Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Republic Day tableau placed Indian cinema within Bharat Gatha.
Shruti, Kriti, and Drishti traced storytelling from oral tradition to modern media.
Tableau highlighted cinema, technology, and cultural continuity shaping India’s identity.
Indian cinema took centre stage at the Republic Day Parade through the Sanjay Leela Bhansali Republic Day tableau, a rare moment where filmmaking was presented as a civilisational force rather than mere entertainment and curated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in collaboration with Bhansali, the tableau framed cinema as the modern heir to India’s ancient storytelling traditions.
Moving along Kartavya Path, the tableau unfolded under the larger theme of Bharat Gatha, positioning cinema as a bridge between memory, culture, and technology. It underscored how stories in India have travelled across centuries, changing form but retaining emotional and moral continuity.
Shruti, Kriti and the roots of Indian storytelling
The opening segment, Shruti, evoked India’s oral traditions. A guru imparting knowledge beneath a peepal tree symbolised wisdom passed through sound and memory. Flowing sound-wave motifs reinforced the idea of storytelling as a shared, living act.
Kriti followed, marking the shift from spoken word to written legacy. Lord Ganesha inscribing the Mahabharata stood for authorship, preservation and the sacred act of recording stories for future generations.
Drishti and the evolution of Indian cinema
The final segment, Drishti, brought the focus firmly to modern media. Vintage film cameras, reels, newspapers and satellite imagery traced the rise of Indian cinema and broadcasting. Alongside these were references to Artificial Intelligence, animation, visual effects, gaming and extended reality, signalling India’s move towards immersive storytelling.
Figures of filmmakers and artists paid homage to creative pioneers, reinforcing cinema’s role as both cultural memory and contemporary expression. Speaking on the occasion, Bhansali said he felt deeply honoured to represent Indian cinema and the creator community, describing the tableau as a tribute to timeless stories and their global resonance.
