On 8 October 2026, the NFDC–National Film Archive of India (NFDC-NFAI), based in Pune, added three 35 mm Tamil films starring Sivaji Ganesan to its national collection. Aparna Subramanian, a Film Research Officer at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), acquired and donated the prints. All three films were directed by A.P. Nagarajan.
The Three Tamil Films
The acquired films are Thiruvarutchelvar (1967), Thillana Mohanambal (1968) and Thiruvilayadal (1965). Sivaji Ganesan starred in each film. The prints were collected in Chennai on 13 September 2026 and later handed over to NFDC-NFAI.
Film Preservation and Archival Prints
A film print is a physical copy of a motion picture recorded on film stock. The 35 mm measurement refers to the width of the film strip. NFDC-NFAI did not previously hold Thiruvarutchelvar in any format. The prints of Thillana Mohanambal and Thiruvilayadal provide a second print of each film in the archive’s collection.
Multiple archival elements can be used for reference, technical assessment, digitisation and comparison while another element remains protected. The newly acquired prints show age-related magenta colour fading and vertical scratches caused by projection. The National Film Archive of India was established in Pune in 1964 to preserve the heritage of Indian cinema.
Tamil Cinema and Film Archives
Tamil is one of India’s major film-producing languages, and Tamil cinema has a long history of feature-film production. Film archives collect and preserve motion-picture materials, including film prints. Digitisation converts images and sound recorded on film into digital form; the physical film element can also be retained as an archival copy.
Important Facts for Exams
- The National Film Archive of India is based in Pune and was established in 1964.
- The three acquired films were directed by A.P. Nagarajan and star Sivaji Ganesan.
- Thiruvilayadal was released in 1965, Thiruvarutchelvar in 1967 and Thillana Mohanambal in 1968.
- The acquired prints are 35 mm Tamil-language film prints.
