Ban on Satyajit Ray's film 'Sikkim' lifted

London, Sep 18 (ANI): The ban on Satyajit Ray's documentary film 'Sikkim' has been finally lifted by India, his family said.

It was made 40 years ago when Sikkim was an independent kingdom - Sikkim's last ruler Palden Thondup Namgyal commissioned the film to woo tourists.

His son, Sandip Ray, also a film-maker, told that he was delighted that the ban on the documentary had been lifted.

"I hope the documentary is screened soon," the BBC quoted Sandip as saying.

When the film was completed, the king and his wife were reportedly furious - especially over a shot that showed poor people scrambling for leftover food behind the royal palace in the capital, Gangtok.

"My father was asked to drop some shots and redo the final product," said Sandip Ray.

"He did that but the situation changed," he added.

By the time the final cut emerged, Sikkim had been merged with Indian under rather controversial circumstances in 1975.

Unsure how the people of Sikkim would react to the controversial shots in the film, the Indian government decided to ban Sikkim.

The two existing copies of the film are in the US and the British Film Institute. (ANI)