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Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wes Anderson Shares How Indian Cinema Legend Satyajit Ray Shaped His Aesthetic
When Satyajit Ray's 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) returned to Cannes this May, it was far from a faded relic. Restored by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and the Film Heritage Foundation, the film, in ravishingly revived form, was selected for the prestigious Cannes Classics section as a testament to Ray's enduring influence on world cinema through classics like 1955's Panther Panchali, which is the first film in the director's celebrated Apu Trilogy. To mark the occasion, The Hollywood Reporter India spoke with three individuals deeply touched by the film and its creator: legendary Indian actress Sharmila Tagore, a frequent Ray collaborator; Wes Anderson, whose work bears Ray's influence; and Dungarpur, whose archival work revived the film. More from The Hollywood Reporter How Angel Studios Is Spreading the Gospel of "Faith-Friendly" Cinema Spotify Unveils Cannes Lions Spotify Beach Lineup (Exclusive) Mubi CEO on Pushing Into Production and That Huge Cannes Haul 'I watched [Ray's 1961 title] Teen Kanya first, just because it happened to be available in a video store in Texas,' Anderson recalls. 'That's how I became interested in his films. I saw images from Ray's work and thought, 'That's the way I want to be.'' But Days and Nights in the Forest was elusive for years. 'It was virtually unavailable, and the copy I saw was a poor one with a translation done by someone who probably didn't speak Bengali or English,' Anderson says, laughing. 'But I loved it. It reached me anyway.' The film, a philosophical meditation on masculinity and disconnection, also marked a turning point for Ray's creative methods. 'He had complete control over his craft. I've never seen a more hardworking director,' Tagore says. 'In Days and Nights in the Forest, [cinematographer and frequent Ray collaborator] Subrata [Mitra] wasn't there, so he was also operating the camera himself. From that film onwards, he practically went solo.' Adds Tagore: 'We'd get handwritten scripts, and we weren't encouraged to memorize them. [We] could improvise, but Soumitra Chatterjee was not allowed to move even slightly away from what was prescribed,' she says, explaining Ray's meticulous methods and his preferred directing style for his regular leading man. Yet Ray's warmth remained evident. 'He was never imposing,' Tagore recalls. 'He was also very good with kids on set.' Anderson agrees: 'You can feel his gentleness come through in every frame.' Dungarpur recalls long hours spent restoring the film, reflecting on Ray's meticulous attention to detail and how every frame was carefully storyboarded. 'Ray lives in these details, and it's in those details that you can find him again.' The Hollywood Reporter India's full Cannes conversation with the trio of Ray devotees is below. Shivendra, for the fourth year in a row, the Film Heritage Foundation has a film in Cannes Classics. This year, you have two films. SHIVENDRA SINGH DUNGARPUR One of the big things for the foundation now is to support films not just in India, but across the world, especially those films that people find difficult to see. Aranyer Din Ratri is not just my creation. It's the creation of the Criterion Collection, the Film Heritage Foundation, because they put the force behind it. I was just the one doing the restoration. The restored film begins with a special thanks to Wes Anderson. Wes, you've spoken about the influence that Satyajit Ray had on you. WES ANDERSON The first Ray film I saw was Teen Kanya, when I was probably 18 years old. I watched this film knowing nothing about who that is, or even how to say the name. I was very taken with these stories and these actors. In the course of time, I saw Pather Panchali and the Apu films, which have now been restored for quite a long time. Back then, the copies were bad. But I got to know, through the films, a filmmaker who I felt worked in the most independent way, a most intelligent kind of writer. I also saw images of Ray, and I thought, that's what I want to be like, if I can be like that. Sharmila, there's a scene in where your character is speaking about the death of her mother and brother, and the camera is just on your face. You see the tears, but they don't fall. What do you remember about shooting that? SHARMILA TAGORE [Satyajit] never over-instructed. All of us got his handwritten, bound scripts that we were supposed to read, but we were not encouraged to memorize any of the dialogues. So when this particular scene was happening, I was told not to prepare for it. And then he just came very close to me and narrated it in a way that I could visualize it. I cannot explain the chemistry, or how he managed to get through to me, but he did. Could you create dialogue? Was he okay with that? TAGORE When we were playing the memory game [a revealing game the characters in the film play], Rabi Ghosh could improvise. But with Soumitra Chatterjee, he wouldn't let him move his hand from here to there. Even in Shatranj Ke Khilari, the Hindi film that [Ray] did, Sanjeev Kumar told me later that if he had moved his elbow from here to here, he would object. So, I think his framing was very important. He had complete control over his craft. In, his director of photography Subrata Mitra wasn't