The Indian film industry has its hands on barely a dozen of the 1700 silent films it has produced. In our archives, we have 13000 films — more than half of these are in desperate need of restoration. Restoration is a process that turns a film into a version most faithful to its initial release to the public. The images are reconstructed frame-by-frame. The damage usually includes scratches, tears, cuts, faded colours and missing frames or sound. Once the film is cleaned, each frame undergoes a scan — a high resolution 2 K or 4 K scan. It is then corrected digitally using a specialized software. Data is extracted from the sound negative, and sound restoration is done separately. Once all frames are corrected, they are recorded on film, tape or a digital medium like blue-ray disc or DVD. Most original negatives lie scattered  across many labs. NFDC could barely restore two reels of Raja Harishchandra. As a matter of practice, industry made prints directly from the original negative , instead of a duplicate negative like the Hollywood does. The source material got damaged in the process. That is why sometimes the film has to be restored by capturing material from the print itself or from beta tape. Films do not die, but they fade away . Older films are difficult to restore. Restoration is also a costly process. There are lacs of frames, a big team working in two shifts. Outside India, it is costlier.Restoration done digitally is ephemeral. Simultaneously, the 35-mm film must be made. It is kept in a cool dry vault and lasts longer.