IGNCA sheds light on India’s forgotten silent film making

At a time when Indian cinema is defined by scale, sound and spectacle, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is set to turn the spotlight back to its origins with a discussion on the book Hindustani Silent Cinema on Monday.

The event, to be held at IGNCA’s Umang Conference Hall, will explore the evolution and significance of silent cinema, a foundational phase of Indian filmmaking that predates sound and dialogue but continues to shape cinematic language even today.

Silent cinema refers to films made without synchronized recorded sound or spoken dialogue. Instead, storytelling relied heavily on visual elements such as expressive acting, gestures, body language, inter-titles (text cards) and music played live during screenings. In India, this era was marked by experimentation and innovation, as filmmakers developed a uniquely visual grammar to convey emotions, narratives, and social themes without spoken words.

The discussion will centre around the book by Dharmendra Nath Ojha, which documents this lesser-explored chapter of Indian cinema, tracing how early filmmakers captured social realities, mythology, and popular imagination through purely visual storytelling. The roots of Indian silent cinema can be traced back to pioneers like Dadasaheb Phalke, whose works laid the foundation for what would later become one of the world’s largest film industries. Despite technological limitations, films of that era served as powerful cultural documents, reflecting the ethos, traditions, and aspirations of society. The session will be chaired by Sachchidanand Joshi, with a keynote address by critic and author Jyotish Joshi. Writer Rajeev Srivastava will also join as a speaker, while the author will share insights into his work. The welcome address will be delivered by Anurag Punetha, Head of IGNCA’s Media Centre.

The discussion is expected to revisit how silent cinema, though devoid of spoken language, created a universal mode of storytelling that transcended linguistic barriers.

By foregrounding silent cinema, the event seeks to reconnect audiences with a formative chapter of Indian film history, reminding viewers that long before dialogues and digital effects, cinema spoke through images, expressions and imagination.