criterionforum.org

Posted: **Wed Aug 26, 2015 4:09 pm**

There is one DVD that I'm interested in at the moment, including two patriotic Bengali-language films from 1949 (some sources say these are from 1951 or at least one of them) called Chattogram Astragar Lunthan / Biyallish (42). Especially Chattogram... sounds fascinating, based on the Chittagong armoury raid that occurred in 1930.

Tried the Indian Amazon but to no avail. Of course there is Induna.com but they ship via courier so wouldn't want to pay too much for shipment costs since the DVD itself costs like 2,00€.

Do you have any recommendations of good online-stores in India where the shipping isn't too high?

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:08 am**

I actually have that DVD. Unfortunately, I got it in person when I last visited home. From here in USA, I actually use induna.com when I have to buy something and ship it to my mom. Then, either a friend or a family member brings the items with them when they visit, or I pick it up when I go there!

How much does the DVD cost? 2.00 or 2,00? I paid Rs. 200, which is at max $3.00! If you pay me that much, I will send you my copy

Try this link https://www.calcuttaweb.com/store/chatt ... han-42-dvd. I mostly use this site to send gifts to Kolkata. It says the item qualifies for free shipping too.

Posted: **Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:24 pm**

^ Thank you for your reply. I'll take a look at Calcuttaweb.

Posted: **Thu Nov 12, 2015 3:15 pm**

Prabhat Classics 10 DVD Set

Possibly OOP but taking suggestions of online shops that might still have this. Anyone?

The film from the collection that I'm really excited about is Ayodhyecha Raja / The King of Ayodhya (1932).

Posted: **Sat Feb 13, 2021 9:25 pm**

***NEW TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT***
Coming soon from Massacre Video!

“Mahakaal” AKA “The Monster” (1994) featuring a new 2K scan from the original camera negatives, with the coloring process already underway!

Trailer: https://youtu.be/i9Mu1zsaYKc

Posted: **Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:41 am**

Kamal Amrohi's Stunningly beautiful "Pakeezah" is announced to be released on April 1, 2025, in Blu Ray format by Leomark Studios. I have not seen any reviews of it anywhere. If anyone has any information, please let us know.
I didn't know where to post this (I couldn't find Leomark Studios in Boutique Labels), so I am putting it here. Mods, please move it as appropriate.

Posted: **Wed Mar 26, 2025 4:51 am**

Didn’t even know we had a thread for this. Mayabazar, Mera Naam Joker, Mirch Masala, Chak De! India, and Barfi came in the mail today!

Posted: **Tue Nov 04, 2025 11:08 pm**

kekid wrote: Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:41 am Kamal Amrohi's Stunningly beautiful "Pakeezah" is announced to be released on April 1, 2025, in Blu Ray format by Leomark Studios. I have not seen any reviews of it anywhere. If anyone has any information, please let us know.
I didn't know where to post this (I couldn't find Leomark Studios in Boutique Labels), so I am putting it here. Mods, please move it as appropriate.

A head's up to those tempted by the Hindi blus Leomark released this year: I got their release of Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), and as its bargain bin cover suggests, it is a zero-effort release. A Shemaroo copyright is on the back, and this is basically the version streaming on their site: Cropped to 1.85:1, heavily DNR'd. The disc looks to be MOD. There is no menu screen, there are no chapter stops -- a sin for a musical. The run time doesn't match that on the packaging, it actually exceeds it. The English subtitles can't be turned off, at least in the player. No onscreen watermark, at least.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:27 am**

brundlefly wrote: Tue Nov 04, 2025 11:08 pm
kekid wrote: Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:41 am Kamal Amrohi's Stunningly beautiful "Pakeezah" is announced to be released on April 1, 2025, in Blu Ray format by Leomark Studios. I have not seen any reviews of it anywhere. If anyone has any information, please let us know.
I didn't know where to post this (I couldn't find Leomark Studios in Boutique Labels), so I am putting it here. Mods, please move it as appropriate.
A head's up to those tempted by the Hindi blus Leomark released this year: I got their release of Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), and as its bargain bin cover suggests, it is a zero-effort release. A Shemaroo copyright is on the back, and this is basically the version streaming on their site: Cropped to 1.85:1, heavily DNR'd. The disc looks to be MOD. There is no menu screen, there are no chapter stops -- a sin for a musical. The run time doesn't match that on the packaging, it actually exceeds it. The English subtitles can't be turned off, at least in the player. No onscreen watermark, at least.

