The 78th edition of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is all set to kick off on May 13, and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s 1970 classic Bengali film Aranyer Din Ratri will be screened in its 4 K restored version. The  film will be screened under the Classics section at Cannes 2025.

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Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has restored the classic film, which featured Soumitro Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, and Simi Garewal, among others. The organizers have also announced that the restored version of Sumitra Peries’ Sinhalese film Gehenu Lamai (1978) will also be screened.

Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal to attend

The film’s screening will be special as its two leading ladies, Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal, will be present along with filmmaker Wes Anderson. Sharmila, who collaborated with Ray on multiple films, is expected to walk the red carpet ahead of the premiere of the classic film.

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Sharmila Tagore recently reflected on the milestone achievement and said, “It’s wonderful that Manik Da’s (Ray) '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.”

She recalled, “I remember I was shooting for 'Aradhana' when Manikda approached me to shoot for this film for a month at 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.”

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The actress added, “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. I would like to thank the Film Heritage Foundation for their amazing contribution in restoring this film.”

Meanwhile, Hollywood filmmaker Wes Anderson complimented Satyajit Ray’s work and his film being preserved and said, “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.”

He added, “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.”

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The 4K restoration of Aranyer Din Ratri (Days And Nights In The Forest) was completed using the original camera and sound negative preserved by the producer of the film, Purnima Dutta.

 The premiere of Aranyer Din Ratri in Cannes will be presented by filmmaker and Board Member of The Film Foundation Wes Anderson, Sharmila Tagore, Simi Garewal, producer Purnima Dutta, Executive Director of The Film Foundation Margaret Bodde, Director of Film Heritage Foundation Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Peter Becker and Fumiko Takagi of The Criterion Collection / Janus Films.

About Aranyer Din Ratri

The movie was released in 1970 and follows four carefree, jaded middle-class bachelors from Calcutta who go for a holiday in the forests of Palamau, only to undergo a journey of self-discovery.

Aranyer Din Ratri featured an ensemble cast, including Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal, Soumitra Chatterjee, Shubhendu Chatterjee, Rabi Ghosh, Samit Bhanja, Pahari Sanyal, Premashish Sen, Samar Nag, Khairatilal Lahori, Master Dibyendu Chatterjee and Aparna Sen.