Bollywood Art Project now comes to life on Snapchat

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.

How to the Bollywood Art Project Snapchat lenses

1. Scan the Snapcodes at select locations (highlighted in green) and below, to unlock the lens
2. Search for the lens on Snapchat through the terms below