"Aranyer Din Ratri" is an underrated lyrical masterpiece from the great Satyajit Ray. Its structure is one of the most musical of Ray's films, yet it remains one of the most scathing indictments of pompous urban men. A must see. The memory game sequence alone is worth the price of the film.I feel compelled to respond to Ravenus, who writes: "Simi Garewal's hilariously accented Bengali makes her tribal character a hard act to digest." We must remember that Duli, the character Simi plays, is not a sophisticated woman from Calcutta, but a tribal woman from Palamau, which is 300 miles west of Calcutta. Her accent is perfect for the character.

As a passionate movie buff, I have the highest regard for Ray's films. That has been reconfirmed after watching this subtly nuanced film from Ray. To the casual viewer, it might seem like the escapades of four middle class gentlemen when they go out of their constrictive surroundings into the wilderness and meet three women. However, a rigorous viewing will expose different layers, some surprising, and others not so surprising. With flawless and fluid direction, Ray tells a story of love lost, confidence regained, inhibitions of a conservative society blown away, overwhelming sadness, and the joy and freedom of coming close to nature. Even though it is quite an old film, it speaks of the human nature and its eternal characteristics so beautifully, that it does not seem dated at all- which is the mark of a classic. Highly recommended.

Aranya Din-Ratri (the days & nights spent in remote forest area) Story of 4 bengali males shown beautifully by Director Mr. Satyajit Ray ! 4 friends take a break – 3 of them are average looking & tall and one is short and below average to look at. They do not make proper arrangements – just barge into a Goernment Guest House and bribe the caretaker to let them in by giving him some money. The poor care taker has an ailing wife so since he could not go out to buy stuff for them, the porter boy agrees to buy & carry food stuff for them.A typical life style of average common men (looser men rather) is shown here – how they just crib about having to butter the boss and please him by attending late night parties, boozing and spending time with cheap rich girls with artificial expressions and revealing outfits.One the friends was ditched lately by an educated girl (played by Aparna Sen) – who was fashion conscious (wore wigs to look more seducing) as well as very intelligent & observant who had the sense to smell tricky / foolish people from a distance. She had written a 5 paged letter to her boyfriend who in return could barely write half a page – showing that he was not very sound as far as 'literacy in romanticism' was concerned. This the girl understood and washed her hands off the idiot ! (very well done I would say) – the fact that her decision was absolutely right is seen later as the movie proceeds … when the same fellow indulges in intercourse with a 'dirty, smelly, ugly looking maid servant category, drunkard woman he meets in the forest remote area !!He does IT with her on open ground in the forest on the thorny weeds !! – so utterly frustrated and sex starved - just anyone would do for such men – therefore his girlfriend definitely made the right decision to ditch him.A looser man in all respect.Second fellow was a bit intellectual and adventurous , well read – in the game of "remembering names' he said Shakespeare and Sharmila Tagore – a lady he meets there, says Cleopatra – in fact each one took the name of the historical/ literary figure he / she either hero worships/identifies – or admires in one way or the other. He meets this quiet & attractive lady and gets drawn towards her – she had a traumatic childhood – the reason of her quietitude – Mother had died of fire in front of her and elder brother had committed suicide !Another looser who knows it all but cannot do anything about it.Third fellow was decent – playing it safe kinds – the widowed sister-in-law of sharmila tries to seduce him (missing her husband I guess) – had said Rabindranath Tagore in the game of 'Remembering names' by the way. A decent man who could change if he wanted to – looser or winner depended on him.Fourth fellow – happy go lucky – the fact that he was ugly & short was taken very lightly by him – had no attitude problems – couldn't have any in fact – compensating on his below average looks – so he turned comical and made things appear funny. A very common Bengali man category since the average height of Bengali men is around 5'5" and also Bengali men are dark and not very good looking – so they make fun of everything and anything and spend time making merry – with or without any reason.

Ray excells himself in this wonderfully sensitive rites-of-passage film. A group of friends in their twenties take a short vacation in the countryside together. After some confusion about their accommodation they find themselves staying near to two respectable young women of good family who stimulate their interest. Although the women appear not too interested at first, things change, and they all begin to spend time together. Each of the characters is profoundly different from the others, and it soon becomes clear that they have different goals - and perhaps needs - in life. That does not prevent an extraordinary sexual chemistry from developing which is all the more vivid for being understated and unspoken. The picnic scene where the girls suggest they all play a literary game is replete with poignantly repressed sexuality. As the film develops the four men begin to go their separate ways, but for the two women (and for one especially) the encounter with the men has stimulated feelings it is difficult to ignore. This is a film of extraordinary subtlety and depth. A classic of world cinema by one of the cinema's greatest directors, it deserves much greater recognition.