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Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Watching Aranyer Din Ratri in 480p while the world applauds in 4K
As the Business Head for The Times of India, I lead strategic initiatives and drive growth for one of the nation's most influential media organisations. My journalist friends believe I've crossed over to the proverbial dark side. Living on the edges of a dynamic newsroom, I dabble infrequently into these times that we live and believe in the spectatorial axiom – 'distance provides perspective'. LESS ... MORE A slightly squinting, wholly mesmerised viewer of great cinema, regardless of resolution. It happened the way it always does. A news alert buzzes in: Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri has received a standing ovation at Cannes, now reborn in shimmering 4K, courtesy Wes Anderson and The Film Foundation. Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal are all elegance and nostalgia on the red carpet. And me? I'm slouched on my couch, watching a pixelated version on YouTube—complete with floating watermarks and the occasional audio dropout. Also read: Cannes 2025 screening: 'Aranyer Din Ratri' receives standing ovation (Picture: Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal at Cannes Film Festival 2025) Call it poetic irony, or just very subcontinental. But here's the twist. Even in that battered, barely-holding-it-together version, the film still gripped me by the collar. The forest still breathed. The silences still echoed. The infamous memory game scene still sliced through class, gender and entitlement with the precision of a scalpel. And Duli's smile? Still unknowable. Still unforgettable. Yes, it stings a little to know that somewhere in the south of France, people were gasping at every restored shadow and rediscovered frame of Soumendu Roy's cinematography. That the grain of the forest floor, the tremble in Sharmila's voice, the murmur of Ray's score—all made pristine again—were finding new audiences. And yes, the restoration is reportedly a masterpiece itself: cleaned, cared for, curated. (Picture courtesy: Facebook) But you know what? The truth about Ray's genius is this—it doesn't need 4K to function. His films operate at another bandwidth entirely. They get under your skin. His camera doesn't just watch; it listens. Not just to words, but to pauses, glances, guilt, desire. That emotional fidelity—that unspoken weight—remains intact, even in 480p. Also read: Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal dazzle on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 screening of Satyajit Ray's film 'Aranyer Din Ratri' At the cusp of two Rays Aranyer Din Ratri is also where Ray pivots. It marks the start of his 1970s phase—where his gaze sharpens, his tone darkens, and his themes veer from the lyrical to the political. The 1960s gave us the quiet dissection of the Bengali middle class in films like Mahanagar, Nayak, Kapurush. But the '70s? That was when Ray pulled out the gloves and dropped the poetry. What followed was the Kolkata Trilogy—Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha, Jana Aranya—where disillusioned young men wandered through moral quicksand, economic dead-ends, and the city's cold bureaucratic heart. Aranyer Din Ratri stands at that crossroads. It's as if Ray packed four men off into the woods, watched them fall apart, and came back convinced: things are going to get worse. Think of it as the cinematic equivalent of taking a long weekend before diving into a decade of existential dread. Watching Aranyer Din Ratri in less-than-ideal conditions is like reading Charulata in a tattered paperback. You're not missing the point—you're just closer to the ink. Perhaps this is the truest test of a classic: that it still moves you despite the medium. It doesn't need Dolby or restoration credits to provoke introspection. The film still asks the same uncomfortable questions. Who are we when the city recedes and the forest begins? When we stop performing, who remains? What breaks first—the mask or the man? So yes, I'll be first in line when the restored version hits our shores. But till then, I'm strangely grateful for that grainy YouTube copy. It reminded me that Ray's cinema wasn't just crafted for projection rooms and film festivals—it was built to last. Built to haunt. Even through static. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
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Business Standard
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Mahanagar Gas shares gain 3% after Q4 results; check details here
