The 2025 Venice Film Festival will present the 4K restored version of Bimal Roy’s 1953 classic, ‘Do Bigha Zamin’, marking its importance in global cinema. The screening matches Roy’s 116th birth anniversary and is part of the Venice Classics section with other cinematic masterpiece.

‘Bimal Roy’s children, Rinke Roy Bhattacharya, Aparajita Roy Sinha, and Joy Bimal Roy, along with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, will present the film. The restoration film Heritage Foundation, The Cracerian Collection and Janus Films have a collaboration, ‘the organizers of the festival said. The purpose of this cooperation is to preserve the legacy of Roy’s work for future generations.

Famous lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar, who worked as an assistant director with Roy, praised the initiative. He said, “It is surprising that ‘Do Bigha Zamin’ has been restored and will be shown in Venice. The film is historic because it has changed the way to make films in India. After Chetan Anand’s ‘Neka Nagar’, who won an award at Cannes Film Festival, this was another Indian film to win and get international recognition at Cannes Film Festival.

A film based on a poem based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore and a film scripted by Salil Chaudhary tells the story of a farmer’s struggle with industrialization. Gulzar said, “The most important element is that all his films … were based on literature.” This literary Foundation added depth and resonance to his cinematic stories.

Commenting on the influence of Bimal Roy, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur said, “In his films, I was hit by poetic scenes, silence, the deep humanism and compassion … For me, bigha Jamin changed the face of Indian cinema.” Dungarpur was introduced to Roy’s work with Gulzar during his time.

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Dungarpur expressed enthusiasm about cooperating on the restoration of other Roy classics, including ‘Devdas’, ‘Madhumati’ and ‘Bandini’. Restoration shows the permanent relevance of Roy’s films, which addresses subjects such as urban-rural division and issues around migrant labor.

The importance of the film extends to its production style. As Gulzar recalled, “People would say that Bimal-da was like a married print … He not only learned filmmaking from him, but the art of patience and stamina.” This dedication to the craft was clear in his careful approach to filmmaking.

Bimal Roy’s family expressed his happiness about screening, saying that this is a “dream true for us”. The event underlines the influence of ‘Do Biha Zamin’ on Indian cinema and its permanent heritage, which celebrates the timeless art of storytelling.