36-year-old Malayalam film Kireedam returns in restored 4K version

A Malayalam-language feature film, widely regarded as a landmark in Indian cinema, has been saved from being permanently lost through digital restoration.

Starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, "Kireedam" (1989) tells the story of a young man's shattered dream of joining the police force and following in his father's footsteps.

The film will return to big screens across India and overseas tomorrow (10 July) in a restored 4K version with Dolby Atmos sound. The restoration of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful film was carried out by the National Film Development Corporation–National Film Archive of India (NFDC–NFAI). The film's original camera negative had deteriorated beyond use.

However, the National Film Archive of India had preserved a 35mm release print for more than 30 years, which became the basis for the 4K restoration.

Directed by Siby Malayil and written by AK Lohithadas, "Kireedam" stars Mohanlal and is widely regarded as one of the finest works in Malayalam cinema, particularly for its screenplay. The restoration included high-resolution scanning, digital image restoration and colour grading under the supervision of cinematographer S Kumar and director Siby Malayil. NFDC Managing Director Prakash Magdum said the film was able to return to audiences because a release print had been preserved for decades.

The restored film had its world premiere at the 55th International Film Festival of India last year, where it received an enthusiastic response from audiences and filmmakers. "Kireedam" is considered by many Malayalam film enthusiasts to be one of the greatest films ever made in the language. The film earned Mohanlal his first National Film Award with a Special Mention.