Mahanagar Gas share price today: Shares of natural gas distribution company Mahanagar Gas (MGL) rose over 3 per cent to hit an intraday high of ₹1423.40 on Wednesday after the company's March 2025 quarter (Q4 FY25) came in line with the market expectations. At 2:00 PM on Monday, Mahanagar's stock was quoting at ₹1,404.90, up 2.03 per cent on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). In comparison, the benchmark Nifty50 index was trading at 24,368.65, down 10.95 points or 0.04 per cent. The stock is 30 per cent down from its 52-week high of ₹1,423.40, which it touched on September 25, 2025. The natural gas distribution company's total market capitalisation stood at ₹13,877.29 crore. On a year-to-date basis, the stock has surged around 10 per cent compared to a 2.84 per cent increase in the Nifty50 index. Mahanagar Gas Q4 FY25 result update Mahanagar Gas reported revenue from operations of ₹2,039 crore, up 18 per cent from ₹1,719 crore in the year-ago period. The company reported a profit after tax (PAT) of ₹252.19 crore, down 4.8 per cent from ₹264.99 crore in the year-ago quarter. Its total expenses increased 24.2 per cent to ₹1,746.33 crore against ₹1,406.62 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. The board of MGL has reported a final dividend of ₹18 per share at a face value of ₹10 each for FY25. For the full FY25, MGL's PAT decreased 19.94 per cent to ₹1,044.89 crore as against ₹1,289.07 in the previous year. Annual revenue from operations rose 10.6 per cent to ₹7,589.99 crore from ₹6,861.95 crore in the year ended March 2024. About Mahanagar Gas Established in 2005, Mahanagar Gas is a natural gas distribution company, mainly focused on distributing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and nearby areas such has Thane, Raigad, Mira-Bhayander and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra. It is a joint venture between the Gas Authority of India (GAIL), British Group UK and the Government of Maharashtra. It caters to both domestic and industrial customers.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
How R.D. Bansal Helped Shape Satyajit Ray's Legacy—and Why His Granddaughter Is Restoring It
Published : May 02, 2025 07:11 IST - 7 MINS READ 'Mahanagar was a disaster commercially. But Baba was very happy.' Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (The Big City) is now considered a classic, but when it was released in 1963, it didn't set the box office on fire. Still, Ray's producer, R.D. Bansal, remained unfazed, says his granddaughter Varsha Bansal, now an executive producer herself. The name R.D. Bansal is well known to Ray fans. 'Presented by R.D. Bansal' appeared in the opening credits of many Ray films. It turns out Bansal had his own cinematic mahanagar story. Ram Das Bansal was the fourth of six brothers in a family from Agra involved in the marble business. 'At age 16, he just ran away to Kolkata, the big city,' says Varsha. There, he set up his own venture—Bansal Marbles. Eventually, his brothers followed him to the mahanagar. But then, life took a more filmic turn. One day, work took him to Grace Cinema in North Kolkata. 'He saw people buying tickets and entering the cinema. There was no credit system,' recalls Varsha. That amazed young Bansal, who was used to the credit-heavy marble trade. Eventually, Bansal bought Grace Cinema. Soon, he owned a string of theatres in Kolkata—Grace, Lotus, Indira, Vaishali—and even one in Jamshedpur. 'I think he was intrigued by films,' says Varsha. When a script came his way that he liked, he decided to produce it. Shashi Babur Sansar, starring Chhabi Biswas and Sabitri Chatterjee, became a runaway hit, and Bansal was hooked. From Marble to 'Mahanagar' Meanwhile, Satyajit Ray was making waves in Indian cinema, and it was inevitable their paths would cross. Both were a few films old when Mahanagar happened. The story of a middle-class woman daring to step out and work likely appealed to Bansal. 'He was really ahead of his time,' remembers Varsha. 'I was one of three granddaughters. And Baba gave us the freedom to think.' So even though the film was not a commercial success, he had no regrets. The marble business was doing well, and he was impressed that Ray stuck to the proposed budget—down to the last penny. Also Read | Still on the rails: Ray's Nayak and the restless shadow of a star Bansal had no hesitation about working with Ray again. They collaborated on Kapurush, Mahapurush; Charulata; and Nayak; one after another. None of them turned a real profit until Joi Baba Felunath, the Feluda detective film, years later. Nayak (1966) was a modest hit, partly thanks to Bengal's superstar Uttam Kumar. But it also landed poor Bansal in jail for a night. In one dream sequence, Uttam Kumar's character, Arindam, is seen drowning in currency notes. Someone complained that real money had been printed for the scene. As the film premiered, the police showed up. The story goes that Ray had to call Indira Gandhi to get his producer released. Varsha is not sure about that part, but she says the family was so shaken that they urged Bansal to stop producing films. One immediate casualty was Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a musical based on a beloved children's story. According to Ray's biographer, Andrew Robinson, in Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, Bansal 'had a sudden loss of confidence'—partly because Ray wanted to shoot the film in colour in Rajasthan, which would have been prohibitively expensive. Eventually, producer-distributors Nepal and Asim Dutta stepped in. The film was made in black and white, with only the final scene in colour. Ray's dream of capturing Rajasthan in full colour had to wait for Sonar Kella. R.D. Bansal remained involved in cinema. His biggest hit was a non-Ray film—Saat Paake Bandha, starring Suchitra Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Chhaya Devi. Years later came Ogo Bodhu Sundari, the Bengali remake of My Fair Lady and Uttam Kumar's last film. What makes the Bansal story remarkable is that a marble dealer from Uttar Pradesh became so deeply embedded in Bengali cultural life. And he did not just produce films—he backed 'arty' films. 