The great auteur Satyajit Ray, whose 100th birth anniversary falls today, will always be remembered for his cinematic genius, directorial excellence and futuristic vision conveyed through his films.
Ray was born in Calcutta which was prominent in the field of arts and literature.
He started his career as a commercial artist, he was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves during a visit to London.
He found inspiration for his first film, Pather Panchali, while illustrating the children's version of the novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay.
On his 100th birth anniversary today, here are a few of Ray's best movies:
1. Pather Panchali
Ray made his directorial debut with Bengali drama film Pather Panchali. It is the first film of The Apu Trilogy. This piece of brilliance is a social drama and it follows the childhood of the protagonist (Apu), his elder sister and the harsh village life of the poor family. It is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Bengali novel of the same name.
2. Aparajito
This is an Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and is the second part of The Apu Trilogy. It is adapted from the first half of Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel Aparajito. It starts off where the previous film ended with Apu's family moving to Varanasi and chronicles Apu's life from childhood to adolescence in college.
3. The World of Apu
The World of Apu originally released as Apur Sansar is the third part of the Apu Trilogy. This part focuses on Apu's adult life and the trials and tribulations that come his way.
4. Parash Pathar
Parash Pathar translated to English is The Philosopher's Stone. It is a Bengali language Indian fantasy comedy film. This was Ray's first film outside the Apu Trilogy. He directed this film and wrote the screenplay. It gives us a glimpse into his funny side.
5. Jalasaghar
This is a Bengali drama film directed by Ray himself. He also wrote the screenplay for this film. It is about how a dissolute zamindar would rather listen to music and put up spectacles rather than manage and protect his properties.
Meanwhile, in a homage to Ray, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced that it will organize year-long celebrations across India and abroad to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary filmmaker.
However, in view of the pandemic situation, the celebrations will be held in hybrid mode, digital and physical both, during the year.