there. He was operating the camera himself. From , he went solo. ANDERSON I think he did even the titles. TAGORE He was in advertising, so he had that talent. Every aspect, even the set [design] — what art directors do — even that was his. In Hirak Rajar Deshe, he did the costumes as well. I can't think of any other director who covered all aspects. ANDERSON When you decide you're going to make a film and you have never done it, you have to be some kind of impresario in a way to force the thing to happen, to get the people together and do it. TAGORE But so gently. You never felt the pressure that he's directing you or he's confining you. He would come very close — he was a tall man, right? He would bend a little bit and whisper in your ear what he wanted done so that nobody could hear, especially when he was working with a child. But he was not imposing. We never felt the pressure of working with Satyajit Ray. ANDERSON Yes, you feel gentleness in his films. That comes through. But his physicality is quite And the voice, yes. You recreated the memory game in ANDERSON Yes, well, stole it. The concept of the scene is very odd because it's a game. But we learn about these characters so much while they play these games. And then the way it's photographed — the cast is obviously a special cast — but the way it's photographed is very striking. This is a scene that I love. In fact, my family and I began to play this game. After I first saw the movie, I started sharing this game, because you learn about each other. Shivendra, you said that every restoration has its own challenges, right? What were the specific ones in this film? DUNGARPUR When we started the process, it was during Covid. I remember I had to take a flight to go and see this negative. In India, because most of these films are shot on acetate, it's very hard to find the original camera negative. I went all the way to [Kolkata]. I found the film in one of the storerooms. And it was the original camera negative. I couldn't believe it. So, when you find the original camera negative, you want to begin. I was excited that I wanted to do it. And then, of course, thanks to Margaret [Bodde] of the Film Foundation, Pia Becker and Filmico, we started working on it. It took us a while. Most of the restoration was done in Bologna. But the challenge was the color grading. Because how do you grade a Satyajit Ray film? I kept Subrata Mitra's work in mind and the work we did in the early films, especially the Apu trilogy. ANDERSON But you have no other reference. You have to make those choices. DUNGARPUR So, I was making that reference. Because even [his son, Sandip Ray,] said, 'I was not on that shoot. I don't know.' Also, the subtitling — it was not easy, because we were trying to locate the original subtitles. We couldn't find the original. So, we got one of Indrani Majumdar's, who was the only person he trusted with his work. It was an amazing experience. What is so lovely about [doing this] work is that you get to see the film shot by shot. You're going back and forth and you continue to learn and learn. I think that's so lovely about restoration. TAGORE I remember seeing [1960's] Devi before it was restored. The first scene of the visarjan, nothing was sparkling. It was all dead. The audio wasn't clear. And then when you saw the restored version… So really, thank you. ANDERSON I do remember getting the email from Margaret when you had found those cans of green plastic cases. I still have that email. At that moment, I thought, it's really going to happen, because I'd been asking about it for some time. DUNGARPUR It was to just get clearances. In India, it's not easy to get through to people. Because when you say you want to restore, they think you want to make lots of money. They don't realize that we have to be realistic. And also, restoration is all about not doing too much. You cannot alter it. You've got to envision what Ray would have thought all the time. And I had that vision. I used to keep that storyboard. I used to keep his notes. I wanted to take a decision as somebody who's just helping [recreate the film] how Ray would have loved to see it. ANDERSON [To Tagore] What was the dynamic with him? TAGORE I worked with him when I was 13 in The World of Apu. He introduced me to film, so I always treated him with a little bit of awe, a little bit of respect, like we give to our fathers. So, I never really became a pal. It was such a wonderful outdoor [shoot]. But you just cannot imagine how hot it was. He wanted that time because the trees were leafless. Skeletal trees. He wanted a particular look, only possible in that month. Because then the rains came soon after. Can I end with a question to you, Wes? After , film critic Richard Brody said this about you in : 'He doesn't create and direct a scene for any outer dramatic necessity, but under the intense inner urgency of what it means to him personally. Every dot of paint and detail of hairstyling is invested with the fervour of his own emotional memory. He himself, not his cast, is the supreme method actor of his own films.' Does this ring true to you? ANDERSON I love the idea of being seen that way. I sort of relate to what he describes a bit, too. But I would feel uncomfortable saying more than that. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Los Angeles Times
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
30 years of ‘Clueless,' plus the week's best movies in L.A.
