Restored Aranyer Din Ratri to be screened at Cannes film festival with Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal in attendance
Times of India | 9 May 2025
Kolkata: The restored ‘Aranyer Din Ratri' will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the presence of the film's cast, Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal, and director Wes Anderson. The festival authorities announced on Wednesday that the 1970 classic, restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project at L'Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with Film Heritage Foundation, Janus Films, and the Criterion Collection, will be screened in the Cannes Classics section.This film, based on Sunil Gangopadhyay's novel, follows four young men who venture into Jharkhand's forests for a brief respite.In the process, it examines social class dynamics, relationships between genders, and how traditional values persist amidst modernisation. The classic was in the main competition of the 20th Berlin Film Festival in 1970 but was not sent to Cannes then. Its 4K restoration was completed using the original camera and sound negative preserved by producer Purnima Dutta, and the magnetic track preserved at the BFI National Archive. Happy with the Cannes announcement, Dutta said, "The film has resonated with the audiences all across the world and will certainly spark meaningful discussions at the festival. However, I will not be present at that screening."Director Sandip Ray has described the film as a personal favourite that is "complex and yet so richly textured". He conveyed his gratitude towards Martin Scorsese's ‘The Film Foundation', Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation, and The Criterion Collection for their collaboration in enabling the restoration of the film. "Since mid-2024, I worked closely with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur through the whole restoration process and was quite amazed by the meticulous approach taken during restoration. He would send me the restored clips, providing an opportunity to me to rediscover numerous new layers within the film. Both the screenplay and acting are interesting. The restored film looks stunning."Dungarpur described the restoration work as an "incredibly moving experience". "It will be my pleasure to attend the screening along with Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal, and Purnima Dutta's family. ‘Aranyer Din Ratri' is one of my favourite films. Seeing the film's beauty and artistry revitalised after 55 years – from its title to its haunting score and the captivating chemistry of its cast – has been a sheer privilege," Dungarpur said.Though Sandip Ray is giving the Cannes screening a miss, he extended his heartfelt thanks to Anderson for presenting the film at Cannes. "He has been a great admirer of my father's work and sent such a beautiful note on the film calling it ‘another masterpiece' from the master," he added.Anderson, who is a board member of The Film Foundation, in his note has said: "Anything signed bySatyajit Raymust be cherished and preserved; but the nearly-forgotten ‘Days and Nights in the Forest' is a special/particular gem..." Operation SindoorOperation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full listDid Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA saidIndia foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so farDescribing the film as "modern and novelistic", Anderson's note mentioned that Ray worked in terrain perhaps more familiar to American filmmaker John Cassavetes. Among the various aspects he pointed out about the film was the "clash/negotiation between castes and sexes", "urbans and rurals", "selfish men and their hopes and cruelties and spectacular lack of wisdom" and the "women who see through them".His note ended with his description of the "great Soumitra Chatterjee" in the film as someone who is "lost but searching" and the "great Sharmila Tagore" as "mysterious, cerebral, mesmerizing".Tagore, who is soaking in the praise for her recent Bengali film ‘Puratawn', has fond memories of Ray approaching her for ‘Aranyer Din Ratri' when she was shooting for ‘Aradhana'. Ray wanted her to shoot this film for a month at a stretch. In the incredibly hot weather, the unit could shoot only in the mornings and late afternoons. Those memories continue to haunt her, especially in the way he shot the memory game sequence. Describing the film as a "contemporary" work, Tagore is sure it "will resonate with new audiences across the world even today". "This is a very special moment for me and I am so happy that I will be in Cannes to present the film at the premiere… I can't wait to watch the restored film," she has stated.Garewal has described the restoration as "an extraordinary gift" not just to those who were part of the film, but to world cinema. Describing the Cannes screening as a "beautiful tribute to Satyajit Ray's timeless brilliance", she reflected: "I still remember the silence of the forests, the rhythm of the shoot... Working with Satyajit Ray was like stepping into the mind of a quiet genius—every word, every gesture mattered, and he had this rare ability to make you discover depths in yourself you didn't know existed."Gfx:Name of the film: Aranyer Din RatriDirector: Satyajit RayYear: 1970Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal, Soumitra Chatterjee, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Samit Bhanja, Pahari Sanyal, Premashish Sen, Samar Nag, Khairatilal Lahori, Master Dibyendu Chatterjee, and Aparna Sen MSID:: 120964364 413 |