Mumbai is Bollywood and Bollywood is Mumbai… you can't separate the two. Being a home for Bollywood, the city has finally started getting its filmy identity back again with the colorful wall art paintings by Bollywood Art Project ( BAP ). BAP works on a peculiar idea of being larger than life just like the way Bollywood is. Artist and graphic designer, the ‘BAP’ mastermind Ranjit Dahiya started India’s first urban street art project in 2012.
BAP takes us back in the time to the lavish hand painted film posters that flourished before digital technology took over. And while in recent years, this practice has almost vanished, as film producers have turned to technology to mass produce posters, Dahiya uses this idea to create his work. If you start walking in lanes of Chapel Street, Bandra you will find a different atmosphere. It seems like a colorful small village with cute little houses just like the way we see in Goa. While the walls are already painted with paintings and graffiti, you will find this amazing combination of Bollywood and paintings in one place.
The Chapel Street takes you to an era of the movie Anarkali, 1953 starring Bina Roy and Pradeep Kumar and there lies a huge painting of the ‘Venus’ of Bollywood, Madhubala beside that.
From 1953, you again come back to 2015 when you see Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s painting from Maanjhi- The mountain man.
If you start walking towards Bandstand from there, you will find ‘Vijay’ from Deewar on a ‘Deewar’ and it will take you down to the memory lane of Amitabh’s dialogue, “Mein aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahi uthata.”
Just change the angle and there is the superstar Rajesh Khanna. This is where two superstars of that era live together!
The major of BAP is Dadasaheb Falke’s painting on MTNL’s tower in Bandra itself. It’s a fantastic way to pay tribute to the pioneer of Indian film industry. Well, and all these paintings are not funded. They are an outcome of his dedication and deep affection towards Bollywood. People around the area are pleased by his work. “He is a brilliant artist who works selflessly to preserve the golden era of our country. He is BAP of all!” comments a resident.
Completion of paintings of Big B from Amar Akbar Anthony and Dev Anand from Taxi Driver is done very recently. We are waiting to see Mumbai getting painted in the colors of legendary artists who are actually a part of Mumbai’s identity. BAP is a brilliant example of unique creativity which has given a filmy touch to Mumbai Darshan!
Written by Medini Kajarekar
Walking through the pages to find home in words.
The Chapel Street takes you to an era of the movie Anarkali, 1953 starring Bina Roy and Pradeep Kumar and there lies a huge painting of the ‘Venus’ of Bollywood, Madhubala beside that.
From 1953, you again come back to 2015 when you see Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s painting from Maanjhi- The mountain man.
If you start walking towards Bandstand from there, you will find ‘Vijay’ from Deewar on a ‘Deewar’ and it will take you down to the memory lane of Amitabh’s dialogue, “Mein aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahi uthata.”
Just change the angle and there is the superstar Rajesh Khanna. This is where two superstars of that era live together!
The major of BAP is Dadasaheb Falke’s painting on MTNL’s tower in Bandra itself. It’s a fantastic way to pay tribute to the pioneer of Indian film industry. Well, and all these paintings are not funded. They are an outcome of his dedication and deep affection towards Bollywood. People around the area are pleased by his work. “He is a brilliant artist who works selflessly to preserve the golden era of our country. He is BAP of all!” comments a resident.
Completion of paintings of Big B from Amar Akbar Anthony and Dev Anand from Taxi Driver is done very recently. We are waiting to see Mumbai getting painted in the colors of legendary artists who are actually a part of Mumbai’s identity. BAP is a brilliant example of unique creativity which has given a filmy touch to Mumbai Darshan!
Written by Medini Kajarekar
Walking through the pages to find home in words.