The instant recall factor when one thinks of Aamir Khan today could be the violent lover boy in Ghajini. However, for true fans of Hindi cinema, a more intense acting by the star was showcased in Raakh. The highly acclaimed film is known as much for the actor’s performance as for its direction and cinematography. But the 1989 release, sadly, failed to impress at the box office.

While Ghajini was clearly over-the-top, the performance of every actor in Raakh — with Supriya Pathak and Pankaj Kapoor in key roles — was controlled and near-perfect, bringing home a slew of National Awards, including Khan’s first National Award (the Special Jury Award). The film, which today exists only in archives, is being brought to the theatres, with digitally re-mastered prints, next month.

Raakh releases in theatres on June 12 (the DVD release will follow in August) under the banner of Audacity International (also the distributors), which is a joint venture between the movie’s director Aditya Bhattacharya, producer Asif Noor and world cinema major Palador Pictures. However, this isn’t a one-off project as Audacity intends to buy the rights to similar pieces of good Indian cinema and revive them.

“Raakh is undoubtedly one of the most influential voices from India and it shaped my early fascination with films that were non-Bollywood. It was tragic to see cult movies like this languishing and in a state of neglect. Restoring and re-releasing Raakh across the world is not just a passion but our duty towards cinema,” says Gautam Shiknis, MD and founder of Palador Pictures, who first suggested the concept to Bhattacharya.

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