The Bollywood Art Project (BAP) is an urban art initiative started in 2012 in Mumbai, India, created in memory of popular Hindi cinema (Bollywood). It is the brainchild of artist Ranjit Dahiya and is aimed at mapping the cinematic history of Bollywood over the last century.
Background and Inspiration
The project was conceived in response to the observation that, despite Mumbai being synonymous with Bollywood, there was little visual presence of the film industry in the city apart from upcoming film banners and hoardings. Corporate advertisements and political content had come to dominate most public display areas, leaving little trace of the city's cinematic heritage. Through this initiative, BAP sought to revisit the rich culture of Bollywood, bring it out onto the streets, and make it publicly accessible. Although the project began with the medium of street art to reach a larger audience, it has expressed intent to expand into various other art forms within public spaces.
Founder: Ranjit Dahiya
Ranjit Dahiya, the founder artist of BAP, is originally from Sonipat, a small town in Haryana, India. He earned a bachelor's degree in fine art from the College of Art, Chandigarh, and completed postgraduate studies in graphic design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He had over eight years of experience in various communication design projects in the industry, as well as through his own startup, Digital Moustache. Dahiya was passionate about street art and hand-painted Bollywood posters, having engaged with this theme of work for 18 years.
In 2009, Dahiya's poster of the film Sarkar Raj represented Bollywood at the Salon du Cinema event in Paris, which was inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan. His work "History of Bollywood," a collection of paintings of Indian film posters, was exhibited at La Rochelle, France, during the 32nd International Festival, where he also painted a community mural (32 ft × 18 ft). "History of Bollywood" was also featured as an exhibition in Durban, South Africa, for the 28th International Film Festival.
Timeline and Murals
The project was initiated by Ranjit Dahiya, with murals painted on the walls of residents' houses in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai. The first mural created was a poster from the 1953 film Anarkali, measuring 20 feet (6.1 m). Bollywood actors and actresses granted permission for their houses, located in the area, to be painted. The project has since expanded, with reports indicating over 70 murals created across four countries.
