While taking a stroll around Bandra, you must have noticed larger than life Bollywood kitsch that adorns the area. These murals are a part of the Bollywood Art Project.
The Bollywood Art Project (BAP) is a quirky idea - that is making larger-than-life canvases out of Mumbai’s walls, celebrating the city’s love and obsession with Bollywood. Artist and graphic designer Ranjit Dahiya started India’s first urban street art project BAP in 2012. He wanted to commemorate a century of Hindi cinema by giving the city’s landscape a splash of Bollywood.
With Snapchat's lens, when pointed at the mural, one can see it move and hear songs play. Sridevi's mural comes to life with 'Hawa Hawaai' playing in the background while Madhubala's mural dances to the tunes of 'Aaiye Meherbaan'.
Dahiya’s first BAP mural was a gorgeous wall poster of Anarkali (1953) on Chapel Road in Bandra. Anarkali was followed by Deewar (1975). This mural at Bandstand needed a horizontal landscape to fit Amitabh Bachchan’s long legs and his attitude.
A resident of Chapel Road himself, Dahiya believes that his art must appeal to its neighbours more than anyone else. And so far, Mumbaikars have loved the idea of turning their gallis and streets into Bollywood posters.
BAP takes us back in time to the charming hand-painted film posters that flourished before digital technology took over.
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