Perhaps one of the most poignant of Satyajit Ray's creations, Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest) is a slice of life film, encapsulated in the enchanting monochromatic world of the forests of Palamau, Bihar. Based on Sunil Gangopadhyay's novella of the same name, Aranyaer Din Ratri is a wonderful exploration into relationships — that of love, camaraderie, and friendship, and most importantly, the experience of life that they encounter in the forest, which in turn transform the lives of the protagonists. While it is chiefly the tale of four friends — Asim, Shekhar, Hari and Sanjay and their escape to the forest to take a break from the grind of the city life, the film in its own nuanced way also manages to use the forest as a metaphor and by the end of it, the forest assumes the role of a character in the movie.

The film is an experience in visual art and storytelling and no wonder, Ray is at the helm of it, doing what he does best. Aranyer Din Ratri gifts you with an abundance of memorable moments and immortal frames.

Aside from the free-flowing conversation among these band of men, what fetches your attention first is the music of the movie. The opening credits of the film are done beautifully, accompanied by the typical Santhali music, which is prompt to act as a transporter, taking you to the world of the forest as the camera also glides along, fast-paced, the trees a swift blur. Among other things, Ray was a skilled calligrapher himself, and an adman too, and he combines both skills to create the opening of the film, in which the scene of a dense forest rushing by, witnessed from inside a moving car, is perfectly juxtaposed.

The film brings with it all the elemental charms of the forest and right from the outset, it is very clear what kind of a shallow opinion the protagonists have of the forest life. This trip for them is essentially about letting loose and reconnecting with their wild selves (at one point they decide to stay unshaven just to stress on the freedom of the forest life) and nothing more. The narrative is scattered with everything forest with the Forest Bungalows with chowkidaars who can be easily bribed into letting out rooms and threatening Forest Rangers and badminton games and picnics out in the wild and come dusk, the nearby Santhali village becomes the adda spot for these friends, where they even get intoxicated on mahua - a locally brewed alcoholic drink made from flowers.


The forest really comes to life, the music powerful and overwhelming as Ray exhibits the problems far too well when he showcases how the urban youth are outrightly indifferent towards the tribal and forest life, till they arrive here and know better. Perhaps the most pulsating of these moments occur when Hari, who was nursing a heartbreak, finds solace in an affair with a tribal girl, Duli, played by Simi Garewal, which is another top-notch act of the movie.

Another memorable moment of the movie is the bathing scene where all four friends are taking a bath, out in the open, with absolutely no wanton care when suddenly Aparna and Jaya arrive in the car and pause before them. Having only met those women the previous day, the four friends are instantly embarrassed at their state of undress and it leads to a cleverly orchestrated hilarious scene with the legendary actor, Rabi Ghosh delivering a comically classic performance.

But the most famous talked about technical wizardry in the movie has to be the one Ray exhibited in his handling of the camera during the famous ‘Memory Game’ scene. The four friends and the two women - Aparna and Jaya are sitting in a circle, and each has to take turns to say the name of a famous personality, adding on to the names that have been said before his or her turn — thus forming a long chain of sorts to test one’s memory. The movie is replete with such wonderful, wholesome moments that invite the carefree nature of the forest into the lives of the people hailing from the city, as they reconnect with nature and themselves, through such experiences.

With Aranyer Din Ratri, Ray not only explores nature and the wilderness but he also takes a curious peek into human nature and portrays the delicate and complex intricacies of it, making it a movie to perpetually remember. A timeless masterpiece, Aranyer Din Ratri is a perfect blend of all things foresty and all experiences enchanting and transformative in nature, which leave a mark.