-set moments and outdoor stills with the grain and contrast of film-era printing.
One section is credited to photographer Pradeep Chandra, whose large signed prints of expressive faces anchor that wall. After the ceremony, the Hon'ble Minister walked the gallery slowly, stopping to study the prints.
Why the Lens and Legacy Exhibition Matters
Film stills and set photography have long been treated as by-products of cinema. Exhibitions like this present them as an archive in their own right. The show first opened at NGMA Mumbai earlier this year, where photographers credited included Pradeep Chandra, Shantanu Das and Sudharak Olwe. Bringing it to Film City places those images beside the working studios that produced many of the moments they record.
For younger fans, including diaspora audiences in the US, UK, Canada and Australia who know Bollywood mostly through screens and streaming, it is a chance to see Hindi cinema through the eyes of the people who photographed it.
Quick Facts
Event: Inauguration of Lens and Legacy – Bollywood in Focus
Date and time: Thursday, 17 September 2026, 4 pm
Venue: Studio No. 14, Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City), Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400065
Chief guest: Adv. Ashish Shelar, Hon'ble Minister of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra
Dignitaries: Smt. Nidhi Choudhari, I.A.S. (Director, NGMA) and Smt. Swati Mhase Patil, I.A.S. (Managing Director, MFSCDC)
Presented by: National Gallery of Modern Art and Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corporation
Format: Black-and-white photography exhibition on Hindi cinema
Photographer credit on display: Pradeep Chandra
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Lens and Legacy – Bollywood in Focus?
It is a photography exhibition that celebrates Hindi cinema through archival black-and-white images.
Where is the exhibition being held?
It is at Studio No. 14, Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City), Goregaon (East), Mumbai.
Who inaugurated the exhibition?
Hon'ble Minister of Cultural Affairs Adv. Ashish Shelar, the chief guest named on the event invitation, inaugurated it on 17 September 2026.
Who is Nidhi Choudhari, the Director of NGMA?
Smt. Nidhi Choudhari, I.A.S., is a Maharashtra-cadre officer of the 2012 batch who serves as Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art under the Ministry of Culture. She is known for opening NGMA Mumbai to students and young audiences and for digitising its collection.
Which organisations are behind it?
The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and the Maharashtra Film Stage and Cultural Development Corporation.
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