Hello! I'm Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. We are pleased to exclusively announce that the Egyptian Theatre will host the U.S. premiere of the new 4K restoration of Charlie Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' on June 26, the 100th anniversary of the film's premiere at that same venue in 1925. The restoration premiered as part of the Cannes Classics section at the recent Cannes Film Festival. On June 26, the restoration will screen in more than 70 countries, with the Egyptian being the exclusive engagement in the U.S. Film historian Jeffrey Vance, author of the 2003 book 'Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema,' will introduce the screening. Reproductions of the original film program will be available for 25 cents, the same price that it cost in 1925. 'The Gold Rush' features Chaplin in his iconic Little Tramp character, searching for his fortune prospecting for gold, and features some of his most famous moments on-screen. The restoration, carried out by Cineteca di Bologna and L'Immagine Ritrovata, draws from materials sourced from archives all around the world, including the BFI Archive, George Eastman Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. Tickets are now available at On Saturday the Academy Museum will present a 30th anniversary screening of 'Clueless' in 35mm, with director Amy Heckerling, actors Alicia Silverstone, Elisa Donovan and Breckin Meyer, costume designer Mona May and casting director Marcia Ross all scheduled to attend for a Q&A. Written by Heckerling, the film is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Emma' relocated to affluent 1990s Beverly Hills. Cher Horowitz (Silverstone), a popular and fashionable teenager, sets about playing matchmaker for a new classmate, Tai (Brittany Murphy), enlisting her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) to help. Paul Rudd, in his feature debut, plays Cher's stepbrother. In his original review, Kenneth Turan called the film 'a wickedly funny teen-age farce from writer-director Amy Heckerling that, like its heroine, turns out to have more to it than anyone could anticipate. … Put together with verve and style, 'Clueless' is a sweet-natured satire of L.A.'s over-pampered youth that gets more fun out of high school than most people had attending it.' In the summer of 2020, Justin Chang interviewed Heckerling, who spoke about writing Cher's voice-over narration and getting into the mind of the character by saying, 'Once you get into her head, then it just goes. It's not the voice of God. It's the voice of that person. And you get into it, and it's not necessarily what the writer needs — it's what the writer wants you to think that person is thinking. And that's a lot of fun to do. It's like, as a writer, you're also playing a character.' The 'Clueless' screening opens a series on teen movies that will run through July 10. Other titles include 'Bring It On,' 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,' 'Adventures in Babysitting,' and 'Saved!' all in 35mm, along with 'Napoleon Dynamite,' 'Dope,' 'Love, Simon' and '10 Things I Hate About You.' Also on Saturday will be another 35mm 30th anniversary screening, with the UCLA Film & Television Archive showing writer-director Maria Maggenti's 'The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love.' A charming example of '90s indie filmmaking, the movie follows the burgeoning relationship between Evie (Nicole Parker) and Randy (Laurel Hollomon), two girls from opposite sides of the tracks who shouldn't particularly even be friends, let alone romantically drawn to each other. In his original review of the film, Peter Rainer wrote, 'The experience of first love is a movie perennial but rarely is it believably rendered. The best thing going for 'The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love' — an amateurish, sweet, little piddle of a movie — is that it captures a bit of the freshness, and the awkwardness, of the moment. … They seem like real people, and so their budding romance strikes a few remembered chords.' In a June 1995 profile of Maggenti by Chris Riemenschneider, the filmmaker talked about her inspirations in making the film. 