Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha’s restored classics shine at IFFI

The restored versions of Tapan Sinha's "Harmonium" and Satyajit Ray's "Seemabaddha" were showcased at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa yesterday. 

Several cast members travelled to Goa to participate in a panel discussion about these timeless films. The attendees notably included Sharmila Tagore, who worked with both Ray and Sinha, and Arjun Chakraborty, renowned for his performances in Sinha's films.

Tagore spoke about her experiences, saying, "I worked with Tapan Sinha on five projects—'Antardhan', 'Wheelchair', two subjects of 'Daughters of Century', and 'Anokha Moti'. It's unfortunate that he is not widely remembered, despite being the only filmmaker in the world to direct 48 films on 48 distinct subjects."

"He never repeated himself and constantly reinvented and analysed his work," recalled Arjun Chakraborty. "He maintained a low profile and never sought validation by changing himself." The restored screening of "Harmonium" was part of the celebrations marking Tapan Sinha's centenary.

These two legendary films by Ray and Sinha were restored through the efforts of the NFDC-National Film Archive of India under the National Film Heritage Mission, funded by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

"The restoration of Ray's 1971 film utilised a 35mm fine-grain master provided by the Academy Film Archive, which had photochemically preserved the film elements in the late 1990s and early 2000s," an NFDC official explained. 

The restored version includes a one-minute colour sequence featuring a Peter Fan advertisement, which was absent in earlier versions and will now be shown in its original form. This effort is part of the ongoing restoration of Ray's "Calcutta Trilogy," with "Pratidwandi," the first film in the trilogy, restored in 2022.

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The restoration of "Harmonium" (1976) was completed using the 35mm original camera negative preserved by the West Bengal State Film Archive. The NFDC-National Film Archive of India has also restored several other works by Tapan Sinha, including " "Galpo Holeo Satti" (1966), "Jatugriha" (1964), and "Aadmi Aur Aurat" (1982).