Satyajit Ray’s iconic 1970 film ‘Arneer Din Ratiry’ (Deleg and Nights in the Forest) was recently released in the Cannes Film Festival 2025 in the Consumers Section. The restored version of the film was presented by acclaimed American filmmaker Wes Anderson, who attracts significant attention from international audiences and critics.
A contingent of artists from Arneer Deen Ratri has veteran names with special screening working as Soumitra Chatterjee, Subhendu Chatterjee, Samit Bhanja, Rabi Ghosh, Sharmila Tagore, Kaberi Bose, Simi Garewal and Aparna Sen.
Sharmila Tagore remembers shooting in scorching heat for Satyajit Ray
In a clear conversation with Hollywood Reporter India, Sharmila Tagore said how he was contacted by Satyajit Ray while filming Aradhana with Rajesh Khanna.
“He said,” Will you work in my film? I need you for a month in the month of May. ” Without thinking, I said, then, I realized that I was already committed to Shakti Samanta for the Queen of Cipno, who was being shot the same month. ,
Rajesh Khanna’s program was packed as he recently won a talent competition and was committed to 12 producers. Sharmila said, “His dates were very valuable.”
“I told Shakti ji,” I just want to do this film. ” Somehow, I interacted and managed to join Ray’s shoot, and then returned to complete the second project. ,
Sharmila, who started acting in Satyajit Ray’s Aapur Sanskar (Apu’s world) shared that she had a deep respect for the mythical director.
“I always treated him with a little fear and respect – such as for a father.”
Extreme position in Palamu, Jharkhand
Tagore recalled the difficult shooting position in Palamu region of Jharkhand, where the temperature rose above 44 degrees Celsius during summer. Due to limited housing, the artists were scattered at various places.
“Simi (Garewal) and Kaberi (Bose) stayed in a luxurious forest bungalow in a nearby village. Ray, Soumitra Chatterjee, and the main crew stayed elsewhere. I stayed in another place with Samit nephew, Subhendu Chatterjee, and Rabi Ghosh.”
She stayed in the watchman’s room and there was only water cooler among them.
“It used to work well in the dry heat. Other people were in a tin-shaped shed. They used to joke and say, ‘I am Rabi Roast,’ and Subhendu would call himself ‘Sauted Subhendu’. It was unbearablely warm.
Despite the harsh climate, the artists turned the experience into a permanent memory, closely bonded during downtime.
“It was really a difficult place, but we became good friends.”
Why Satyajit Ray chose to shoot on May
According to Sharmila, Ray chose especially on May for a reason: “He wanted a special barren form, with leaf -free trees. The scene was possible only in May – because soon, the monsoon landscape would be green and succulent.”
About Aranyer Din Ratri
Arneer Deen Ratri is a Bengali-language adventure drama, adapted to the novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay. The film examines the subjects of urban separation, friendship and introspection through the story of four men who survive the life of the city for traveling in the forest. One of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, against the rugged background of Palamu, the film’s production faced acute heat and logical challenges due to the extreme summer temperature of the region.
