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Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bimal Roy's ‘Do Bigha Zamin' to be showcased in the 4k glory at the Venice Film Festival
In honor of Bimal Roy 's 116th birthday, a 4K restored version of his 1953 masterpiece Do Bigha Zamin will be shown at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. The 2025 edition of the Venice Film Festival is set to showcase a 4K restored version of 'Do Bigha Zamin", the 1953 classic directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bimal Roy. Under the Venice Classics section, "Do Bigha Zamin," or "Two Acres of Land" in English, is one of a select group of restored cinematic masterpieces that also includes Pedro Almodovar's "Matador," Giuseppe De Santis' "Roma Ore 11," Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Przypadek," and Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita." The screening will be presented by Roy's children — Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy — along with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation. The restoration is a collaborative effort between the Film Heritage Foundation, The Criterion Collection, and Janus Films. Acclaimed lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar welcomed the announcement, calling the film 'historic." 'It's amazing that 'Do Bigha Zamin' is restored and will be shown in Venice. This film is historic as it changed the way films were made in India. After Chetan Anand's 'Neecha Nagar' which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, this was the second Indian film to win at the Cannes Film Festival and receive international recognition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? Memory Health Click Here Undo The most important element is that all his films right from the Bengali ones which he made and the Hindi films which he made, all these films were based on literature. Not many people know that 'Do Bigha Zamin' is from a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, which was also called 'Do Bigha Zamin'. The script was done by Salil Choudhury," Gulzar said, recalling the time when he started working with Roy's 1961 production 'Kabuliwala". The cinema icon said he has fond memories of the time. 'People would say that Bimal-da was like a married print. In those days, the picture and sound negatives were separate and when they were brought together optically to make the release print, it would be called a married print. Bimal-da would shoot two shifts in a day – 7 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 10 pm and would then sit in the editing room working till late night at Mohan Studios. People would say that he is married to films. Bimal Roy was the coolest director I have ever seen. I learnt not only filmmaking from him, but the art of patience and stamina," he added. "Do Bigha Zamin," starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy, is regarded as a significant film in India's early parallel cinema. The Bengali poem "Dui Bigha Jomi" by Rabindranath Tagore and the short narrative "Rickshawalla" by composer Salil Chowdhury served as the inspiration for the movie, which depicted the misery of a poor farmer battling industrialisation. Dungarpur said he was introduced to the works of Bimal Roy when he was working under Gulzar: 'When I was working as an assistant to Gulzarsaheb, he would often speak about his guru Bimal Roy. This spurred me to watch all his films right from the time he was a cameraman on P C Barua's 'Devdas' to his first Bengali film as a director 'Udayer Pathey' to 'Do Bigha Zamin'." 'In his films I was struck by the poetic visuals, the silences, the deep humanism and compassion that he showed in the social themes of his films that highlighted the plight of the marginalized, the issues of migrant labour, and the urban-rural divide that are still so relevant today. For me 'Do Bigha Zamin' changed the face of Indian cinema that brought filmmakers out of the studio to begin shooting on the streets," he said. Dungarpur said he is glad to collaborate with The Criterion Collection and Janus Films to restore other classics of Bimal Roy such as 'Devdas", 'Madhumati" and 'Bandini". The family of Bimal Roy said the premiere of 'Do Bigha Zamin" at the Venice Film Festival is a 'dream come true for us". 'This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of Film Heritage Foundation and Fumiko Takagi of the Criterion Collection. Our heartfelt thanks to both of them for their unwavering dedication to restoring and celebrating cinema. 'Do Bigha Zamin' is especially fitting for this prestigious platform, as it holds a unique connection with Italian cinema," Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy said in a joint statement. They said Roy was deeply inspired after watching Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica's 1948 film 'Bicycle Thieves". 'Our father hoped Indian cinema would follow its deeply moving humanist vision. 'Do Bigha Zamin', is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy who was cast off from his home in East Bengal in a similar episode as the hero, peasant, Sambhu Mahato. He never recovered from this cruel separation from his beloved birthplace. " 'In the brief lifetime accorded to our father, he transformed the profile of Indian cinema and was able to stir collective consciousness with his cinematic parables. Our father was a silent cinema poet and a visionary of profound humanism whose work shall continue to act as a beacon whenever dark forces threaten," they added. The restoration process began in 2022 and took over three years. Initiated by The Criterion Collection and Janus Films, in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation, the process involved extensive repair of damaged negatives stored at the National Film Archive of India. 'Do Bigha Zamin" was the first Indian film to win the Prix International at the Cannes Film Festival in 1954. The 82nd Venice International Film Festival will run from August 27 to September 6.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Venice Film Festival to screen 4K restored version of Bimal Roy's ''Do Bigha Zamin''
