Art moves from one medium to another and so often – seamlessly. That is what we felt at the recent art exhibition Sitaare Zameen Par at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art or KNMA at their Noida gallery. If you are familiar with Tagore’s works you would know he started as a poet and then became a lyricist, novelist, philosopher, playwright, and in the fullness of time, a painter. Imtiaz Ali is concurrently a filmmaker, a designer, and an artist.

Sitaare Zameen Par

KNMA celebrates this fluidity among various mediums of art forms in their new space in Noida. The title Sitaare Zameen Par reminded us of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, USA, with star-shaped plaques embedded on the sidewalks.

The exhibition Sitaare Zameen Par displays portrait photographs of fairy tales like the Bombay film industry by the eminent J H Thakker. It offers a snippet of a particular chapter from the long history of celluloid in the subcontinent.

The era in focus is the 1950s and 60s. None other than the thespian and leading lady of the film industry in the 60s, Ms. Sharmila Tagore rightfully inaugurated the exhibition. We attended the launch party and a media preview ‘first-day-first -show’ on 6th Feb at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Noida and revisited the ‘golden era’ of the Bombay film industry and the faces behind them. It was a sense of awe as well as fascination. The world that they evoked was both timeless and transient.

For many of us, it was time-travel through the Hindi film industry. The Golden Age of Hindi cinema is considered to have started in 1947, post-Independence India. The exhibition covered the era between 1947 and 1968 through the lens of J H Thakker. Post 1968, Thakker moved away from film photography. But his works, capturing the musical melodies with evergreen lyrics that lingered, melodrama peppered with unforgettable dialogues, and the grandeur of a royal past or modern city serving to be the background of a romance, was like a story on its own.

The intelligent design of the exhibition furthered the narrative. The paper cutout stars on the wall on which a visitor could write, or the illuminated stars were a nod to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. These little bits of drama made the exhibition interactive, contemporary, and appealing to the millennial.

Date and time of Sitaare Zameen Par

The exhibition is on from 6th Feb till 30th April at KMNA, Noida, 10:30 A.M to 6:30 P.M. The museum is closed on Mondays and all public holidays. Entry is free for all.

How to reach KNMA, Noida

You can drive or take the metro to Botanical Garden metro station, Noida on Main Blue Line. You can take an auto-rickshaw from here to reach KNMA, Noida.

Other ongoing Art Exhibition at KNMA

Pop South Asia: Artistic Explorations in the Popular

This is another art exhibition running parallel to Sitaare Zameen Par, highlighting pieces reflective of modern and contemporary art from South Asia. As part of this seminal exhibition, works of about 100 artists date from the mid-twentieth century till the present are on display. Do look out for the fun works of Bhupen Khakhar, one of the earliest pop artists from India.

Unleash your funky, feisty, and fabulous side! “Pop South Asia” at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art is anything but boring and basic. This exhibition showcases the sizzling world of popular art, and we were lucky enough to experience the launch and media preview on the 6th. The vibrant and unique art pieces totally blew us away. We even got a stylish cape and locket at the entrance, and felt like we were part of the exhibit ourselves! The colorful explosion of art wasn’t limited to just paintings; there were installations, photographs, videos, and all sorts of multimedia works of art. It’s a treat for all the art lovers and connoisseurs in Delhi and the best part? Entry is free!

The exhibition is on at the two branches of KNMA at Saket and Noida from 9th February to 30th April 2023.

How to reach KNMA, Saket

You can drive or take the metro to Malviya Nagar, on the yellow line. You can take an auto-rickshaw from here to reach KNMA, Saket.

Sitaare Zameen Par is a call for all Bollywood and film photography fans. It is something that you have not seen. And yet, you would love the nostalgia trip of Indian celluloid.