Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri Heads To Cannes Presented By Wes Anderson-Sharmila Tagore

News18

11-05-2025

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Satyajit Ray's 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri, restored in 4K, will premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
It's a full-circle moment for Indian cinema lovers: Satyajit Ray's 1970 gem Aranyer Din Ratri is making a grand return, this time on the global stage at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The film has been meticulously restored in 4K, thanks to a collaborative effort by Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, the Film Heritage Foundation, Janus Films, and the Criterion Collection.
This restoration was made possible with funding from the Golden Globe Foundation and utilized the original camera and sound negatives preserved by producer Purnima Dutta.
Leading the presentation at Cannes will be acclaimed filmmaker Wes Anderson, a long-time admirer of Ray's work. He once remarked, 'Anything signed by Satyajit Ray must be cherished and preserved; but the nearly-forgotten Days and Nights in the Forest is a special/particular gem… Made in 1970. Modern and novelistic. Ray worked in terrain perhaps more familiar to Cassavetes. A clash/negotiation between castes and sexes. Urbans and rurals. Selfish men and their hopes and cruelties and spectacular lack of wisdom. Women who see through them. The great Soumitra Chatterjee: lost but searching. The great Sharmila Tagore: mysterious, cerebral, mesmerizing. From the master, another masterpiece."
Joining Anderson on the red carpet will be Sharmila Tagore, who starred in the original film. Reflecting on the experience, she shared, 'I remember I was shooting for Aradhana when Manikda approached me to shoot for this film for a month in a stretch. It was incredibly hot during the shoot and we could only shoot in the mornings and late afternoons. I have wonderful memories of the time spent with my co-actors and Manikda's precision, especially in the way he shot the memory game sequence, was incredible. I can't wait to watch the restored film. Aranyer Din Ratri is such a contemporary film that I know it will resonate with new audiences across the world even today."
This screening marks the fourth consecutive year that an Indian film restored by the Film Heritage Foundation has been featured in the Cannes Classics section, following previous restorations like Thamp, Ishanou, and Manthan.
Aranyer Din Ratri follows four friends from Calcutta who venture into the forests of Palamau for a holiday, leading to unexpected self-discoveries. The film delves into themes of class, modernity, and alienation, offering a nuanced portrayal of post-colonial urban India .
The restored version's premiere at Cannes is not just a celebration of Ray's cinematic brilliance but also a testament to the enduring relevance of his storytelling. As Tagore aptly put it, 'It's wonderful that Manik Da's Aranyer Din Ratri has been restored and will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year. 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."
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