Satyajit Ray: A Pioneer in Indian Cinema
One of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century was Satyajit Ray,
an Indian director, screenwriter, and author. His works have made a lasting
impression on the history of global cinema, and he has made enormous
contributions to Indian cinema.
Early Life and Career
On May 2, 1921, Satyajit Ray was born in Kolkata, British India.
His mother, Suprabha Ray, was a vocalist, and his father,
Sukumar Ray, was a writer and poet. Early exposure to l
iterature, music, and the arts helped Ray cultivate a keen
aesthetic sensibility. He continued his education by enrolling
at Presidency College in Calcutta and Visva-Bharati University
in Santiniketan, where he first encountered the writings of
Rabindranath Tagore and other notable figures in Bengali literature.
Ray began working as a visualizer for a British advertising agency
in Calcutta after he finished his education. He spent more than ten
years working there, learning vital filmmaking skills that would later
be useful to him in his work as a director.
Also, he mastered the craft of filmmaking on his own by reading
books and watching movies.
Filmmaking Career
The first film made by Satyajit Ray, Pather Panchali
(Song of the Little Road), based on a book by
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, launched his
career as a director in 1955. The movie, which
was made on a tight budget with a mostly
unprofessional cast, is about a little child
growing up in rural Bengal. The movie was
a critical and financial hit and earned
numerous international honors, including
the 1956 Cannes Film Festival's Best Human
Documentary Award.
In what became known as the "Apu Trilogy,"
Ray went on to produce two further movies:
Aparajito (The Unvanquished) in 1956 and
Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) in 1959.
The trilogy focuses on the life of Apu, a young
man who matures in India after Independence.
Jalsaghar (The Music Room), released in 1958,
Charulata (The Lonely Wife), Nayak (The Hero),
released in 1966, and Ghare-Baire (The House
and the World), released in 1984, are some of
Ray's other well-known movies. His films gained
notoriety for their realism, lyricism, and meticulousness
. He was also a master of visual narrative, making excellent
use of lighting and camera angles.
In addition to being a filmmaker, Ray was also a writer,
composer, and graphic artist. He published a number of
works, including a Feluda-starring detective novella
collection. Together with designing the posters, he also
created the music for his movie.
Legacy
The impact Satyajit Ray had on Indian cinema is enormous.
His films continue to be praised for their realism, compassion,
and beauty. He is widely considered as the founder of Indian
art cinema. Many modern Indian directors, including Mira Nair,
Deepa Mehta, and Shekhar Kapur, have been influenced by him.
The Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the Golden Bear
at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Academy Honorary
Award for Lifetime Achievement are just a few of the countless
international accolades Ray's movies have received. He received
the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, posthumously in 1992.
A heart attack and other health issues led to Satyajit Ray's
death on April 23, 1992, at the age of 70.Several of his
admirers and coworkers expressed their sorrow at his
passing, which was a major loss to Indian cinema. Ray
made a significant contribution to Indian cinema, and his
works are still praised for their beauty, compassion, and
realism. By his creative output and the impact he has on
present-day Indian filmmakers, his legacy endures.
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Tribute to Satyajit Ray, the great filmmaker of this century, on his 97th birth anniversary today.
'Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.' said Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
Among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, Satyajit Ray is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in West Bengal, the eastern state of India, and Bangladesh. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race - relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows.
Satyajit Ray's films are both cinematic and literary at the same time; using a simple narrative, usually in a classical format, but greatly detailed and operating at many levels of interpretation.
His first film, Pather Panchali (Song of the little road, 1955) established his reputation as a major film director, winning numerous awards including Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. It is the first film of a trilogy - The Apu Trilogy - a three-part tale of a boy's life from birth through manhood. The other two films of this trilogy are Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959).
His later films include Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958), Devi (The Goddess, 1960), Teen Kanya (Two Daughters, 1961), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Nayak (The Hero, 1966), Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Ghare Baire (The Home and the World, 1984), Ganashatru (An Enemy Of The People, 1989) and Shakha Prashakha (Branches Of The Tree, 1991). Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) was his last film.
Ray directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories.
He designed the sets and costumes, operated the camera since Charulata (1964), he composed the music for all his films since 1961 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases.
In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer.
Satyajit Ray died on April 23, 1992 at the age of 70, due to heart complications.
The world misses Satyajit Ray every day, without whom the history pages of Indian Cinema would have remained incomplete!
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