Cannes 2025: Soha Ali Khan offers tribute to mother Sharmila Tagore after Aranyer Din Ratri gets standing ovation

A proud daughter moment unfolded at Cannes 2025 when Soha Ali Khan shared an emotional tribute to her mother, Sharmila Tagore, after Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri received a thunderous standing ovation at its 4K restoration premiere.

Wes Anderson revived this Satyajit Ray masterpiece

The classic 1970 film, lovingly restored over six years, was screened in the Cannes Classics section at the 78th edition of the festival. Presented by none other than Wes Anderson, alongside Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal, the screening served as both a cinematic celebration and a heartfelt homage to one of India's most revered storytellers.

Taking to Instagram, Soha Ali Khan reshared a clip from the screening on her story:

“That’s my Amma.” She followed up with, “A standing ovation at Cannes for the screening of the restored Aranyer Din Ratri by Satyajit Ray.”

And what a moment it was. The room erupted into applause, with the audience visibly moved by Ray’s evocative storytelling and timeless characters. The film, restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project at L’Immagine Ritrovata in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation, Janus Films, and Criterion Collection, was brought back to life with support from the Golden Globe Foundation.

Sharmila Tagore walked the red carpet in an elegant green saree, joined by her other daughter, Saba Ali Khan, in vibrant yellow. Simi Garewal, stunning in white, stood beside Wes Anderson in what became one of the festival’s most memorable visual tableaus.

Set in the forests of Palamau (now in Jharkhand), Aranyer Din Ratri tells the story of four urban men seeking escape, only to be confronted by truths about themselves, privilege, and belonging. Sharmila’s portrayal of the intelligent and poised Aparna stands in poetic contrast to Simi Garewal’s Duli, a tribal Santhal woman, each layered, complex, and as relevant today as when Ray first filmed them.