The Ritual
(Ghatashraddha)
A film by Girish Kasaravalli

India, 1977

Girish Kasaravalli’s groundbreaking debut feature is a scathing critique of religious hypocrisy.

The film tells of a friendship between two outsiders, a young Brahmin boy at a religious school, bullied by his peers, and the headmaster’s widowed daughter who conceals a secret pregnancy for fear of being ostracised.

Kasaravalli’s forthright and uncompromising film takes aim at a vicious patriarchal system. Its daring subject matter and neorealist approach established him as a major talent in the Indian film industry.

Now restored in 4K by Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, George Lucas' Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and Film Heritage Foundation.

“It’s arguably the greatest debut in Indian cinema after Ray’s masterpiece, Pather Panchali” Wonders in the Dark

Pre-order here

ON BLU-RAY SEPTEMBER 2026