I always forget about this site, but I suppose that doesn’t really matter. I mean, they aren’t looking to get famous or reach people, they just want to archive the best possible digital versions of Indian films in order to preserve them. Anyway, I just put up a very angry and depressed post yesterday (well, angry and depressed for me, which is super cheerful and polite for most people), and then I remembered this site and felt better, so I want to make y’all feel better too!
This group is doing exactly what you would want a group to do, preserve and digitize images of India’s past. Here’s the statement of purpose from the parent group, “Pad.Ma”:
Indiancine.ma has a plain gray interface, no frills and no bells and whistles. But it is searchable by language, director, etc. The video player is a little complex, but for a reason, it is the kind of player a professional editor might use and provides the highest possible grade of image. And of course, they do not have an “app” or access on your smart TV or anything like that. This is for serious film people to use on their computers as they focus and analyze a film, if you want to show it on a bigger screen, use an HDMi1 cord.
They are also strictly legal. You can see listed many films, like Sholay for instance, but when you click on them you get a warning that copyright has not yet expired. The point isn’t for us to be able to watch it now, but to know that there is a full accurate version stored and saved for reference for future scholars.
Good news is, copyrights expire every year and we are into the late 50s now. Do you want to watch a full subtitled version of Kaagaz Ke Phool with high quality images? How about Rajakumari, MGR’s break through first Tamil hit?
Or have you always wanted to watch a Fearless Nadia Wadia movie? All there, Hunterwali through Baghdad Ka Jadu.
I’m not going to recommend this site if you are just getting into Indian films, but if you are looking for an obscure classic, or care enough to want to track down the full real version of something, this is the site.
Or if, like me, you lay awake nights worrying that Indian film history is disappearing into nothing and no one is trying to stop it, you can stop doing that! This lovely group IS trying to stop it, and has lots of funding and has been around for a while and looks to be staying for a longer while.
dontcallitbollywood 
Reving up my HDMI cable. What’s the subtitle situation on this site?
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The subtitles are embedded within the films in most cases. Which is the best possible subtitle situation, but also means you need to start the film in order to find out, there’s no handy button or anything. They seem to have prioritized the most important films as well, but I am fine with that. If I can get subtitles on Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, that’s what I really need.
On Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 10:02 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Does it have subtitles for anything? Because I’ve known about this site for a while and they have a bunch of great stuff, but I can never find subs.
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I think the only thing I watched on there was The Court Dancer because it was in English lol.
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Yes, definitely. I just checked Boot Polish, Kaagaz Ke Phool, and Miss Frontier Mail, all with subs. Again, I make no promises about the more obscure stuff, but the classics seem to have subs. Only way to find out is to actually click into the film and start playing, so far as I can tell. So be ready for some clicking and checking. Non-Hindi seems less likely to have subtitles then Hindi.
On Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 10:05 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yeah, that’s a problem in general though. Old Tamil movies with subs are RARE.
Okay, I will just have to try some things then. Thanks!
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I’m in the 3rd camp, so i find it heartwarming to find a group that is dedicated to Indian film preservation, ala Pacific Film Archives in Berkeley or British Film Institute in London(?), plus that they have put access online is priceless. I poked around and saw that as soon as you click on a movie, list, or collection, it gives you a cross reference to all the directors, actors, studios, years, and languages represented therein, thus allowing you to segue into other movies by the same director, etc.
P.S. it’s thre same way one feels about one’s parents, especially if they are immigrant parents or if they lived through a poignant period in history. They are a treasure trove of memories, information, stories, history, knowledge, plus all the oral history, mythology, religion, spirituality e.t.c that they passed on from their parents and ancestors. When they go, (or when their minds go or their comm skills go) all of that goes with them. One of my projects for this year & decade is to embark upon that preservation effort.
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Exactly! The resources are disappearing, and this group is focused on preserving them. Nice to know that work is being done.
On Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 10:39 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’ve never heard of this site before but it looks so cool! Even if I don’t watch anything right away, it’s nice to know that there’s a place to look if I wanna find old movies.
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Yep! I don’t think I’ve watched a movie straight through on the site, ever. But that’s just because the really old stuff I want to watch, I have on DVD. It’s nice to know that when my DVDs rot, or if I need to recommend the films to someone else, there is a resource.
On Sun, Feb 16, 2020 at 10:48 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The following sites have good parallel cinema , most of them free to watch
https://www.nfdcindia.com
https://www.cinemasofindia.com
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