'I didn't make a niche-market film,' Maggenti said. 'It wasn't about 'Let's make a lesbian film, and a bunch of lesbians will go see it.' I wanted to make a film that people would enjoy, a film about an authentic human experience, and it happens to be with someone of the same sex.' 'Death Becomes Her' in 35mm On Sunday the Academy Museum will host a 35mm screening of Robert Zemeckis' 1992 'Death Becomes Her,' starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini and Bruce Willis. Made with still-dazzling special effects work that should look spectacular in the Academy's David Geffen Theater, the film is about two women who go to great lengths to maintain their youthful appearance, including competing for the romantic affections of a top plastic surgeon. In his original review of the film, Kenneth Turan wrote, ''Death' gets progressively darker and darker, forgetting all about humor in its attempts to push the more mordant limits of its story. The three principals are game enough about all this, soldiering on until the end, but their characters, not having much to do that they haven't done before, tend to sound the same single notes they have since Frame One. 'There is something regrettable in all this, because by industry standards this picture does take a few risks, and few enough pictures in today's Hollywood take any at all. But even though 'Death Becomes Her' has no fear of being out on the edge, brazenness alone is no guarantee of success.' The film is screening as part of a 'Summer of Camp' series, that will also include 'Valley of the Dolls,' 'Sleepaway Camp,' 'Flash Gordon,' 'The Birdcage,' 'Lifeforce,' 'Serial Mom,' 'Disco Godfather,' 'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,' 'Showgirls' and 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' all in 35mm prints, plus 'Batman & Robin,' 'But I'm a Cheerleader' and more. There will also be triple features of the 'Austin Powers' movies and titles starring Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor. Shock-A-Go-Go Film Festival The Shock-A-Go-Go Film Festival will settle into the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall on Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of this year's program will be the Saturday screenings of 1978's 'Piranha' and 1981's 'The Howling,' with director Joe Dante and star Belinda Balaski present for both. Dante is a masterful storyteller and unflinching in his recollections. Any opportunity to hear him talk is worth taking. Among the finest examples of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking (rooted in low-budget genre filmmaking but reaching unexpected heights), both 'Piranha' and 'The Howling' were written by John Sayles, who would go on to a notable career as a filmmaker in his own right. Also on Saturday will be will be a screening of 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II' with writer Peter Atkins and director Tony Randel present, as well as 'Return of the Living Dead 3' with director Brian Yuzna in person. Yuzna's 1989 cult classic 'Society' will also show. 'Personal Best' and 'Star 80' The New Beverly is featuring a double-bill of movies starring Mariel Hemingway on Monday and Tuesday: Robert Towne's 1982 'Personal Best' and Bob Fosse's 'Star 80' from 1983. 'Personal Best' was the directorial debut for the Oscar-winning 'Chinatown' screenwriter Robert Towne, who died in July of last year. The film stars Hemingway as a rising track star who falls in love with an older athlete, played by real-life Olympic track and field athlete Patrice Donnelly. Both are training for the 1980 Olympics. The film was noteworthy at the time for its frank depiction of a lesbian relationship, as well as its focus on the athletes at work. A January 1982 profile of Towne by Dale Pollack found him in a suite at the Westwood Marquis Hotel (now the W) 'filled with typewriters, phones, vodka bottles and stacks of yellowing newspapers.' In a sign of the moment (and mindset) in which he was making it, Towne took some objection to classifying 'Personal Best' as a gay-themed film, saying, 'I don't think in any way this is a lesbian or homosexual movie. What I'm interested in is how you deal with a society that encourages competition, and still care about other people. These two women are in love with each other. In order to place emphasis on who they're making love to, you have to show it. But there are only two minutes of sex in the film; there are two hours of competition.' I know I've talked about Bob Fosse and 'Star 80' around these parts a number of times before, but for me it always rates a mention. Thinking of the film specifically in relation to 'Personal Best' is worthwhile, as both films meditate on the use and meaning of women's bodies. Few films are as unsparing and dispiriting in their depiction of the star machinery of Hollywood as 'Star 80.' Hemingway plays Dorothy Stratten, the Playboy Playmate turned actor who was brutally murdered by her ex-husband and manager, played with psychotic commitment by Eric Roberts. In her original review of the film, Sheila Benson called it 'creepy' and added, 'Worst of all, there is a feeling of complicity that is not far from voyeurism that you get as part of 'Star 80's' audience, sitting through the increasingly morbid tightening of the story.' Two local theaters are finding unique ways to support their communities this summer. Vidiots is launching Movie Den, a program of tween and teen-centric matinees focused on engaging a new generation of film lovers. Underwritten by Mubi and Golden Globe Foundation, screenings will take place in the venue's microcinema. Tickets are $2 and popcorn is free. Titles in the program include 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' 'Princess Mononoke,' 'Rear Window,' 'La Bamba,' 'Hairspray,' 'The Half of It,' 'Hot Rod' and more. In a statement, Maggie Mackay, executive director of Vidiots Foundation, said, 'As a mom to teens and a member of a community that has been through so much this year, it was important to me and our team that we try to make what we know will be a hard summer for so many a little easier, by expanding programming with an intention to get us out of the house, off devices and reconnected.' The Gardena Cinema, the last family-run independent single-screen indoor movie theater in South Los Angeles, will have free screenings this weekend as part of Pluto TV's Free Movie Weekend at indie movie theaters across the country. Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker — who did a Times interview from the Gardena last year and appeared there again just last weekend — has partnered with Pluto TV to support their program. Screening for free at the Gardena this weekend will be 'Grease,' 'Saturday Night Fever' and 1984's 'Ghostbusters.'
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Classics Unveils 2025 Line-Up: Quentin Tarantino Named As Guest Of Honor With George Sherman Tribute
Quentin Tarantino will be guest of honor of Cannes Classics this year with a special tribute devoted to late low-budget westerns director George Sherman. The Cannes regular, who won the Palme d'Or winner for Pulp Fiction and President of the Jury in 2004, will share his passion for Sherman's work with screenings of two of his westerns made for Universal Pictures – Red Canyon and Comanche Territory – in one of his most creative periods. More from Deadline Caravanserai Pictures Launches & Partners With Buffalo 8 On Seven-Picture Slate Miles Teller To Play A Nashville Star With A Secret In Fantastical Comedy 'Possum Song' For 'Sing Sing' Writer-Director Greg Kwedar & FilmNation - Cannes Market Hot Project Capstone, Signature & Ascending Media Group Launch U.S. Distribution Company Aura Entertainment Ahead Of Cannes Market Tarantino will participate in a conversation about Sherman moderated by critic and documentary filmmaker Elvis Mitchell. Other highlights of the program devoted to classic cinema include a pre-opening screening of Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush, to mark the centenary of its making, as well as a 25th anniversary screening of Amores perros by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, in the presence of director, and the 50th anniversary screening of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Shia LaBeouf will also be in attendance with Leo Lewis O'Neil's documentary Slauson Rec, capturing the actor's work at a free