Mumbai, The 2025 edition of the Venice Film Festival is set to showcase a 4K restored version of "Do Bigha Zamin", the 1953 classic directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bimal Roy. Venice Film Festival to screen 4K restored version of Bimal Roy's ''Do Bigha Zamin'' The announcement coincides with the legendary filmmaker's 116th birth anniversary. Presented under the Venice Classics section, "Do Bigha Zamin", titled "Two Acres of Land" in English, has been selected among a distinguished lineup of restored cinematic masterpieces, which also includes "Matador" by Pedro Almodovar, "Roma Ore 11" by Giuseppe De Santis, "Przypadek" by Krzysztof Kieślowski and "Lolita" by Stanley Kubrick. The screening will be presented by Roy's children Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy along with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation. The restoration is a collaborative effort between the Film Heritage Foundation, The Criterion Collection, and Janus Films. Acclaimed lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar welcomed the announcement, calling the film 'historic.' 'It's amazing that 'Do Bigha Zamin' is restored and will be shown in Venice. This film is historic as it changed the way films were made in India. After Chetan Anand's 'Neecha Nagar' which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, this was the second Indian film to win at the Cannes Film Festival and receive international recognition. "The most important element is that all his films right from the Bengali ones which he made and the Hindi films which he made, all these films were based on literature. Not many people know that 'Do Bigha Zamin' is from a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, which was also called 'Do Bigha Zamin'. The script was done by Salil Choudhury," Gulzar said, recalling the time when he started working with Roy's 1961 production "Kabuliwala". The cinema icon said he has fond memories of the time. " People would say that Bimal-da was like a married print. In those days, the picture and sound negatives were separate and when they were brought together optically to make the release print, it would be called a married print. Bimal-da would shoot two shifts in a day – 7 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 10 pm and would then sit in the editing room working till late night at Mohan Studios. People would say that he is married to films. Bimal Roy was the coolest director I have ever seen. I learnt not only filmmaking from him, but the art of patience and stamina," he added. Starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy, "Do Bigha Zamin" is considered an important film in the early parallel cinema of India. The film, which captured the plight of a poor farmer struggling with industrialisation, was based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem "Dui Bigha Jomi" and "Rickshawalla", a short story written by composer Salil Chowdhury. Dungarpur said he was introduced to the works of Bimal Roy when he was working under Gulzar. "When I was working as an assistant to Gulzarsaheb, he would often speak about his guru Bimal Roy. This spurred me to watch all his films right from the time he was a cameraman on P C Barua's 'Devdas' to his first Bengali film as a director 'Udayer Pathey' to 'Do Bigha Zamin'. "In his films I was struck by the poetic visuals, the silences, the deep humanism and compassion that he showed in the social themes of his films that highlighted the plight of the marginalized, the issues of migrant labour, and the urban-rural divide that are still so relevant today. For me 'Do Bigha Zamin' changed the face of Indian cinema that brought filmmakers out of the studio to begin shooting on the streets," he said. Dungarpur said he is glad to collaborate with The Criterion Collection and Janus Films to restore other classics of Bimal Roy such as "Devdas", "Madhumati" and "Bandini". The family of Bimal Roy said the premiere of "Do Bigha Zamin" at the Venice Film Festival is a "dream come true for us". "This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of Film Heritage Foundation and Fumiko Takagi of the Criterion Collection. Our heartfelt thanks to both of them for their unwavering dedication to restoring and celebrating cinema. 'Do Bigha Zamin' is especially fitting for this prestigious platform, as it holds a unique connection with Italian cinema," Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy said in a joint statement. They said Roy was deeply inspired after watching Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica's 1948 film "Bicycle Thieves". "Our father hoped Indian cinema would follow its deeply moving humanist vision. 