Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) "Dir: S

Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest)



1969, India. 115 min, B/W, In Bengali with subtitles



Credits

Producer: Priya Films (Asim Dutta and Nepal Dutta)

Screenplay & Direction: Satyajit Ray, based on the novel: 'Aranyer Din Ratri' by Sunil Ganguly

Cinematography: Soumendu Roy, Purnendu Bose

Editing: Dulal Dutta

Art Direction: Bansi Chandragupta

Sound: Sujit Sarkar

Music: Satyajit Ray



Cast

Character: Performer

Asim: Soumitra Chatterjee

Hari, Harinath: Samit Bhanja

Sanjoy: Subhendu Chatterjee

Sekhar: Rabi Ghosh

Sadashiv Tripathi: Pahari Sanyal

Aparna: Sharmila Tagore

Jaya: Kaveri Bose

Duli: Simi Garewal

Hari's former lover, Atasi: Aparna Sen



Summary

Four friends from Calcutta city venture out to the forests of Palmau for a holiday excursion in car. They arrive at a little village in the state of Bihar. Not having made any arrangements for their stay, they come across a rest house. As they have not made reservations, they bribe the caretaker, who risks his job, as he needs the money for his wifeΓ??s illness.



The four young men are full of the over-confidence of the big city and scant respect for the rural villagers. The group is led by Ashim (Soumitra Chatterjee), the richest of the four. Sanjoy (Subhendu Chatterjee) is a timid person who always plays it safe. The sportsman, non-intellectual Hari (Samit Bhanja) wants to forget a girl who recently rejected him. Shekhar (Robi Ghosh) is self-confident and comical. The journey into the forest turns out to be a journey of self-discovery.



They spend their first night getting drunk at a local liquor shop. Hari is drawn towards one of tribal women, Duli (Simi Garewal), whose untamed quality enhances her appeal.



The following morning, while debating whether to shave or not, they spot some other women from Calcutta, they locate the womenΓ??s cottage and introduce themselves to the family. Asim is interested in Aparna (Sharmila Tagore), a cool, self-confident young woman whose widowed father jokes that he never knows what she is thinking. Sanjoy is attracted to her widowed sister-in-law, Jaya (Kaberi Bose).



A series of episodes reveal the characters. Drunken sprees, social embarrassments, adventures with servants, officials, romance. The four friendsΓ?? youthful arrogance gets them into a series of disastrous and often hilarious adventures.



Hari makes love with Duli, the servant Lakha ambushes him in revenge. The inhibited Sanjoy does not dare to respond to Jaya's bold seduction while Aparna leaves Asim after giving him her address - perhaps a promise of love. The friends depart again for the city, each with a better appreciation of life.