The headquarters of the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), responsible for preserving the film heritage of India, is located in which city?

Introduction / Context:
Films are an important part of modern cultural heritage, and many countries maintain archives to preserve old films, posters, and related documents. In India, the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) plays this role by collecting, restoring, and preserving cinema material for future generations. General knowledge questions often ask where such organisations are headquartered so that students can connect cultural institutions with their locations. This question focuses on the city that hosts the NFAI headquarters.

Given Data / Assumptions:

We are dealing with the National Film Archives of India (NFAI).
The question asks for the city where its headquarters is located.
Options are Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai.
We assume the standard location commonly cited in government and cultural references.

Concept / Approach:
NFAI was established with the objective of preserving Indian film heritage and is headquartered in Pune, a city in Maharashtra known for education and arts institutions. While Mumbai is the heart of the Hindi film industry and Chennai and Bangalore are important for regional cinemas, the official film archive organisation has its main office and facilities in Pune. Therefore, correctly identifying Pune as the headquarters city is essential to answer this question.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that NFAI is an organisation under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that focuses on film preservation. Step 2: Remember that its main campus and archival facilities are located in Pune in the state of Maharashtra. Step 3: Compare this with Mumbai, which is the commercial capital and main film production hub but not the official location of NFAI headquarters. Step 4: Note that Chennai and Bangalore are important film and technology centres in southern India but are not linked with NFAI as its headquarters. Step 5: Conclude that Pune is the correct city where the National Film Archives of India is based.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, recall that several film festivals, retrospectives, and academic programmes related to film studies in India are organised in cooperation with NFAI in Pune. Official documents and websites clearly state Pune as the headquarters location. Although Mumbai might seem like a natural guess due to the film industry, NFAI is specifically set up in Pune to operate in a university oriented and archival environment. This distinction confirms Pune as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Chennai is wrong because it is the hub of Tamil cinema but not the seat of NFAI. Bangalore is wrong because it is a major technology and software centre and home to Kannada cinema, but it is not where the national film archives organisation is headquartered. Mumbai is wrong because, while it is the centre of mainstream Hindi film production, the archival institution in question is officially located in Pune. None of these cities match the specific role that Pune plays as the NFAI headquarters.

Common Pitfalls:
The most common pitfall is to choose Mumbai automatically because many people associate Indian cinema with the Mumbai based film industry. Others might guess Chennai or Bangalore due to their role in regional cinema. These are understandable but incorrect associations. To avoid mistakes, it helps to create a mental list of cultural institutions and their headquarters, including NFAI in Pune and the National School of Drama in New Delhi.

Final Answer:
The headquarters of the National Film Archives of India is located in Pune.