Cinema Across a Century: From Dev-Raj-Dilip to Salman-Aamir-SRK, T.R.I.S. Brings Legends Together at IFFD

Ray, Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, SRK jostle with Hollywood, Mughal-E-Azam, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan as cinema’s greatest legends and icons come together in a rare visual celebration at the International Film Festival of Delhi (IFFD). Curated by pioneering arts archivist, author and institution-builder Neville Tuli, the exhibition by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents an extraordinary series of visuals where towering figures of world and Indian cinema are seen alongside rare and vintage film art, memorabilia, posters and archives that trace the visual history of the medium.

Legends, Eras and Enduring Stardom

From the quiet genius of Satyajit Ray to the mass appeal and love for the cinema of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Shakti Samanta, to the enduring charm and stardom of Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore, to the epic grandeur of Mughal-E-Azam, and the contemporary superstardom of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, the exhibition captures multiple eras of cinematic imagination under one roof.

A Global Dialogue: Hollywood Meets India

One of the highlight exhibitions is “The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1910–1960s,” which explores the evolution of cinema from the silent era to the rise of global stardom. The exhibition is positioned as part of a larger Indo-American cinematic dialogue and as a learning module within India Studies.

The Visual Architects of Indian Cinema

Another major showcase, “Highlights of Indian Cinematography, 1913–1973,” celebrates the pioneers behind the camera, featuring the work of legendary cinematographers including Faredoon A. Irani, Josef Wirsching, the Mistry Brothers, Radhu Karmakar, R.D. Mathur, V.K. Murthy, Dilip Basu and Subrata Mitra, whose visual craft shaped the aesthetics of Indian cinema.

When Songs Became Storytelling

The exhibition “The Heart of Cinema as a Critical Educational Resource – The Song-Synopsis Booklet” revisits a fascinating film artefact that once served as both publicity material and audience guide. Today, these booklets stand as important educational resources that reflect how music and storytelling became inseparable from Indian cinema.

The Art of Cinema in Public Memory

A spectacular display titled “Significant Artworks of Landmark Films of Bombay Cinema, 1940–80s” presents original artworks, hoardings and rare multi-sheet posters that once dominated the visual culture of Indian cities, from classics such as Sholay, Guide, Azaad, Pakeezah, Deewaar and many others.

Ray Beyond the Screen

Another rare showcase, “The World of Satyajit Ray through the Lens of Nemai Ghosh, 1969–1990,” offers an intimate glimpse into the legendary filmmaker’s working life through rare still photographs captured across decades.

Designing Cinema: A Global Lens

The global influence of film poster design is reflected in “Vintage Polish & Japanese Designed Posters, 1950–70s,” which highlights powerful graphic traditions that shaped international cinema publicity.

The Epic That Defined Grandeur

Among the most evocative presentations is “A Tribute to the Greatest Epic Indian Film – Mughal-E-Azam,” featuring memorabilia and visual material connected with the iconic film and its legendary cinematography.

Three Generations, Three Trinities

The exhibition “From Trinity to Trinity to Trinity | Dev-Raj-Dilip to Ray-Ghatak-Sen to Salman-Aamir-SRK” traces how different cinematic trios have defined successive eras of Indian cinema, reflecting the changing idea of heroism and storytelling.

Icons Who Shaped the Screen

Additional exhibitions pay homage to major cinematic personalities including Dharmendra, filmmaker Shakti Samanta (1926–2026) and Sharmila Tagore, offering deeper insights into their artistic journeys and influence, along with the first magnificent exhibition ever held in India on a vast range of the uniquely Indian Film Jubilee Trophy from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Beyond Films: A Living Archive

Together, these twelve exhibitions bring together a vast constellation of film objects — posters, lobby cards, still photographs, booklets, pamphlets, memorabilia and Jubilee trophies — demonstrating how cinema’s life extends far beyond the screen and into the cultural imagination of audiences.

Building Knowledge Through Cinema

The initiative is anchored by the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.), an independent charitable society and trust dedicated to advancing Contemporary India Studies. Through its pioneering digital platform tuliresearchcentre.org, the centre offers an open-access knowledge base structured across sixteen research categories spanning the arts, humanities, social and ecological sciences.

Archives, Access and Engagement

T.R.I.S. combines digital scholarship with physical archives, extensive library collections, exhibitions and live interactions with leading creative minds. The initiative also connects with the Vanraja Sanctuary and Hospice, a path-breaking initiative dedicated to the welfare of canine and feline children.

Cinema as Curriculum

Through institutional collaborations and interdisciplinary engagement, the centre seeks to build the first structured Contemporary India Studies curriculum where visual, textual and audio materials are treated as equal sources of knowledge.

Neville Tuli says, “Cinema has always been far more than the films we watch. It is a vast universe of visual memory — posters, publicity art, photographs, booklets and objects that carry the spirit of their time. Through these exhibitions we hope to re-introduce cinema as a powerful educational resource, where the visual becomes a serious source of knowledge and dialogue across disciplines. Our endeavour through T.R.I.S. is to help audiences, scholars and students rediscover the deeper intellectual and aesthetic worlds that cinema has created across generations, and relate such to all the arts, humanities and social sciences in a systematic manner.”