A restored version of Arundhati Roy's 1989 cult film "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones" is set to premiere at the 76th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film, directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy, was a portrait of student life at a Delhi architecture school in the mid-1970s.
A National award winner in India, the film, co-starring Arjun Raina and Roshan Seth, has now been restored in 4K by the Film Heritage Foundation. Both Krishen and Roy (who also acted in the film and later won the Booker Prize) will attend the Berlin premiere along with the foundation’s director, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
When the film was first made nearly 40 years ago, it stood out for focusing on a group rarely shown on screen: English-speaking college students with their own slang, humor, and culture. Despite its originality, the film was only shown once on television and then largely disappeared from public view.
Director Pradip Krishen reflected on that journey: “When we made 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' almost four decades ago, it was unique in the sense that no one was making films about people like us, about the English-speaking student subculture where the characters spoke their own patois. But the film went out of circulation after a single screening on television. When I donated my film material to Film Heritage Foundation, I didn’t imagine that “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones” would be restored and have a second innings. I am delighted that the restoration has been selected for a world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival where a film that virtually went underground will be presented to the world on such a major platform. Film Heritage Foundation has done remarkable work on the restoration of the film and I am looking forward to presenting the film in Berlin with Arundhati and Shivendra.”
The restored version officially had its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 2026. It will be released theatrically across 14 cities and 19 cinemas.
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, who leads the Film Heritage Foundation, explained why restoring the film was so important: “Film Heritage Foundation’s policy has been to restore rare gems of Indian cinema that are in danger of being lost and forgotten and showcase India’s rich film heritage to contemporary audiences. When Pradip Krishen donated a print of “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones” to the foundation, I knew that this was a film that must be restored. Shot on 16 mm, 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' was a pathbreaking film at the time it was made – arguably the first “English” film, irreverent and idiosyncratic, with a screenplay and dialogues that captured so authentically the student milieu of the ‘70s. Film Heritage Foundation restorations have been premiered every year at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals for the last few years. 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' will be our first restoration to have its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. I know that this is a film that will be a discovery for cinephiles all over the world.
Shahrukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee, who were aspiring actors back then, appear in the film in small roles.