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 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.