Bimal Roy's masterpiece, Do Bigha Zamin had originally released in 1953, 72 years ago. The movie's restored 4K version had its world premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2025.
The Hindi language film was featured in the highly esteemed Classics section of the festival, with 21 members of Bimal Roy's family present for the historic event.
Seven decades after its original release, Do Bigha Zamin reached out to the global audience in a 4K restored version at the Venice Film Festival 2025. The movie, a landmark in Bimal Roy's filmography, was inspired by Italian cinema's neo-realism.
A socialist movie, Do Bigha Zamin captures the plight and exploitation of Indian farmers. The movie is based on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem, Dui Bigha Jomi and Indian composer, Salil Chowdhury's short story, Rickshawalla.
Three generations of director Bimal Roy's family, from age 8 to 83 graced the special occasion that celebrated Bimal Roy's art and legacy. Family members included Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, Joy Bimal Roy and eighteen others.
The Film Heritage Foundation further stated on their Instagram post that Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera, Oscar-winning filmmaker and President of the International Jury of the festival Alexander Payne, FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the restoration team from L’Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna were also in attendance for the screening at the Sala Corinto.
The restoration of the original film took three years and is a result of a collective effort by the Criterion Collection, Janus Films, and the Film Heritage Foundation. According to sources, the original negative had been damaged despite being preserved at the National Film Archive of India, making the task more difficult.
Do Bigha Zamin had brought together some of the greatest artistes to tell the story of poverty, displacement and migration, marking a significant departure from mainstream commercial cinema.
The movie stars Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in lead roles who have played Shambhu Maheto and Parvati (Paro) Maheto respectively. Other notable cast members include Ratan Kumar as Kanhaiya Maheto, Nana Palsikar as Gangu Maheto (Shambhu's father), Meena Kumari as Thakurain and Mehmood as Preetam.
With a screenplay by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Kamal Bose was the cinematographer for Do Bigha Zamin. The legendary Salil Chowdhury was in charge of the music.
Do Bigha Zamin made way for Indian neo-realist cinema to flourish and its restoration after seven decades is a reminder that the film remains relevant, as issues of urban-rural divide, farmers' exploitation and others, persist.
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