After The Apu Trilogy, Jalsaghar, Mahanagar and several other Satyajit Ray films, an American home video distribution company, which has restored some of the world’s best-known classics and critically successful movies, is set to release the legendary filmmaker’s Devi in October. After having bought the home video rights for The Apu Trilogy, Charulata, Mahanagar and Nayak, among others, they did ‘frame by frame’ restoration before distributing the films. Along with Ray’s classic, their October release list will have Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, The Incredible Shrinking Man, High Sierra, Kaneto Shindo’s Onibaba, and Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems.

Devi, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962, is still considered one of the finest films by Ray. Sharmila Tagore, who played Doyamoyee in the film, believes Devi is her “most appreciated performance”. “I was 14 when Manik da called me for Devi. It was made in 1959 and today, after so many years, it remains my favourite film and most appreciated performance,” she says.

Sharmila adds, “The film reflects the clash between orthodoxy and the rational thinking that came into vogue in the late 19th century. Doyamoyee, the character I play, is a young unlettered daughter-in-law in a very orthodox zamindar family, whose patriarch Kalikinkar (played by Chhabi Biswas) is an ardent devotee of Kali.”

But why does she think Devi is still relevant today, we ask. “The subject that is set in 1860 remains relevant even today. The conflict between religious orthodoxy and rationalism is as relevant today as it was then. There are dark pockets in India that still uphold superstition and women fall prey to age-old patriarchy. Till such a mindset exists, Devi will remain a very important film,” says the actress.