Cannes 2025: Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal attend Aranyer Din Ratri screening

Veteran actors Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal on Monday evening attended the screening of Satyajit Ray's iconic 1970 movie Aranyer Din Ratri at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

A 4K restored version of the Bengali-language film, titled Days and Nights in the Forest in English, is being showcased at the 78th edition of the prestigious gala under the Cannes Classics section.

Sharmila made an appearance on the red carpet in a classy green saree along with her daughter and jewellery designer Saba Pataudi, who opted for an all-yellow ethnic ensemble. Sharmila was joined by her co-star Simi, who was dressed in a gown by Indian couture label Karleo in her signature white colour.

They were joined on the red carpet by the film's gala presenter and Hollywood filmmaker Wes Anderson, who led its six-year-long restoration.

Wes, a long-time admirer of Satyajit Ray, introduced the movie ahead of its screening.

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 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.

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, 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.

Last year, the 4K restored version of Shyam Benegal's Manthan (1976) was screened in the same section at Cannes.

Aribam Syam Sharma's Manipuri film Ishanou (1990) and 1978 Malayalam movie Thampu (1978) by G Aravindan were showcased under Cannes Classics in 2023 and 2022, respectively.