'Do Bigha Zamin', is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy who was cast off from his home in East Bengal in a similar episode as the hero, peasant, Sambhu Mahato. He never recovered from this cruel separation from his beloved birthplace. "In the brief lifetime accorded to our father, he transformed the profile of Indian cinema and was able to stir collective consciousness with his cinematic parables. Our father was a silent cinema poet and a visionary of profound humanism whose work shall continue to act as a beacon whenever dark forces threaten," they added. The restoration process began in 2022 and took over three years. Initiated by The Criterion Collection and Janus Films, in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation, the process involved extensive repair of damaged negatives stored at the National Film Archive of India. Missing elements were sourced from a 1954–55 dupe negative preserved at the British Film Institute . "Do Bigha Zamin" was the first Indian film to win the Prix International at the Cannes Film Festival in 1954. It also received honours at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and bagged best film and best director at the inaugural Filmfare Awards. The 82nd Venice International Film Festival will run from August 27 to September 6. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Restored Do Bigha Zamin to premiere at Venice
Do Bigha Zamin (1953) marked a turning point in . While most films of that era were shot within the confines of a studio, director broke the mould and took the camera to the streets, paving the way for realism in Indian filmmaking. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now the film, restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, will be screened at the Venice Film Festival's Classics section. Gulzar, who worked with Roy, spoke to us about the film's legacy. 'It's amazing that Do Bigha Zamin is restored and will be shown in Venice. The most important element is that all of his films were based on literature. Not many people know that Do Bigha Zamin is based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, with the same title.' How was the film restored Do Bigha Zamin was restored in 4K by the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, in collaboration with Film Heritage Foundation, at L'Immagine Ritrovata and Resillion, and in association with the Bimal Roy family. The restoration process took over three years. It began in 2022, when the Criterion Collection/Janus Films and Film Heritage Foundation initiated the project. The FHF accessed the original camera negative and sound negative, which had been deposited by the Bimal Roy family at the NFDC–National Film Archive of India (NFAI) for preservation. However, the sound negative presented several issues, including poor audio quality, interrupted dialogues, and missing sections. The original camera negative was also incomplete. A combined dupe negative - on Dupont/Kodak stock from 1954–55 was found at the British Film Institute (BFI) which was also used for the restoration The restoration drew from the best surviving elements the 35 mm picture and sound negatives preserved at NFAI and the 35 mm combined dupe negative from the BFI. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Bimal da was the coolest director I have ever seen: Gulzar I started working with Bimalda, who we used to call Dada, from the film 'Kabuliwala' when I was his chief assistant. I have very fond memories of that time. People would say that Bimal-da was like a married print. In those days, the picture and sound negatives were separate and when they were brought together optically to make the release print, it would be called a married print. Bimal-da would shoot two shifts in a day – 7 am to 2 pm and 2 pm to 10 pm and would then sit in the editing room working till late night at Mohan Studios. People would say that he is married to films. Bimal da was the coolest director I have ever seen. I learnt not only filmmaking from him, but the art of patience and stamina. I am sharing a poetic portrait that I wrote on Bimal-da. "The softly flowing river face shrouded in the evening mists Eyes burning in the mistiness of a tawny visage The spiral of smoke from the endlessly burning cigarette The faraway voice heavy with sleep. Shadowed below unknown thoughts that flew above A face that seemed etched out of molten wax The sound of every new dream transforms him Making it seem he would neither sleep, nor wake, nor speak A silent flowing river shrouded in evening mists." (From the book 'Caged . . .Memories Have Names') Do Bigha Zamin changed the face of Indian cinema 'Do Bigha Zamin changed the face of Indian cinema: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation Do Bigha Zamin changed the face of Indian cinema that brought filmmakers out of the studio to begin shooting on the streets. I am so happy that we were able to collaborate with The Criterion Collection / Janus Films to restore not only Do Bigha Zamin, but other classics of Bimal Roy like Devdas, Madhumati and Bandini, which are in the process of being restored.' Do Bigha Zamin, is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy: Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, Joy Bimal Roy After watching Vittorio De Sica's film Bicycle Thieves, our father hoped Indian films would follow its deeply moving humanist vision. Do Bigha Zamin, is an unspoken autobiography of Bimal Roy who was cast off from his home in East Bengal in a similar episode like the hero, peasant, Sambhu Mahato. He never recovered from this cruel separation from his beloved birthplace. Satyajit Ray on 'Do Bigha Zamin' 'With his very first film Udayer Pathe (Humrahi in Hindi), Bimal Roy was able to sweep aside the cobwebs of the old tradition and introduce a realism and subtlety that was wholly suited to the cinema. He was undoubtedly a pioneer. He reached his peak with a film that still reverberates in the minds of those who saw it when it was first made. I refer to Do Bigha Zamin, which remains one of the landmarks of Indian cinema.' Raj Kapoor on 'Do Bigha Zamin' Perhaps the best compliment came from Raj Kapoor, who upon watching the film, reportedly said, 'I wish I had made this film.'
