The 18-month journey to restore Arundhati Roy's 'In Which Annie…'
16 Feb 2026

The 1989 cult classic In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, has been given a new lease of life with a 4K restoration.

The film is now making its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale).

This marks a significant milestone for the Film Heritage Foundation, which undertook the restoration.

35mm release print was blown up from original 16mm negative
Restoration hurdles

The restoration process took 18 months and was not without its challenges, per Variety.

The team had to work from a 35mm release print that was blown up from the original 16mm negative, which had "suffered perforation damage, tears, scratches, shrinkage, mold, and halos."

To overcome these issues, Krishen provided access to the original camera negative and sound negative from the National Film Archive of India.

Challenges in sound restoration
Audio enhancement

The sound restoration process was also challenging, with optical elements suffering from electrical noise, distortion, gaps, and dropouts.

To ensure the film's dialogue remained intact, Krishen prepared new subtitles for the restoration.

Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur worked closely with Krishen throughout the process to maintain color accuracy and preserve the film's authentic grain.

Film's plot and cast
Film synopsis

Set in a Delhi architecture school in the mid-1970s, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones explores student life through a unique lens.

The film's title character is Anand Grover, aka "Annie," a fifth-year architecture student who keeps chickens in his dorm room.

His friends include Radha (Roy), her boyfriend Arjun, Mankind, and Kasozi from Uganda.

The film also features Roshan Seth, Arjun Raina, Rituraj Isaac Thomas, and Divya Seth.

Why Roy withdrew from Berlinale
Author's withdrawal

Despite the film's restoration and premiere at Berlinale, Roy has withdrawn from the festival.

The author was reportedly unhappy with the jury's refusal to comment on Gaza.

When asked about her withdrawal, Dungarpur declined to comment.

Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan also has a minor role in the film that originally aired once on Doordarshan before vanishing from circulation.