'Aranyer Din Ratri' receives standing ovation at Cannes 2025 screening

New Delhi: The 4K restored version of Satyajit Ray's classic Aranyer Din Ratri received a standing ovation at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened under the Cannes Classics section.

Veteran actors Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal, who were part of the ensemble cast of the 1970 Bengali film, attended the showcase on Monday evening.

Saba Pataudi, jewellery designer and Tagore's daughter, shared a video on her Instagram page on Wednesday showing the audience giving a standing ovation after the film's screening.

"A little more.... of moments. Standing ovation. A beautiful celebration of life. Team that made it all possible. Congratulations! @filmheritagefoundation," she captioned the post.

Pataudi also shared pictures of her with her mother, Garewal, as well as film's gala presenter and Hollywood filmmaker Wes Anderson, a long-time admirer of Ray who spearheaded its six-year restoration.

The restored version of Aranyer Din Ratri is presented and restored by Martin Scrosese's The Film Foundation through its World Cinema Project initiative at L'Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's Film Heritage Foundation, Janus Films, and the Criterion Collection.

Also part of the screening were producer Purnima Dutta and Margaret Bodde, executive director of The Film Foundation.

The film, titled Days and Nights in the Forest in English, explores themes of alienation, class, and modernity. It 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.

Tagore last came to Cannes in 2009 as part of the gala jury. Previously, her 1960 film Devi, also directed by Ray, competed for the Palme d'Or, the festival's top honour.