The 1989 cult classic In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, produced and directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy, has been restored in 4K by the Film Heritage Foundation. Cast and crew reunited on Saturday at PVR Plaza, Delhi, to share memories of the campus comedy, marking the film’s release across 14 cities and 19 cinemas.
Roy, who attended the screening, described the film as “a celebration of utter ridiculousness,” praising the youthful camaraderie on set. “These were young people radically different from what goes on in the world today. They celebrated each other’s failures and eccentricities, not social media likes or possessions. It’s a kind of radical, joyful sound,” she said.
The film’s quirky title came from on-set humor. Director Krishen recalled, “When people asked what we were shooting, we would just say ‘those ones’. Someone misheard it as ‘Do Jawaan’ — the theatre erupted in laughter.”
Attending the screening were lead actors Arjun Raina (Annie), Cecil Qadir (art professor), and other key cast and crew including Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Shantum Seth, Deepak Castelino, Bobby Bedi, and Ravi Kaimal. The film follows a group of final-year students at the National Institute of Architecture, focusing on Annie, a nine-year veteran of a five-year course, navigating college life with humor and mischief.
Raina called the restored screening “deeply healing”, emphasizing the cultural heritage the film preserves. He also shared anecdotes behind the film’s sequences, including one inspired by his own detention during the 1980s anti-Sikh riots.
The restored version also highlights an early role by Shah Rukh Khan, adding to the film’s historical significance.
The 4K restoration has brought fresh attention to this campus comedy, celebrating a time when filmmaking was marked by collaboration, eccentricity, and heart — values that Roy fondly remembers as central to the magic of In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones.
