Sharmila Tagore makes an elegant comeback to Cannes in a green saree, Simi Garewal is in her signature white at 'Aranyer Din Ratri' screening

Sharmila Tagore, Simi Grewal on Cannes Red Carpet. (Photo: Agencies)

Veteran actors Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal attended the screening of Satyajit Ray's iconic 1970 movie 'Aranyer Din Ratri' at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Monday evening (May 19).

Sharmila Tagore walked the red carpet in a green saree along with her daughter and jewellery designer Saba Pataudi. Saba wore a yellow ethnic ensemble.

Sharmila Tagore was joined by her co-star Simi Garewal, and she was seen in  her signature white gown designed by Indian couture label Karleo.

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

Anderson, a long-time admirer of 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 (now in Jharkhand) for a carefree holiday, only to undergo a journey of self-discovery.

In the film, Tagore plays Aparna, a cool and elegant city woman, whereas Garewal 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 (FHF), 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 "Thamp" by G Aravindan were showcased under Cannes Classics in 2023 and 2022, respectively.