Satyajit Ray (2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, author, lyricist, music composer, calligrapher and illustrator, widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Ray was born in Calcutta into a prominent Bengali family highly active in the fields of arts and literature.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, music composer, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily for young adults and children. Feluda, the sleuth, and Professor Shonku, the scientist in his science fiction stories, are popular fictional characters created by him. He was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University.
Early Life and Background
The Ray family can be traced back for at least ten generations. Satyajit Ray’s grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray, was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj. Upendrakishore’s son, Sukumar Ray, was a pioneering Bengali writer of nonsense verse and children’s literature, an illustrator and a critic.
Satyajit was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta. Sukumar Ray died when Satyajit was barely two, and Satyajit was raised by his mother on her brother’s modest income. Ray studied at Ballygunge Government High School and went on to complete his BA in Economics at Presidency College in Calcutta, though his interest was always in the fine arts. In 1940, his mother insisted that he attend Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, founded by Rabindranath Tagore.
Cinematic Career
Ray’s interest in cinema grew after he co-founded the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. During a trip to London in 1950, he watched Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948), which profoundly inspired him to pursue filmmaking. He decided that he would make films using non-professional actors, shot on location with natural light.
The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959)
Ray’s directorial debut, Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road, 1955), took three years to complete due to financial struggles. The film, which depicts the childhood of a boy named Apu in a rural Bengali village, was a critical and commercial success, winning numerous international awards including the “Best Human Document” at the Cannes Film Festival.
He completed the masterpiece trilogy with:
- Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956): Following Apu’s adolescence and his education in Calcutta.
- Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959): Portraying Apu’s adult life, marriage, and struggles as a writer.
The Trilogy is widely considered among the greatest achievements in world cinema.
Other Major Works
Ray went on to direct diverse masterpieces, including:
- Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964): Based on Tagore’s novella Nastanirh, widely regarded as Ray’s most accomplished film.
- Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958): Exploring the decline of a feudal landlord.
- Mahanagar (The Big City, 1963): Portraying a middle-class housewife who decides to take a job in rapidly changing Calcutta.
- Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969): A popular musical fantasy film based on a story written by his grandfather.
Literary Contributions
Ray revived the children’s magazine Sandesh, which had been founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore. He wrote extensively for it, creating two legendary figures in Bengali literature:
- Feluda (Pradosh Chandra Mitter): A private detective who travels across India and abroad solving complex mysteries, accompanied by his cousin Topshe and the comic writer Jatayu.
- Professor Shonku: An eccentric inventor who creates futuristic gadgets (like a pill that replaces food, or an anti-gravity device) and travels the world having science-fiction adventures.
Honors and Legacy
Ray received major awards throughout his career, including 32 National Film Awards in India, the Golden Lion at Venice, and the Golden Bear at Berlin. In 1992, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him an Honorary Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement, which he received on his deathbed via a video link. In the same year, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor.