More than three decades after its release, Dev Benegal’s English, August is ready to be rediscovered. Starring Rahul Bose, the 1994 cult classic has been restored in 4K and will make its world premiere in the Venice Classics section at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The restoration gives a new generation of movie lovers the chance to experience the film on the big screen.
The announcement was made by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), which continues its successful run at Venice. This marks the third consecutive year that one of the foundation’s restorations has been selected for the prestigious Venice Classics section, following Girish Kasaravalli’s Ghatashraddha in 2024 and Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin in 2025.
What Rahul Bose said
Actor Rahul Bose, who played the lead role in the film, shared his excitement over the announcement on Instagram, where he said, “So I have some news for you for all those people over the last 30 years who have been asking me for a copy of English, August, where they can see English, August. Um, do I have some way to download it? And the answer has been a flat no. Well, the Film Heritage Foundation, led by Shivendra Dungarpur and his team of wizards, have restored English, August to its pristine glory.”
He added, “And it’s going to release, re-premiere, so to speak, at the Venice Film Festival in the first week of September in the classic section. And after that, who knows? It’s up to Dev Benegal, the director, and the producers as to whether they want to release it again in the cinema halls. That’ll be a blast. Uh, or on OTT, I don’t know. But the good news is that there is now a fantastic new restored edition of English, August. So enjoy.”
What is English, August about
Based on Upamanyu Chatterjee’s celebrated 1988 novel, English, August tells the story of Agastya Sen, a young city-bred civil servant whose first posting lands him in a remote town, completely different from the fast-paced life he is used to. As he struggles to fit in, the film quietly captures his boredom, confusion and search for meaning, while also reflecting on life in post-colonial India. Over the years, it has grown into a cult favourite and is widely regarded as one of the most important independent films to come out of India.
Following its release, the film picked up several major honours. It won the Silver Montgolfiere and the Gilberto Martinez Solares Award for Best First Film at the 1994 Festival des 3 Continents, was named Best Feature Film in English at the 1995 National Film Awards in India, and also received a Special Jury Prize at the 1994 Torino International Festival of Young Cinema.
Restoring a film against the odds
The restored version of English, August will be presented at the Venice International Film Festival by Dev Benegal, Rahul Bose, Anuradha Parikh, sound recordist Vikram Joglekar and Film Heritage Foundation director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.
The festival will run from August 26 to September 5, where the film will return to the big screen 31 years after its release, giving international audiences a chance to experience the classic in its newly restored form.