Ray introduced me to world stage: Sharmila Tagore on Cannes screening of 'Aranyer Din Ratri

Mumbai, May 23 (PTI) Satyajit Ray was her first director, her mentor and the man who taught her everything, says veteran actor Sharmila Tagore, who has just returned from the Cannes Film Festival after a restored screening of the master director's 1970 classic "Aranyer Din Ratri".

Tagore, who made her acting debut with Ray's 1959 film "Apur Sansar" at a young age, went on collaborate with the director on four other classics -- "Devi" in 1960, "Nayak" in 1966, "Aranyer Din Ratri" and Seemabaddha in 1971.

Looking back at her time of working with Ray, one of the most loved directors from India in world cinema, Tagore said she owes a great deal to the filmmaker, who died in 1992.

"He introduced me to films and opened the door to the world of films. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be where I am today. So, I owe him a great deal. He was my mentor. I learned so much from him. He taught me everything, practically. I'm grateful that my first film was with Satyajit Ray because I never looked back after that.He introduced me to the world stage," Tagore told PTI in an interview.

The restored version of "Aranyer Din Ratri", titled "Days and Nights in the Forest" in English, is presented and restored by Martin Scorsese'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.

Both Tagore and Simi Grewal, the stars of the 1970 film, attended the film's screening in the Cannes Classics segment where it was presented by Hollywood filmmaker Wes Anderson, a long-time admirer of Ray who spearheaded its six-year restoration. Anderson, who is a board member of The Film Foundation, worked closely on the restoration of the movie.

The 80-year-old actor, who had served on the Cannes Film Festival's jury in 2009, called the festival a "very film savvy place".

"People come there to only watch films, and they're really very appreciative. It's just not that I got standing ovation, everybody gets it because they're enthusiastic about films and they show their enthusiasm by appreciating you," Tagore said.

"Aranyer Din Ratri", about four men who take a holiday to a forest area and return transformed by the women they meet there, is a "contemporary and complex film, said Tagore, who played the role of Aparna in the movie.

"It's about masculinity, it's about how men perceive themselves. It's a very, very contemporary but very complex film. You cannot really explain it in one sentence... It was, of course, a wonderful film, a film that has lived on, and 55 years later, it's still very, very, very contemporary and relatable. It's an immortal film.

"After the restoration, it's looking resplendent and wonderful. These restorers, the Criterion, Janice, and the Film Foundation of Shivendra Dungarpur, they’ve done a wonderful service by restoring this film," she said.

The actor is also happy with the Indian presence at Cannes this year as Neeraj Ghaywan's "Homebound" has been screened in the Un Certain Regard category.

"It is also place where you can sell or buy films. Besides, ‘Homebound’, I don't know if there was any other film (this year), but you’ve to submit the film and it has to be first shown there before release.

"There is a very busy Indian pavilion, I didn't go there, but they're very active. So, there is that kind of Indian presence," she said. PTI KKP BK MIN MIN