Corporate Profile
Indian Hippy is a collective of the last few remaining Bollywood film poster & billboard artists in India with a core social responsibility and commitment towards breathing fresh life into the virtually extinct art form of hand painted Hindi film posters. Indian Hippy offers a range of exclusive hand painted products available in limited edition formats that combine art and function, as well as services such as customized/personalized hand painted Bollywood movie posters – all painstakingly hand painted to perfection by acclaimed Bollywood film poster artists. Indian Hippy strives to revive the traditional art of hand painted Hindi film posters, which has now been replaced by the digital age, and support Bollywood film poster artists through this unique venture. Indian Hippy’s designs are a kaleidoscopic attempt to capture the beauty and magic of blockbuster Indian films of both the past as well as the present age. Founded in 2009, Indian Hippy is the brainchild of Mumbai-based entrepreneur Hinesh Jethwani.
Choose from our exclusive & limited edition catalog of hand painted products, which include fashion accessories such as clutch purses, handbags, belts & wallets, home décor items such as chairs and gift items such as diary folders, all painstakingly hand painted to perfection by acclaimed Bollywood film poster artists! In addition to this very unique collection of exclusive, hand painted fashion & lifestyle products, we also provide the following services:
- Custom Hindi movie posters – i.e. Bollywood Film Poster of You!
- Reproductions of old vintage Bollywood Movie / Hindi film posters
- Celebrity Fan portraits
- Super-sized hand painted stage backdrops for Bollywood-themed weddings & events
- Hand painted wedding cards in Bollywood film poster style
- Garage shutter mural painting
- Wall mural painting for homes & commercial establishments
- Large hand-painted billboards
- Super-sized paintings/portraits
- Indian Ethnic portraits
A little bit of history
Indian film poster artists have left an indelible mark on our minds. Hand painted posters were not only a means of advertising but a representation of culture. Back in time, film releases were preceded with the most popular form of advertising prevalent then – film posters plastered on crowded streets, followed by large billboards overlooking busy marketplaces. Although the exact origin of the use of hand painted posters in film advertising in India are not certain, they can be traced way back to the 1920s. Rapid growth of Indian cinema from the 1950s onwards (referred to by many as the “golden period”) fueled demand for outdoor film advertising. Talented artists from across India responded to this need by specializing themselves in the trade of creating hand painted film posters and billboards and taking up the practice as their full time profession. Putting soul into their paintings, these master artists created lifelike impressions of some of the biggest icons in the Indian film business, and thus the magic of hand painted billboards and film posters was born. Their colours captured the shades of characters and reflected the intensity and drama behind the scenes they represented. Many poster artists used unique colours to portray negative or positive shades of characters, such as blue being synonymous with evil, red signifying anger or revenge, and pink portraying love. Such was their mastery, that they made the streets of India come alive with their unique colours and painting styles that became virtually synonymous with Indian cinema. During their prime, the presence of massive hand painted billboards outside theater halls delivered an unforgettable visual treat, pushing the definition of film poster art beyond advertising, and metamorphosing it into a cultural icon instead.
In 1990, when television had officially taken over outdoor advertising as the mainstay medium of film publicity, the emphasis on hand painted movie billboards and posters dwindled rapidly. In 1992, the digital printing revolution delivered the final nail in the coffin, closing the curtains on this traditional art.
With the digital era now in vogue, hand painted film billboards and posters have long been forgotten. Digital posters can be printed in a jiffy as opposed to the painstaking art of painting them by hand. With the coming generation of artists not seeing value in picking up the trade (due to the absence of demand), this magical art form is now at risk of being thrown into oblivion forever.
Indian Hippy aims to change that and bring the old back in vogue. The art remains the same – only the canvas reduced from posters and giant billboards to everyday functional items. It is our endeavor to support Indian film poster artists through this platform, and give them the encouragement to pass on their talent and legacy to the coming generations.
The charm
Indian film posters have an unforgettable charm. The “retro” feel of hand painted posters from the good old days is a stark contrast to the “photoshopped” digital posters of today. Quite simply, the feel and colours of hand painted posters are impossible to replicate with computers. The closure of the hand painted film poster business has not only impacted the livelihood of artists, but also delivered a collectors value to the last remaining hand painted film posters. Sought after by collectors and admirers alike, their limited supply has led to a “sellers market,” with vintage posters of popular movies commanding huge prices. Indian Hippy offers the same sought after film poster art, albeit on a different canvas, at affordable prices. By hand painting everyday functional products that include leather accessories and furniture, Indian Hippy is an attempt at giving the last few remaining film poster artists in India a platform to showcase their art to the current generation, while at the same time giving people an opportunity to own a piece of this timeless art.
The process
The very same poster art that coloured the streets of India, depicting blockbuster moments of Indian cinema, can now be a part of your life. Indian Hippy presents a range of exclusive hand painted products in limited edition formats that combine art and function. Our designs are a kaleidoscopic attempt to capture the beauty and magic of blockbuster Indian films of both the past as well as the present age. Our products are manufactured in India, and painstakingly hand painted by the last few remaining master billboard and poster artists of Indian cinema and their understudies, who ensure that each and every product rolled out from the Indian Hippy stable is unique and niche in its own right.
The process of hand painting on small products such as wallets, belts, clutches/purses & handbags is very challenging indeed. Our master film poster artists have invested several man hours in trying to perfect the trade. The fact that the canvas is at least 1/10th the size of that they have been traditionally used to painting on, coupled with the totally different texture of material (i.e. leather or wood instead of the traditional canvas), has imposed significant challenges. As such, our artists have put in a lot of time relearning and trying to perfect their designs with “zero” brushes to capture the expressions and emotions of their muses to the tiniest detail. We follow a proven model of painting on leather that involves tedious steps such as washing/deglazing/preparing the leather, using high quality water-based acrylic paints, and finishing with high quality acrylic finishers to ensure that the paint remains preserved.
From the time an order is received, the meticulous process of handcrafting the product and subsequently hand painting it begins. Each product, as a result, is 100% custom made and unique in its own right. At Indian Hippy, we strive to deliver the best quality by ensuring that there is no rush to manufacture a product just for the sake of fulfilling an order. At the same time, we appreciate your patience and trust in giving us the time to deliver the best.
Indian Hippy promise
- Quality products manufactured in India
- Not your stereotypical art piece that hangs on the wall and does nothing, but actual functional products that you can use
- Hand painting of the finest quality by master film poster & billboard artists from the Indian film industry
- Paintings depict the colour, charm and splendor of Indian cinematic brilliance
- Customized and niche look, impossible to attain from computer graphic prints
- Great collectors value
- Sure conversation starter!