"Pakeezah" Blu Ray is poor. I am astonished by the lack of well-restored Hindi classics on Blu Ray. Second-rate popular films get released on Blu Ray, but the entire filmographies of virtually all great Hindi directors remain unwatchable or barely tolerable DVD's. I am delighted that "Manthan" has just come out. Prestige labels like Criterion and Randiance seem to have little interest in Hindi films in particulate and Indian films in general (barring Satyajit Ray). I do not understand the reason for this neglect.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:36 am**

kekid wrote: Wed Nov 05, 2025 4:27 am
brundlefly wrote: Tue Nov 04, 2025 11:08 pm
kekid wrote: Wed Mar 26, 2025 3:41 am Kamal Amrohi's Stunningly beautiful "Pakeezah" is announced to be released on April 1, 2025, in Blu Ray format by Leomark Studios. I have not seen any reviews of it anywhere. If anyone has any information, please let us know.
I didn't know where to post this (I couldn't find Leomark Studios in Boutique Labels), so I am putting it here. Mods, please move it as appropriate.
A head's up to those tempted by the Hindi blus Leomark released this year: I got their release of Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), and as its bargain bin cover suggests, it is a zero-effort release. A Shemaroo copyright is on the back, and this is basically the version streaming on their site: Cropped to 1.85:1, heavily DNR'd. The disc looks to be MOD. There is no menu screen, there are no chapter stops -- a sin for a musical. The run time doesn't match that on the packaging, it actually exceeds it. The English subtitles can't be turned off, at least in the player. No onscreen watermark, at least.
"Pakeezah" Blu Ray is poor. I am astonished by the lack of well-restored Hindi classics on Blu Ray. Second-rate popular films get released on Blu Ray, but the entire filmographies of virtually all great Hindi directors remain unwatchable or barely tolerable DVD's. I am delighted that "Manthan" has just come out. Prestige labels like Criterion and Randiance seem to have little interest in Hindi films in particulate and Indian films in general (barring Satyajit Ray). I do not understand the reason for this neglect.

I recently reached out to Deaf Crocodile about this as Bollywood is my forte and they’ve been looking into some. Rights are insanely difficult to get from the Indian production and distribution studios.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 11:19 am**

Yes, it certainly isn't anything to do with lack of interest on Anglophone labels' part - Second Run wasn't just founded by an Indian but a man born into Indian cinema royalty, and even they haven't released that many Indian films.

But rights and materials have been a total minefield for as long as I've been in this business.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 11:47 am**

Fran at Radiance has also been pretty open with his desire to release Indian cinema - even back when he was with Arrow. There's a combination of technical difficulties (often lengthy films without quality masters that would be expensive to restore) and bureaucratic ones (rightsholders who aren't familiar with standard home video licensing, therefore often don't have an obvious point of contact).

It seems that the Film Heritage Foundation have been ironing out some of those aspects, though it will be interesting to see if that carries forward to their new restoration of Sholay getting a physical release.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 2:26 pm**

Have to think Criterion is fighting to get Sholay, a major way to plug a blind spot, and they at least have the Bimal Roy films coming at some point. Was a little disappointed the Adoor Gopalakrishnan films added to the channel this month didn't have the Janus logo before them, guaranteeing some level of availability. If Criterion or Second Run or Radiance put out Anantaram I would be grateful.

I wonder why there hasn't been been wider distribution of the NFDC-funded films? The DVD releases carrying their logo had watchable restorations from seemingly solid elements, decent subs, no watermark. A lot of worthwhile material there, though mostly of the parallel cinema. Blu-rays would be welcome. But those older DVDs were marketed/distributed by Shemaroo, so perhaps rights are still tangled in that agreement.

Om Dar-B-Dar was part of that line, and while a recent Kickstarter to restore and release that seems to have failed, it at least shows there are workarounds for some of those films.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 3:04 pm**

Lee Kline confirmed years ago that it's a struggle to get a deal made for Bollywood films due to the companies that own them:

But what’s disappointing is how few Indian films feature in their catalogue. With its widespread reach and client base, a selection in Criterion could have been a shot in the arm to India’s art cinema. “India has been an extremely difficult market for us to penetrate,” said Kline. “We have meetings upon meetings with the corporates of Bollywood but nothing comes out of it. A lot of people think it was a breeze for us to get The Apu Trilogy . But we had to pursue those films for 15 years before we got them.”

Currently in the process of adding a few of Guru Dutt’s films to the collection the duo is confident that India is taking significant steps to preserve its cinematic heritage. “A lot of other countries too were late in preserving their cinema but what makes it so difficult here is the climate. With its heat and humidity, India is the worst for preserving old reels.”

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:57 pm**

Luckily early 2000’s Hindi language films have a lot on disc. I have Chak De! India, Swades, My Name Is Khan, Barfi, DDLJ, Jagga Jasoos, and 3 Idiots on blu, they all look good and have supplements (except DDLJ)

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 10:04 pm**

Mr.DarjeelingLimited wrote: Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:57 pm Luckily early 2000’s Hindi language films have a lot on disc. I have Chak De! India, Swades, My Name Is Khan, Barfi, DDLJ, Jagga Jasoos, and 3 Idiots on blu, they all look good and have supplements (except DDLJ)

I know. But these are not the films I am talking about. Think what we would have if the only French or Italian films available to us in decent Blu Rays were made after year 2000.

