Auction to celebrate 100 years of Bollywood in London

Celebrating 100 years of Bollywood, Conferro Auctions, recently held a special preview of its upcoming inaugural auction of Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia in London.

The auction features original collectables such as LPs, film banners and Bollywood posters from some of the milestones of Indian film history, including Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which were recently voted the top two greatest Bollywood films of all time.

���We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received,�۝ comments Conferro�۪s Founder, Sharan Seth, ���It is immensely inspiring to have had so many collectors and non-collectors alike, taking such an interest in Bollywood cinematic heritage. With Bollywood such an ingrained part of our cultural identity and the timely centenary of Bollywood film, our first auction reflects India�۪s rich and vibrant history and artistic practices�۝.

Indian cinema has become one of the world�۪s largest film industries since the debut of its first official film on 3 May 1913, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. Producing some 1,000 films a year (twice the annual output of Hollywood), the stars of its silver screen are internationally renowned. As reported by The Telegraph, the UK is home to the largest audience for Bollywood films outside of India, contributing 15-20 per cent of the industry�۪s profits.

On Friday 29th November, will mark an important milestone for the Indian art and collectables market in the UK, as Conferro�۪s original Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia goes under the hammer at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair. The 150 lots include original vintage LPs, banners, synopses, posters, lobby cards and gramophones from the last 100 years of Bollywood history.

Two lots and a percentage of all sales achieved at the auction will be donated to the charity, Pratham UK, as part of Conferro�۪s commitment to helping provide basic literacy to India�۪s 100 million illiterate children.

Conferro Auctions is a new London-based auction house specialising exclusively in Indian art and collectables. Conferro brings rare and unique items of Indian cultural heritage to the international art market.