Blu-Ray BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / Region ABC
RRP: £19.99
Release Date: 14 September 2026
SRBD 107
Blu-Ray |
|---|
In rural India an unlikely friendship develops between a lonely young boy studying at a religious school and the headmaster’s widowed daughter. He is bullied by his schoolmates, she is concealing a forbidden relationship; their bond offers much-needed refuge from the cruel orthodoxy of village life.
Girish Kasaravalli’s spare, haunting drama reveals how rigid codes of caste and ritual purity lead to devastating consequences. Weaving together uncompromising political and social critique with a deeply affecting coming-of-age tale, the film is recognised as a key work of Indian Parallel Cinema.
The Ritual (Ghatashraddha) is presented from a beautiful new 4K restoration by Film Heritage Foundation, Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project and George Lucas' Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. It also includes an new filmed interview with director Girish Kasaravalli, plus a booklet with new writing by Dr Omar Ahmed.
• The Ritual (Ghatashraddha, 1977) presented from the new 4K restoration by Film Heritage Foundation, Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project and George Lucas' Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
• An exclusive, newly-filmed interview with director Girish Kasaravalli.
• 20-page booklet with new writing by author Dr Omar Ahmed, plus director Girish Kasaravalli on the film, and Film Heritage Foundation's Shivendra Singh Dungarpur on the restoration.
• New English subtitle translation.
• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C).
• UK premiere release on Blu-ray.
Directed by Girish Kasaravalli
Screenplay - Girish Kasaravalli
Based on the book by U. R. Ananthamurthy
Dialogue and Art Direction - K. V. Subbanna
Cinematography - S. Ramachandra
Editor - Umesh Kulkarni
Music - B. V. Karanth
Sound - K. S. Krishna Moorthy
Producer - Sadananda Suvarna
Main Cast
Meena Kuttappa - Yamuna
Ajith Kumar - Nani
Narayana Bhat - Shastry
Ramakrishna
Shantha
Ramaswamy Iyengar
Jagannath
B. Suresha
H. S. Parvathi
More gems of Asian and international cinema
are also available on Second Run
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Voted one of the 20 Best Films in 100 years of Indian Cinema
1977 National Film Award / Winner: Best Feature Film
1977 National Film Award / Winner: Best Actor - Ajith Kumar
1977 National Film Award / Winner: Best Cinematography
1977 National Film Award / Winner: Best Music
1977 Karnataka State Film Awards / Winner: Best First Film
1977 Karnataka State Film Awards / Winner: Screenplay
1977 Karnataka State Film Awards / Winner: Best Child Actor
2025 Venice Film Festival / Classics Selection
“I was so overwhelmed to see the restored Ghatashraddha...
It has been a revelation to see the film come back to life again with such astonishing beauty after almost 50 years”
Girish Kasaravalli
“It’s arguably the greatest debut in Indian cinema after
[Satyajit] Ray’s masterpiece, Pather Panchali”
Wonders in the Dark
“Regarded as one of the best Indian films of all time and exemplifies the strength of the independent regional cinema that flourished in the 70s. Stylistically anchored by elegant cinematography from veteran cameraman S. Ramachandran” Asia Society
“One of the key works of the Indian New Wave, this spare, haunting drama ... Ghatashraddha raised the profile of Kannada- language cinema both at home and abroad and helped to establish it as a major force within the Indian film industry”
Moving Image
“Ghatashraddha remains one of the most astonishing debuts in the history of Indian cinema; an introspective study of religious orthodoxy, pariahs and banishment. Lovingly restored by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), this restoration brings to light a film of tangible thematic and aesthetic mastery. It has barely been screened outside India, so for most audiences encountering Girish Kasaravalli's work for the first time, this will be a genuine discovery”
Dr. Omar Ahmed