Amitabh Bachchan-starrer cult classic 'Sholay' kicked off the year-long festival yesterday which will run through April 2013.
Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam titles, offbeat, independent and other Bollywood productions have been selected on the basis of their historical and cultural significance, critical reception and artistic excellence.
Panel discussions with scholars, filmmakers, faculty and students will highlight the different classes and cultures of Indian society as depicted in the movies.
"Indian film is a highly influential cultural phenomenon, meaningful not only to Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, but also to Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, African, and Eastern European audiences," Satadru Sen, who teaches a course on South Asian film at the college, said in a statement.
"It is a primary medium for connecting people in the large South Asian diaspora in the United States and Canada to their worlds of origin."
Amy Winter, member of the 'Year of India' Film Committee, hopes the festival would attract new fans to works that deserve attention.
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"Despite the popular appeal of Bollywood, the virtuosity and sophistication of Indian filmmaking as a whole are less known or appreciated, except by cinephiles and specialists in South Asian culture. We hope that the depth and breadth of this programming will serve to correct that gap," Winter said.
The college said lineup of the movies highlights themes like gender, political rights, urbanization and cosmopolitanism in rapidly changing societies, that have concerned South Asian directors and audiences over the years.
The movies also aim to draw attention of students here to distinctive aspects of work of specific directors and actors such as Satyajit Ray, Mani Ratnam, Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.
The film festival is funded by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Friends of the Godwin-Ternbach Museum.