Documentarian Shivendra on challenges and joy of reclaiming the reel

From Sahir Ludhianvi's letters to personal archives of film personalities, how documentarian Shivendra Dungarpur is helping preserve cine heritage

Lost things have a way of finding their way to Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Earlier this year the only 35mm print of Celluloid Man, his documentary about the life and times of film archivist P K Nair, was reportedly misplaced by FedEx while being ferried back from a screening in Vienna. Within days of his making heartfelt appeals on social media, which were picked up by newspapers, the delivery company located and returned the shipment. It is such sincere requests and a vast network of friends online and offline that have allowed Dungarpur to build Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), a Mumbai-based