It was a proud moment for Indian Cinema as Satyajit Ray’s 1970-release Aranyer Din Ratri was screened as part of the Cannes Classics at Cannes Film Festival in its newly restored version. Cast members Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal were present at the screening, along with Film Heritage Foundation chief Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. (Also read: Revisiting Aranyer Din Ratri: Even after 55 years, this Satyajit Ray film remains a timeless study of privilege)
Aranyer Din Ratri gets standing ovation
Saba Ali Khan, daughter of Sharmila Tagore, who also accompanied the cast to the screening, shared a bunch of pictures and videos from the special evening. After the premiere, the audience stood up and gave a standing ovation. Sharmila was ushered to come near the centre of the projection stage and looked elated at the warm reception.
Sharmila, Simi and Saba at Cannes
In the video, Sharmila was seen walking towards the centre of the screening stage. The audience erupted in a standing ovation, and Sharmila smiled at the response. In the caption, Saba wrote, “A little more ….of moments. Standing ovation. A beautiful celebration of life. Team that made it all possible. Congratulations!”
In another picture, she was seen speaking about the film, with Simi Garewal standing right beside her. In another picture, Saba and Sharmila posed with filmmaker Wes Anderson standing the middle.
Wes, a long-time admirer of Ray, introduced the movie ahead of its screening. 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.
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. It follows 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. In the film, Sharmila plays Aparna, a cool and elegant city woman, whereas Simi essays the role of a tribal Santhal girl named Duli.
