Satyajit Ray The Unsung Hero

By Ruchira Banerjee

Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker who is known for his humanistic approach to cinema not only to India but to the entire world. Satyajit Ray was born in Calcutta to author Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray. Satyajit Ray’s father Sukumar Ray was an excellent writer, journalist and painter. Perhaps that’s the reason creativity was present in Satyajit Ray’s genes and chromosome.

     Satyajit Ray studied in Govt. High School, Baliganj, Calcutta. He graduated from Presidency College, Kolkata and took special training in arts in Shantiniketan. After completing his education, he joined as a Visualiser in the British Advertising Company of Calcutta. There he sharpened his skills in art and creativity by making advertisements. Though Satyajit Ray started his career as a Visualiser, he had a penchant for filmmaking. He became art director in the advertising agency within a few years. He also worked for a publishing house as a commercial illustrator. 

         Satyajit Ray had watched many films for a long time and his deepening interest in films inspired his first attempts to write screenplays and his cofounding of the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. Ray was encouraged in his cinematic journey by the French director Jean Renoir who was in Bengal to shoot for his film ‘The River’ in 1949. Satyajit Ray went to London in 1950 where he saw 99 films. He watched films not for mere recreation but to study the art of film-making and learn something from the films. The success of the film ‘The Bicycle Thief’ which he saw during his visit in London motivated him into serious film-making and convinced him that he should attempt to film Pather Panchali. On his way back from London, he thought of a good and suitable story of the film too.

      Ray made his directorial debut in 1955 with Pather Pachali. The film was admired both in India and in foreign soil. This film established him as a world-class director. This film received many awards including the Special Jury award as the ‘Best Human Document’ in the Cannes Film Festival in 1956. Ray’s influence on the movie industry was phenomenal in India. His Apu trilogy of films which includes Apu, Aparajito and Apur Sansar attracted the world to Indian cinema. He influenced many filmmakers of India. Apart from a filmmaker he was a music composer, writer, cameraman and illustrator. Ray created two popular fictional characters in Bengali Childen’s literature-- Feluda, a sleuth and Professor Shonku, a scientist. The narrator of Feluda is Topshe.

          Satyajit Ray made 35 films from 1955 to 1991. All his films proved to be historical milestones in the world of artistic cinema. During his forty years period of film making he made many films like Pather Panchali, Aparajita, Apur Sansar, Jalsaghar, Paras Pather, Devi, Teen Kanya, Charulata, Ghare Bairey, Sonar Kella, Shatranj K Khiladi etc. Ray’s last film was Aguntuk which was released in 1991.  Aguntuk was released in the year of India’s economic liberalisation. The film managed to find its audience in the year of liberation which focussed on the wind of change, growing consumerism, smaller families, changing principles and modernity. Ray made films for both mass and class. 

     I still believe that he was an unsung hero in the arena of films and direction for chiefly two reasons despite his immense talent in film making. Firstly, Ray was unable to raise money from producers for his first film as the producers doubted his first time project. Ray began his shooting for his first film in late 1952 using his own money and luckily the rest of the money came from West Bengal government. When Satyajit Ray’s first film ‘Pather Panchali’ was awarded as the ‘Best Human Document’ in the category of Special Jury Award in the Cannes International Film Festival in 1956 then his contemporary filmmakers were furious on him for exposing poverty of India to the world. I don’t think the idea behind his first film was showing only poverty of India. I am sure a sensitive filmmaker like Ray who gave humanistic approach to his films will never do such thing. Actually, Ray’s films especially the first one was a classic which was beyond the understanding of other mediocre filmmakers. I feel Ray’s contemporary filmmakers were jealous of him. Rivalry and competitive nature among filmmakers is common for a long time in filmmaking.

       The second reason I feel Ray was an unsung hero despite being the first Indian to win an Oscar because he deserved Oscar much early in his filmmaking career for his exceptional talent and creativity. He was presented with an Honorary Academy Award by Audrey Hepburn via video-link. He was in gravely ill condition, but he still managed to give an acceptance speech despite his illness, calling it the “best achievement of my movie career”. Though he thanked from the bottom of his heart for the Oscar, his speech was garbled due to his illness. A talented filmmaker like Satyajit Ray definitely deserved Oscar but not at his death bed. He deserved Oscar in the mid age of his career. He passed away on 23^rd April 1992, at age 72.

      Ray is the greatest filmmakers of the 20^th century. He is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He controlled many aspects of film making apart from direction like music, script, dialogue etc. He was also a cameraman in few of his films. His films are known for his art, creativity, technical skills and artistic portrayal of fine human emotions and societal issues. He was a pioneer of Indian cinema who took Indian cinema to international level. Ray’s work continues to inspire the filmmakers of this generation. It is said that filmmaker Steven Spielberg film “ET” was actually inspired by Satyajit Ray. The film “ET” was the brainchild of Ray but he could not make the film because of shortage of money. Ray’s films were not just for mere entertainment but his films delved much deeper. As a director, Ray was noted for his humanism, his versatility and his detailed control over his films and their music. He was not one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20^th century alone but he still remains a greatest filmmaker even today.

By Ruchira Banerjee