Sharmila Tagore to attend Cannes 2025 for Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri screening

Sharmila Tagore

Sharmila Tagore will be attending this year's Cannes Film Festival 2025 for a special screening. She will be present at the screening of the 4K restored version of master filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri. The movie, which stars Sharmila Tagore, will be screened at Cannes under the Classics section, the organisers said on Thursday.

Sharmila Tagore to attend Cannes 2025

Tagore, who collaborated with Ray on several other projects, will walk the red carpet at Cannes 2025 with Simi Garewal, who also played an important role in Aranyer Din Ratri alongside her. While speaking about this milestone, Tagore shared, "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."

Getting nostalgic, she shared, "I remember I was shooting for Aradhana when Manik Da 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 Manik Da's precision, especially in the way he shot the memory game sequence - was incredible."

About the film

Based on the novel of the same name by author Sunil Gangopadhyay, the Bengali-language film - titled Days and Nights in the Forest in English - featured an ensemble cast of Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Robi Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Sharmila Tagore, and Simi Garewal.
The movie, which explored themes of alienation, class, and modernity, followed 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.

Aranyer Din Ratri had its world premiere at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the top prize of the Golden Bear for Best Film.

The Cannes Classics section will also screen Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush to celebrate the movie's centenary year. The film gala will also showcase Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Amores Perros to mark its 25th anniversary, as well as Edward Yang's Yi Yi (2000), John Woo's Hard Boiled (1992), Sri Lankan filmmaker Sumitra Peries' Gehenu Lamai (1978), and Marcel Pagnol's Merlusse (1935).