Ahmedabad: Few love affairs have proven as enduring as cinema’s romance with the automobile. If the James Bond movie “Goldfinger” made the Aston Martin DB5 one of the most iconic cars on screen, Indian cinema also immortalized several cars — ranging from the Jeep made famous by “Mere Sapnon ki Rani” from “Aradhana” to the Chevrolet Impala convertible in the Rajesh Khanna-starrer “Haathi Mere Saathi” and the Ford Mustang convertible in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Don”.Shammi Kapoor rode a vintage tourer in “Brahmachari” while a Buick Super convertible graced the sun-soaked roads of “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. “What would be a better medium to connect the masses to the world of vintage and classic cars than cinema?” asks Brijesh Chinai, custodian of the Dastan Autoworld – Pranlal Bhogilal Collection, home to over 100 such cars. To commemorate its 25th anniversary, the unique car museum will host the Car and Cinema Festival from Feb 27 to March 1. The festival’s film lineup will include movies on the theme of cars from India and abroad, such as “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” (1958) and “The Italian Job” (1969). Chinai said they will consider making it a recurring event.For Gautam Sen, consultant to the museum, the cars on display carry weight well beyond their horsepower. Several were acquired from former princely states, and each, he says, is a portal into a larger history. “Each car has a history attached to it. Several of those were acquired from the former princely states, and learning about these cars means a deep dive into history,” he said.
