Organised in partnership with Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and France Muséums, the exhibition will run until 4 June 2023

His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi, inaugurated the museum’s first exhibition of the year, Bollywood Superstars: A Short Story of Indian Cinema, opening 24 January and running until 4 June 2023.

Organised in partnership with Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and France Muséums, the exhibition showcases the depth and richness of the Indian sub-continent’s art and civilisation through its long tradition of image-making, and the diversity of the Indian filmmaking industry.

“Bollywood Superstars demonstrates our enduring commitment to showcase the wealth of cultures that define so much of life in the United Arab Emirates,” says Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi.

“Our staff and partners have worked tirelessly to present together the most ambitious collection of artworks with movie projection which are at the heart of Indian society and popular culture. We hope that, by offering a glimpse into the subcontinent’s rich and diverse filmmaking history, visitors can better understand the myriad of our shared roots, common values and cultural connections.”

Today, India makes more than 1,500 films a year in about 20 different languages, which are then exported throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Indian pioneers utilised nascent image technologies such as lithograph and photography, kickstarting the journey from the birth of the first films to grand musical features.

Visitors will gain a deeper understanding of the international success of Bollywood and an appreciation of the diversity of Indian cinematography. The evocative displays span the history of Indian cinema from storytelling, dance, and pre-cinema to the influence of religion and mythology and the rise of Bollywood superstars.

“This exhibition is a tribute to Bollywood and can be enjoyed by both Indian cinema fans and the wider public,” express exhibition curators, Julien Rousseau and Hélène Kessous. “We hope that it portrays the full richness of Asian traditions and tells the stories that led to the birth of this cinema. The exhibition celebrates Bollywood superstars who are adored by their fans in India in a way that is rarely seen elsewhere in the world.” louvreabudhabi.ae

All images © Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Photos: Ismail Noor/Seeing Things