Experience cinematic history of Bollywood through Bollywood Art Project

Starting this weekend, Augmented Reality Snapchat lenses will allow Bollywood fans to experience a new take on the archival Bollywood Arts Project – an initiative that celebrates iconic Hindi cinema, the yesteryear veterans and the current heartthrobs.

As a tribute to the multifaceted Bollywood industry, graphic designer and artist Ranjit Dahiya started the Bollywood Art Project in Mumbai. Also known as B.A.P, the project is an urban Street Art initiative that transforms streets in Mumbai into memorials dedicated to Bollywood legends. With truck-art style renditions using enamel paints, Ranjit has single-handedly curated wall murals of actors such as Rajesh Khanna, Madhubala, Amitabh Bachchan, and many more Bollywood icons. These murals have added a touch of cinema and character to the upbeat suburb of Mumbai.

The Lenses were built by Superfan Studio, a studio focused on building AR, VR, and XR experiences. They used Snap’s Lens Studio to create seven lenses that leverage Marker Tech to recognise the murals and bring them to life with animation and sound. Snapchatters can access the lenses by scanning Snapcodes located close to the murals or by simply searching the name and ‘BAP’ in Snapchat. Once the Snapchat camera recognises the artwork, it triggers a creative and fun lens experience.

“We created the Bollywood Art Project as a way to celebrate and memorialise the cinematic history of Bollywood and so it’s really amazing to see how technology is furthering this mission in such a unique way. I love the lenses that have been created and hope Snapchatters in India enjoy them too,” said Ranjit Dahiya, Artist and Founder, Bollywood Art Project.

“It’s been inspiring to see the different ways our community uses augmented reality to create unique experiences. The Bollywood Art Project is iconic here in Mumbai, and we hope that Mumbaikars will enjoy the AR experience that brings it to life,” said Durgesh Kaushik, Head of India Market Development at Snap.

“At Superfan Studio, we breathe Bollywood and technology. When Snapchat presented us with an opportunity to build something for the Bollywood Art Project, we looked at making an experience really worth sharing. Using our team’s creative minds and Snapchat’s technology and computer vision tools, we built these unique lenses. We hope tourists and locals engage with them on “City Walks” and that they drive tourism across the city,” said Snehaal Dhruv, Founder and CEO at Superfan Studios.

To experience Bollywood Art Project Snapchat lenses, Scan the Snapcodes at select locations (highlighted in green) and below, to unlock the lens and search for the lens on Snapchat through the terms below.

Snapcode	Search term and link	Description
	Anarkali	This mural of Anarkali and her lover Prince Salim  marked the beginning of the Bollywood Art Project. Located on Chapel Road in Bandra West – that links to Mumbai’s scenic sealink, this depiction of the 1960 Indian epic historical drama will find fans across generations.
	Sridevi	This artistic rendition of Indian cinema’s finest female superstar is located on Chapel Road in Bandra West as well. It was created on her first death anniversary, to honour the legendary actor after her sudden demise in February 2018.
	Dilip Kumar	This mural is a still from the movie Gopi (1970) featuring Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. Dilip Kumar has had several iconic movies in Bollywood and has worked in over 65movies. Saira Banu is also a Bollywood veteran and was active for over two decades.
	Irrfan	This masterpiece was curated amidst the lockdown due to the global pandemic. Mr. Dahiya was so deeply moved by the passing away of this versatile actor, that he completed this project in just 4 days! Irrfan gained appreciation and acclaim for his acting skills not just in Bollywood, but also in Hollywood.
	Amitabh Bachchan	This larger-than-life wall-painting of Amitabh Bachchan – referred to as the star of the Millennium, has been taken from the popular 1975 Bollywood movie, Deewar. Deewar incidentally means wall in Hindi! Called ‘Bachchan Bemisal Poore 75 Saal’ – which was a tribute to Mr. Bachchan on his 75th birthday.
	Dil Chahta Hai	This mural captures the very popular 2001 movie that resonated with Young India. It is a coming of age romantic comedy that follows three college friends. This movie has several timeless moments and poses between friends that people still connect with today, one of which is depicted in the mural.
	Madhubala	This mural is of the late actor Madhubala who is a Bollywood icon. Her career spanned over 20 years, and featured in over 70 movies. She was known for her acting, personality, and beauty and played some iconic roles in movies like Mugha-E-Azam..