'He lost money, but he gained a lot of fame and respect,' says Varsha. 'He even went with Ray to Berlin. Fifty or sixty people came to the airport to see him off with garlands. He was the first from our family to travel abroad.' 'A lot of Bengalis probably wondered who this man from Uttar Pradesh was, making Bengali films,' she laughs. Meanwhile, many in the business community were baffled that he was 'throwing good money after bad'. 'Films weren't seen as very respectable,' says Varsha. 'So eyebrows were raised on both sides.' Restoring Ray R.D. Bansal could have remained a footnote in Ray nostalgia. The family could have simply protected the precious Ray negatives they owned. 'We kept them in an air-conditioned room with the AC running ten hours a day,' says Varsha. 'But when we reviewed them every six months, we could see the quality deteriorating.' Humidity is a killer—negatives can stick, scratch, or suffer from dirt, thumbprints, and wear from repeated use. After her grandfather passed away, Varsha told her father: 'Baba's name came from these films. If not us, who else will restore them?' They found Pixion Studios in Mumbai, which had been restoring Hollywood films like Where Eagles Dare. Excited at the chance to work on a full Ray feature, Pixion painstakingly scanned and cleaned the negatives frame by frame, producing a 10-minute sample. 'We saw it and decided—let's go all in,' says Varsha. The restoration took about 18 months. They sent the films to Criterion in the US, which typically handles its own restorations of classic films. 'Every day I would check my email,' recalls Varsha. 'Then one day, they wrote back: 'It's fabulous. We love it.'' The restored films began screening to renewed acclaim at festivals like Venice, Cairo, and the British Film Institute. 'Ten years ago, technology only allowed 2K restoration,' says Varsha. 'Now it's almost 8K. If someone wants to go that far, the negatives are ready.' But no longer in the Bansal offices—the better-equipped Austrian Film Archive now houses them. It was harder to convince Indian theatres to screen the restored films. Ray has always been more appreciated abroad than at home. Varsha did not want a throwaway screening slot. Her persistence paid off. 'I watched Mahanagar on a big screen in Kolkata, in a theatre that was 80 per cent full. When the final 'Samapto' [The End] title came on, people just started to clap. It was a thrill like no other.' They may have been applauding both the brilliance of the film and the beauty of its restoration. Her one regret is that, even though they have proven it can be done, there is still little appetite for restoring India's film heritage. 'The government shows zero interest,' says Varsha. 'And even producers of other Ray films like Seemabaddha aren't doing anything. I go with my collector's boxes and folders of articles. They're glad it's been done—but they don't want to take it further.' Also Read | Satyajit Ray's French connection There is a perception that there is no market for these classics. But Varsha disagrees. 'I do screenings in cinema museums every month. I have 20 distributors. The NFDC doesn't market its films well enough—I had to find my own market.' It is a niche, but one that can offer a return. 'I'm even willing to help others represent their films,' she says. 'I'll do it for them. I just want people to be aware.' Varsha says she got into this because film was always a passion. She learned by sitting beside her grandfather in his office. She absorbed his discipline—he arrived every day at 10:30 am sharp and stayed until 7 pm. He also taught her not to show too much excitement, even for a film he was desperate to acquire. 'Before the exhibitor walked in, he'd say, 'I have to get this no matter what.' But once they were in the room, he acted like he was doing them a favour.' Now, as they release the restored versions of the classics he once backed, Varsha Bansal can finally show all the excitement she wants. 'Maybe I have a secret desire to be a filmmaker,' she confesses. But bringing an old classic back to life, decades after it first lit up the screen, comes close enough. Sandip Roy is a podcaster and columnist and the author of the novel Don't Let Him Know.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jaya Bachchan REACTS after a paparazzo tells her she is 'looking nice': 'Who said that?'
