An Indian-origin film buff who has spent the last four decades queuing up at premieres to get his poster collection autographed by the stars is set to reap benefits from its sale at an online week-long auction in London from Tuesday.
Surgit Sohal, from south-east London, hopes to raise enough to fund his daughter's university education and also help pay for her new home when 150 of his prized posters go under the hammer at Sotheby's "Original Film Posters" auction, with a combined total between 107,000 and 165,000 pounds.
"As much as I love the collection, I've now decided to sell it at auction to put my daughter through university, and hopefully give her the deposit for a house, said the 50-year-old.
"Although I will be extremely sad to see the collection go, I have encountered nearly all my heroes along the way however, it was not always easy. Like us all, film stars are fickle, and getting a signature very much depended on which side of the bed they'd woken up on; and there were a lot of days where it was the wrong side," he said.
The selection of 150 posters is just a part of Sohal's collection of nearly 400 with autographs from filmstars, acquired as a result of years spent determining where actors and directors would be making appearances and bracing himself for the long wait. The day of a premiere would mean securing a position near the red carpet at 6 or 7 am in the morning and standing at the front of the barriers for 10 to 15 hours, come rain or snow.
He recalls: "Of course, standing for hours on end in five layers and coming out with nothing was truly disheartening but nothing could take away from the feeling of when you did get that pen to paper!
"Whilst some days were forgettable, I have many fond memories of meeting the stars and being able to see a more human side off the big screen.
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With estimates ranging from 200 to 6,000 pounds each, Sotheby's believes the sale offers both new and seasoned collectors the opportunity to acquire pieces signed by some of the most important names in film, including the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
"As stars are becoming more reluctant to sign, the collection is a true tribute to a bygone era, and a nostalgic reminder of the spark cinema once had, said Sohal, who caught the collecting bug in the early 1980s after seeing Rambo' as a teenager at his local cinema in Woolwich, south London.
He went out to buy the original poster as a way of owning a piece of the film he had loved so much and bought the British quad poster for 4 pound from a specialist cinema memorabilia shop. Not satisfied with just having the poster, Sohal set out to get one step closer to the film by seeking out all the stars sign his original poster. Eventually what began as a hobby became a passion and took up most of his free time outside of working hours.
Some of the highlight auction lots include a poster of the 1980s film Raging Bull' with autographs of Robert De Niro, boxing legend Jake Lamotta and director Martin Scorsese, priced between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. Another cult classic from Scorsese, Taxi Driver', is also similarly priced along with a poster of Get Carter' signed by British actor Michael Caine.
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