acting school at the Slauson Rec Center in South Central, Los Angeles, which he launched in 2018. Kevin Smith will also be back in Cannes with Dogma: Resurrected – A 25th Anniversary Celebration!, celebrating the film which screened Out of Competition in the 1999 edition of the festival. The sidebar will close with a brand-new 4K restoration of Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, presenting in the film's photographed aspect ratio of 1.66:1, as specified in a December 8, 1975, letter from Kubrick to projectionists. Cannes Classic 2025 Line-Up THE GOLD RUSHCharlie Chaplin1925, 1h28, United States AMORES PERROS (LOVE'S A BITCH)Alejandro G. Iñárritu2000, 2h34, Mexico MOI QUI T'AIMAIS (THE ONE I LOVED)Diane Kury2025, 1h59, France THE ARCHT'ang Shushuen1968, 1h35, Hong Kong DOGMA: RESURRECTED – A 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!Kevin Smith1999, 2h10, United States SUNSHINEIstván Szabó1999, 3h01, Canada/Germany/Hungary/Austria SLAUSON RECLeo Lewis O'Neil2025, 2h25, United States I LOVE PERURaphaël Quenard and Hugo David2025, 1h08, France YI YI (YI YI – A ONE AND A TWO)Edward Yang2000, 2h53, Japan/Taiwan HARD BOILEDJohn Woo1992, 2h08, Hong Kong MERLUSSEMarcel Pagnol1935, 1h12, France DAVID LYNCH, UNE ÉNIGME À HOLLYWOOD (WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD)Stéphane Ghez2025, 1h02, France PARA VIGO ME VOY (TO VIGO I GO)Lírio Ferreira and Karen Harley2025, 1h39, Brazil DIS PAS DE BÊTISES ! (WATCH WHAT YOU SAY)Vincent Glenn2025, 1h20, France I HUVUDET PÅ (BO BEING BO WIDERBERG)Jon Asp and Mattias Nohrborg2025, 1h45, Sweden MY MOM JAYNEMariska Hargitay2025, 1h45, United States RESTORED PRINTS ARANYER DIN RATRI (DAYS AND NIGHTS IN THE FOREST)Satyajit Ray1970, 1h55, India LA COURSE EN TÊTEJoël Santoni1974, 1h50, France/Belgium FLOATING CLOUDSMikio Naruse1955, 2h04, Japan GEHENU LAMAI (THE GIRLS)Sumitra Peries1978, 1h50, Sri Lanka LA PAGACiro Durán1962, 1h02, Columbia/Venezuela MAGIRAMAAbel Gance and Nelly Kaplan1956, 1h20, France MÁS ALLÁ DEL OLVIDO (BEYOND OBLIVION)Hugo del Carril1955, 1h34, Argentina SAÏD EFFENDI (SAEED EFFENDI)Kameran Hosni1955, 1h31, Iraq STERNE (STARS)Konrad Wolf1959, 1h33, East Germany/Bulgaria CHRONICLE OF THE YEARS OF EMBERSMohamed Lakhdar Hamina 1975, 2h51, Algeria ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NESTMiloš Forman1975, 2h13, United States BARRY LYNDONStanley Kubrick1974, 3h04, United Kingdom / United States RED CANYONGeorge Sherman1949, 1h22, United States COMANCHE TERRITORYGeorge Sherman1950, 1h16, United States Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery The Best 7 New Movies On Netflix In May 2025 From 'Past Lives' To 'The Wild Robot' Everything We Know About The 'We Were Liars' Show So Far
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Simi Garewal: I had given up that dream of Cannes long ago
Simi Garewal Simi Garewal recently made her Cannes red carpet debut, more than five decades after shooting Aranyer Din Ratri . The Satyajit Ray classic was restored in 4K and screened at the Cannes Classics section. 'It's something I never dared to hope for! I gave up that dream long ago and for this to suddenly happen now it's more than a dream – it's a gift from the universe,' she says. In a conversation, the veteran actress talks about the film, the roles for women in cinema and more. 'FROM A MODERN, WESTERNISED GIRL, I TRANSFORMED INTO A RUSTIC, UNINHIBITED ADIVASI' Simi played Duli, a tribal woman in the Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) – a role that was far from her real-life image. But Satyajit Ray saw something in her. 'Manik da , so gentle yet intense, led me to portray a character so different to who I am. I mean here was I, a modern, westernised girl transformed into a rustic, uninhibited adivasi ! It doesn't get more challenging than that,' she says. She remembers watching the film again, decades later, and being shocked by how fully she had disappeared into Duli. 'For an actor, it's creative fulfillment to 'become' another person. When I watched the film I couldn't see even a jhalak of Simi anywhere. It was Duli.' She adds, 'I loved the film, the comedy, the slice of life. It looked so natural, so organic. But that's Ray's forte, capturing reality on celluloid.' 