Jaya Bachchan's complex relationship with the paparazzi continues to fascinate, as evidenced by a recent viral video. A paparazzo complimented her, and her surprised, witty response became a talking point. Despite a sometimes negative public image, a journalist highlights Jaya's warmth and respect, noting that media often exaggerates interactions, turning them into spectacles. Jaya Bachchan has always had an intriguing relationship with the paparazzi—combining a mix of sweetness and sharpness. Her journey in Hindi cinema began with Mahanagar, and since then, she's delivered several iconic hits. Beyond her impressive film career, Jaya is a proud mother to Abhishek and Shweta Bachchan Nanda, and she's also carved a name for herself in politics. Unexpected Reaction to a Compliment Recently, a video went viral showing Jaya's unexpected reaction when a paparazzo complimented her, telling her she looked nice—leaving everyone shocked by her response. The Paparazzi Encounter: A Surprising Moment Jaya has long been a favorite target for the paparazzi, often capturing attention with her no-nonsense attitude towards them. Recently, she was spotted at an event, and as the paps greeted her with a 'namaste,' she politely responded with a 'namaste' in return. But things took an interesting turn when one of the photographers complimented her, telling her she looked nice. Jaya immediately stopped in her tracks, turned around, and quipped, 'Huh? Who said that? You did? Wow, nice.' The Paparazzo's Surprise Reaction The paparazzo who complimented Jaya couldn't help but smile, as it's rare to see the veteran actress flash a smile at the photographers. Jaya looked charming in a yellow kurti adorned with a flower-like design band around her neck. She held her phone in hand, her white tresses flowing freely. The lady standing next to her also couldn't stop smiling at Jaya's reaction. It was clear that the veteran actress was taken by surprise to hear the photographer call her beautiful. The Truth Behind Jaya Bachchan's Public Image In a podcast, a senior journalist discussed the veteran actress' public image, which is often seen in a negative light. She explained that Jaya is actually warm and respectful to everyone. The journalist recalled an incident when the paparazzi's camera flash hurt Jaya's eyes, and her reaction was exaggerated in the media. The journalist emphasized that everyone, including Jaya, reacts normally and kindly in such situations. She pointed out that the camera flash was the photographer's mistake, but it was blown out of proportion by the media. She also noted that such reactions often become a spectacle for the paparazzi, whether it's Jaya Bachchan or other public figures like Uorfi Javed . Jaya's Approach to the Paparazzi The journalist revealed that Jaya Bachchan has her own unique personality and a long-standing relationship with the paparazzi. If Jaya likes a photographer, she engages with them politely, but if she doesn't, she won't even acknowledge their presence. Jaya has been interacting with the paparazzi long before her husband, Amitabh Bachchan , decided to stop speaking to the media. Her tendency to show irritation towards the paparazzi never goes unnoticed.