A random selection of what I am talking about are the films of Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Bimal Roy, films such as "Mother India," Mughal-e-Azam," and "Pākizāh," and later directors with impressive output of art films, such as Syām Benegal and Govinda Nihalani. With very few exceptions these are left to rot in the vaults.

Yoloswegmaster's reminder of the Lee Klines response from years ago is discouraging, because nothing has changed since then.

Posted: **Wed Nov 05, 2025 10:43 pm**

I'm happy to confirm that the three original camera negatives of India's first Technicolor film Jhansi Ki Rani (1953) have been properly preserved, thanks to the happy historical accident that India didn't have Technicolor processing facilities so all lab work was carried out in London and the negatives ultimately ended up with the BFI.

But restoring them properly would cost an absolute fortune – as said above, this is where the lengthy running times of Indian features pose a significant drawback – and would most likely have to be carried out as a cultural project funded at national government level because it would be pretty much impossible to make a profit on a commercial release.

Posted: **Fri Nov 07, 2025 3:56 pm**

In a supplement to their restored version of "Manthan," Shyam Benegal says that he has handed over the personal copies of his films to Shivendra Singh Durgapur, the famed restorer. His films are more recent than the one MichaelB mentions, and based on the example of "Manthan" restorable to pristine condition. They are also not as long as some of the classic Hindi films, so the effort and cost may be lesser to restore them. "Manthan" will go in history as the largest crowd-funded film (500,000 dairy farmers contributed tiny amounts to make it happen). Given Shyam Benegal's recent death, a box set of his major films would be a wonderful tribute.

Posted: **Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:26 pm**

It would be great, but rights issues may be more complicated than those of Manthan. Shemaroo has crapped out cropped DNR'd "restorations" of several of Benegal's most desirable early films; in the States at least Ankur, Nishant, Bhumika, and Mandi are with them and streaming on their service (and for those who have it through their libraries, Hoopla). Would be a blessing to see them saved from those compromised versions, of course.

Wonder if Junoon would be the next easiest one to clear as it was from Shashi Kapoor's company.

Posted: **Tue Nov 11, 2025 5:49 pm**

In August 2025 in India, for the Guru Dutt centennial, there were showings of allegedly restored Dutt films; reports on the showings start in post 45 here:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... 488&page=3

+1 vote for Aar Paar (1954), Ankur, Bhumika, Paar (1984, Goutam Ghose), and Mrinal Sen´s Khandhar, Ek Din Prati Din, Genesis, Ek din achanak on blu

Other news on Pakeezah restoration from OCN materials and OCN of Dutt´s Bharosa (1963) rediscovered:

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 220535.ece

https://www.reddit.com/r/bollywood/comm ... getting_a/

Ray´s "Kanchenjunga, made in 1962 and the director’s first colour feature, is also a forthcoming project.restoration work is also being undertaken by the National Film Development Corporation of India which had the digitally-enhanced version of Raj Kapoor’s Awara at TIFF in 2024."
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-ne ... 22728.html

Awāra was restored in 4K by NFDC-National Film Archive of India under National Film Heritage Mission, a project undertaken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
https://tiff.net/events/awara

Posted: **Sat Nov 15, 2025 4:59 am**

I believe Deaf Crocodile is currently working on Gamak Ghar and Shepherdess and the Seven Songs. Rights are just insanely hard to work out in India apparently but they did mention these films when the label was announced, I reached out to them about Indian films recently and they are definitely negotiating rights.

Posted: **Tue Dec 16, 2025 12:21 am**

Calvin wrote: Wed Nov 05, 2025 11:47 am Fran at Radiance has also been pretty open with his desire to release Indian cinema - even back when he was with Arrow. There's a combination of technical difficulties (often lengthy films without quality masters that would be expensive to restore) and bureaucratic ones (rightsholders who aren't familiar with standard home video licensing, therefore often don't have an obvious point of contact).

It seems that the Film Heritage Foundation have been ironing out some of those aspects, though it will be interesting to see if that carries forward to their new restoration of Sholay getting a physical release.

The Regal theaters in my area have FHF's Sholay: The Final Cut restoration running this week, so I took in a snow day matinee. Was exciting to make one of the first Bollywood movies I'd seen also the first I've seen on a big screen, and I'm sure the image and subs were better than the DVD I'd watched (though I'm not sure how much footage was newly included; when you port a character's backstory direct from Once Upon a Time in the West, tough for it to feel fresh). It's one of those movies where all the familiar elements click, at least for its first half, and it would have been fun to see with a packed house. (There were only two others at my screening.)

The pre-roll had been updated recently enough to include an in memoriam frame for Dharmendra.

The image was wildly inconsistent. Hope the worst of it had to do with the projection. (I'm no tech guy.) While close-ups could be stunning, and there was often film grain present, wide shots looked blocky and the faces looked scrubbed to the point they'd been painted on. Distracting, hopefully not 100% representative of the end result.

criterionforum.org

Indian Films on Disc

Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on DVD/Blu-ray

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc

Re: Indian Films on Disc