Veteran actors Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal attended the screening of Satyajit Ray's iconic 1970 movie 'Aranyer Din Ratri' at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival this week. A 4K restored version of the Bengali-language film, titled 'Days and Nights in the Forest' in English, was showcased at the 78th edition of the prestigious gala under the Cannes Classics section.
Tagore walked the red carpet in a green saree along with her daughter and jewellery designer Saba Pataudi. They were joined by Simi Garewal, who was seen in her signature white gown designed by Indian couture label Karleo.
In the film, Tagore plays Aparna, a cool and elegant city woman, whereas Garewal essays the role of a tribal Santhal girl named Duli. The film's gala presenter and Hollywood filmmaker, Wes Anderson, who led its six-year-long restoration, said: "'Aranyer Din Ratri', which explores themes of alienation, class, and modernity, follows the story of four city-bred men who escape to the forests of Palamau (now in Jharkhand) for a carefree holiday, only to undergo a journey of self-discovery."
"Aranyer Din Ratri" is presented and restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project at L'Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), Janus Films, and the Criterion Collection. The funding was provided by the Golden Globe Foundation.
Also part of the screening were producer Purnima Dutta, Margaret Bodde, executive director of The Film Foundation, and FHF founder Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Based on the novel of the same name by author Sunil Gangopadhyay, 'Aranyer Din Ratri' also featured Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Robi Ghosh, and Aparna Sen.
