Bollywood memorabilia go under hammer in UK

Vintage Bollywood memorabilia, including posters for classic movies like Sholay and Mughal-e-Azam, are set to go under the hammer as part of a British auction house's celebration of the centenary of Indian cinema.
Conferro Auctions, which specialises in Indian art and collectibles, held a special preview of its upcoming inaugural auction at a hotel here last night.
Besides the film posters, the auction on November 29 will feature collectables such as LPs, lobby cards,film banners and memorabilia 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," said Sharan Seth, the founder of Conferro Auctions.
"It is immensely inspiring to have had so many collectors and non-collectors alike, taking such an interest in Bollywood cinematic heritage," he said.
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.
Indian cinema has become one of the world's largest film industries since the debut of its first official film Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

Producing some 1,000 films a year (twice the annual output of Hollywood), Bollywood stars are internationally renowned. The UK is home to the largest audience for Bollywood films outside of India, contributing 15-20 per cent of the industry's profits.