Wes Anderson reveals why he ‘stole' this famous Satyajit Ray scene for Asteroid City: ‘The concept is very odd'

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

It's no secret that American filmmaker Wes Anderson is a huge fan of the late Satyajit Ray. Talking to THR India on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, where he presented Satyajit's 1971 film Aranyer Din Ratri after spearheading its restoration, he admitted to copying a famous scene from it for his 2023 film Asteroid City. (Also Read: Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal attend Aranyer Din Ratri Cannes screening, hang out with Satyajit Ray fanboy Wes Anderson)
When asked about the memory game scene from Asteroid City, Wes admitted it was 'copied' from Aranyer Din Ratri. 'Yes, well, stole it. The way that scene was done…it's the most beautifully…First of all, that concept of the scene is very odd because it's a game. But we learn about these characters so much while they play these games, and they're saying these things,' he explained.
He also added that he loved the way the film was shot, and how it revealed so much about the characters, 'Then the way it's photographed. I mean, the cast is obviously a special cast. But the way it's photographed is very striking. And the moment when we choose to start going from face to face, there's more emotion in this scene than you would think there's any reason to be. My family and I began to play this game after I saw the movie.'
In Aranyer Din Ratri, which stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Pahari Sanyal and Sharmila Tagore in lead roles, a famous scene shows the camera pan to different characters sitting in a circle as they play a memory game. Wes recreated the scene in his film Asteroid City, which stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Grace Edwards and others.
Aranyer Din Ratri is considered one of the best films made in India. It received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.