National Museum of Indian Cinema Opens in Mumbai

The National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) has opened in Mumbai, becoming India's first museum dedicated entirely to Indian cinema. Funded by the Indian government with an investment of $19.6 million, the museum is housed in a 19th-century bungalow and a modern five-story glass structure in South Mumbai. It features memorabilia, recordings, film equipment, and interactive touch screens where visitors can view clips from famous Bollywood films, including Raja Harishchandra, India's first feature-length film directed by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913. The museum also displays reproductions of early cinematic devices such as the Mutoscope (used by the Lumière brothers) and the Praxinoscope (invented in 1877 by Frenchman F.L. Régnaud). Prashant Pathrabe, director general of the film department of the Indian government, described the museum as a journey through Indian cinema from silent films to talkies, from the classical era to the new wave. The article also mentions the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, which opened last summer with 50 immersive exhibits and interactive stories about American comedy, costing $50 million.