Shakti Samanta@100: Restored Classics Stream On Ultra Play All January

India-West Staff Reporter

MUMBAI – Ultra Play is commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of filmmaker Shakti Samanta with a dedicated festival throughout January, featuring 32 titles from his catalogue — many of them digitally restored for improved picture and sound.

Samanta, whose films shaped the mainstream grammar of Hindi cinema through the 1960s–80s, is known for enduring hits such as ‘Aradhana’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Kati Patang’, ‘Howrah Bridge’, ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ and ‘An Evening in Paris’.

The curated line-up on Ultra Play includes these and other titles including ‘Ajanabee’, ‘Anuraag’, ‘Amanush’, ‘Balika Badhu’, ‘China Town’, ‘Barsaat Ki Ek Raat’, ‘Palay Khan’, ‘Jane Anjane’, ‘Geetanjali’, ‘Anand Ashram’, ‘Ankhon Mein Tum Ho’, ‘Awaaz’, ‘Khwab’, ‘Ahankaar’ and ‘Don Muthu Swami’.

The centenary fell on January 13. The platform notes that titles like ‘Amar Prem’ — remembered for its enduring songs and dialogues including the well-known “Pushpa, I hate tears” — and ‘Aradhana’, considered pivotal in cementing Rajesh Khanna’s superstardom, continue to attract younger viewers. Music-driven works such as ‘Kati Patang’, with compositions by R. D. Burman, also see periodic rediscovery. Films such as ‘An Evening in Paris’ and ‘Howrah Bridge’ are cited for expanding genres and aesthetics, from overseas location shooting to noir-inflected storytelling, while ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ helped shape the valley’s image as a cinematic location in the 1960s.

In a statement, Sushil Kumar Agrawal, CEO of Ultra Media & Entertainment Group, said Samanta’s films “represented a rare balance of emotion, music and human connection,” adding that they “continue to resonate because their stories and songs remain timeless.”