'IT SEEMS CINEMA CATERS PRIMARILY TO MALE AUDIENCES' Simi says she has not watched too many recent films. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Protegé a toda tu familia con Verisure Alarmas. ¡30% OFF y Zerovision 100% GRATIS! Alarmas Verisure Ver oferta Undo 'But I will ask – where are the roles for women in cinema?' she questions, adding, 'It's all male-oriented. The female is simply decorative, and always the hero's sidekick. And that's not representative of today's India, where women are strong, independent and achievers in their own right. So, it seems cinema caters primarily to male audiences. The only roles for women are on OTT, and TV, with its serials, caters to women. A gender divide.' 'AT THE MOMENT, I'M WRITING MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY' Simi says that she's currently working on her autobiography. 'At the moment, I'm writing my autobiography. I am writing every single word myself. Nobody else has read it, nor looked over my shoulder while I write. It's between my keyboard and me. It's very personal. I haven't held back. I'm on the last few chapters now, presently on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal . You will read everything about my life in my autobiography – from my childhood in London to my joining films (against great family opposition) Every detail about working with Raj Kapoor, Manik da , my films, my private life, my loves, my marriage – my whole life is written in these pages. ' 'WHITE IS A HAPPY COLOUR FOR ME' Simi chose to wear her signature white at Cannes too. Talking about its significance in her life, the actress says, 'Why white? I feel good when I'm wearing it. Sometimes I put on another colour, yellow or blue, and I immediately take it off because it disturbs my sensibility. White is a happy colour for me,' says Simi. Her thoughts on walking the red carpet? 'I wish Manik da was here to see this...' Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sharmila Tagore Interview: Satyajit Ray's films deal with the follies of humans
Tagore points to a 'complex' aspect in Aranyer Din Ratri, the way it deals with the issue of corruption—the fact that the guys offer bribes to the caretaker to get a place to stay in the forest rest house but are blind to the fact that it's to do as much with his lack of scruples as their own encouragement and facilitation of corruption. 'Ray deals with such fundamental quirks and follies of human beings,' says Tagore, adding, 'The hero in Nayak is treated like God, is mobbed and is under pressure. But there's a human being beneath it all. In Devi, the father-in-law deifies his unlettered daughter-in-law. A victim of his dreams, she loses her mind, feels alienated.' Aranyer Din Ratri was shot in Chhipadohar village in Palamu district in Jharkhand (then Bihar) in April and May. 'It was very hot. Trees were all leafless and had a skeletal look in the film. We would shoot for three hours from 5.30 am to about 9 am and then 3 pm to 6 pm, till the light would be good,' recalls Tagore. 'Rest of the time we chatted, bonded and sang and danced with the Santhals, especially on full moon nights. The boys tried the local drink mohua once and swore never to have it again. It left them with such a bad hangover,' she says. The boys stayed in a tin shed and it was so hot that Rabi Ghosh would call himself Robi Pora or Burnt Robi. She remembers her co-actor Simi Garewal and her sister staying in a bungalow in the next village while she had a tiny 10x8 room of the caretaker to live in. There was an air cooler for her which served well in the dry heat. Aranyer Din Ratri is Ray's eighth film to have been presented at Cannes. Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), the first of his Apu trilogy, has played at Cannes thrice. It marked his debut in Cannes, was in the In Competition section and won the Best Human Document Award at the 1956 edition of Cannes. It was part of its Special Screenings programme in 1992 and a restored print featured in the Cannes Classics segment in 2005. Just three years back, in 2022, Pratidwandi (The Adversary) was shown in the same Cannes Classics segment, as was Charulata in 2013.
