The New York Times8 hours ago
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The film was shot in the forests of Jharkhand, which Ray, with his magical vision, made to look like an ‘enchanting magical forest’.
The 1970 Bengali film ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’ has been re-launched in a digital avatar in America. This film by famous filmmaker Satyajit Ray is being shown again for two weeks at the famous art-house cinema Film Forum in Manhattan as a new 4K.
‘The Film Foundation’, the organization that preserves old films, Film Heritage Foundation and Janas Films have together decorated it in a new form. It was shown at the New York Film Festival last year and is now open to the general audience.
Based on the story of male power and caste ego hidden behind the fun of four friends living in the urban environment of Kolkata, Aranyer Day and Night was as relevant in 1970 as it is today. The film tells the story of upper-caste, educated, English-speaking unmarried youth from Kolkata (then Calcutta) – Ashim, Sanjay, Hari and Shekhar – who travel to the forests of Palamu in Jharkhand, away from the noise of the city. Here he encounters tribal society and villages in the Santhal area. They reach the government guest house without booking, bribe the watchman, grab the room and laughingly say in English – ‘Thank God for corruption.’
Hollywood film critic J. Hoberman says, ‘This film is not just a travel story, but it is a portrayal of the middle class of Bengal, which is imprisoned in the shell of its privileges. Its new edition will help today’s generation understand why Satyajit Ray is called the magical figure of world cinema. ‘Aranyer Dinaratri’ was nominated for the ‘Golden Bear’ at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1970. The film was shot in the forests of Jharkhand, which Ray, with his magical vision, had transformed into an ‘enchanting magical forest’.
Returned to the screen with a new glow, the magic still remains
With the re-release, in a way, the question has also returned – has Indian cinema till date presented its ‘comfortable’ middle class, masculine dogmatism and attitude towards tribal communities on screen as honestly as Ray’s film? The way young audiences are seen discussing the film’s politics and gender outside the shows in New York, Los Angeles and other cities, they show that this journey of 1970 is not just a picnic of four friends, but also a necessary return to our social memory. The magic of this classical film, which has returned with new shine, remains intact even after 56 years.
