Centenary of a cinematic genius….A Tribute to ”Mr Satyajit Ray”

”The only solutions that are ever worth anything are the solutions that people find themselves” As I quote these lines from one of the greatest personalities of the cinematic world, I would like to tell you all that 2 May is the birth anniversary of Mr Satyajit Ray. What makes 2 May 2020 more special is the fact that this is 99th birth anniversary of this charismatic personality. I am so spellbound by the thought that even after so many decades his movies ,especially the characters he portrayed onscreen have continued to influence us in a constructive way. His eternal movies keep on entertaining us even in 21st century. Probably Mr Ray had the conviction and foresightedness to create masterpieces onscreen which were way ahead of their time and even made a deep impact on society. His movies were more about content and characters than about commercial gains. Having said that, I would like to throw some light on Mr Ray’s journey in the world of cinema in this blog. As we take some glimpses of his journey and talk about some of his must watch movies , I hope you all will become more fond of this gentlemen and his movies.

The most celebrated movie maker of the country , the only one of his kind to win the Bharat Ratna, Satyajit Ray was born on this day 99 years ago. As much as he was a genius in creating art behind the camera, Ray right from his initial days showed inclination towards making socially impactful cinema. Born to the famous poet and historian, Sukumar Ray, art was something that came naturally to him. It was only destiny and Ray’s innate passion for the craft that despite having a degree in Physics from the prestigious Presidency College, he decided to make a career in film making. It all started when working as a commercial artist in an advertising agency in Calcutta, Ray was introduced to Bibhutibhushan Banerjee’s autobiographical novel on the then typical Bengal life, Pather Panchali. It was then and there that he decided that he will make a movie out of this and retell this story in his own way on the silver screen. But this was still the early 40s we are talking about. In the upcoming years Ray set up the “Calcutta Film Society” with some of the other film enthusiasts of the region. Around the same time he also had the good fortune to meet the French director Jean Renoir who further encouraged him to pursue his dreams. Besides, Ray watched the classic Italian movie “The Bicycle Thieves” which propelled him further to try his hand in this new venture. And thus began an unforgettable journey that went on to transform the Indian scenario of movie making. Ray made his first movie “Pather Panchali” in 1955 and won the special jury prize at the acclaimed Cannes Film Festival the following year. This appreciation urged Ray to make two more sequels to the first movie that makes up the Apu trilogy which received wide acclaim and entrenched him as one of the front runners of Indian cinema.

After Apu Trilogy, some of his notable works in 1960,s include Parash Pathar, Jalshaghar, Devi, Mahanagar, Chiriyakhana, Kapurush and Mahalurush. Parash Pathar is a light-hearted comic movie where the role of the protagonist is aptly played by Tulsi Chakraborty. The movie tells us humorously what happens when middle-class people get midas touch like boons. In Devi, we see a young Sharmila in the role of Devi which specifically deals with religious fanaticism. Satyajit Ray who comes from a Brahmin family was heavily criticised for this movie however it failed to dampen his spirits and he continued to deal with relevant societal issues onscreen. Mahanagar highlights the prejudices of society against working women in those times. It tells us about a family where the seniormost family member being a well-educated man objects to his daughter in law taking up a job. Some brilliant performances by Madhabi Mukherjee, Anil Chatterjee and Haren Chatterjee light up the screen. Kapurush meaning ”The Coward” is a story about a young man who doesn’t have the courage to marry his fiancee when she turns up unexpectedly as she is she is forced by her family to move to another town much against her wishes. However, things take an ugly turn he is left alone. The 5-minute scene where the Soumitra Chatterjee and Madhabi converse and contemplate about marriage is something to look out for. Soumitra Chatterjee’s charm and Madhabi’s expressive eyes will keep you glued to the screen. Few years down the lane their paths cross again with Madhabi settled with her husband played by Haradhan Banerjee. Soumitra tries to rekindle the romance only to find that Madhabi has moved on in her life. But is it so or is it that she is trying to act like that? The depth of the characters, their portrayal and the dialogues are amazing. At the ending scene, we can only speculate. Chiriyakhan is a must watch for Byomkesh fans given the fact that Byomkesh is played by Mahanayak Uttam Kumar.

From 1970 -1980 Mr Ray made movies like Aryaner Din Ratri, Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha, Jana Aranya, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Ashani Sanket, Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath. Aryaner Din Ratri is about a group of four friends who on their outing in a forest come across some interesting people. It beautifully depicts how each of them introspects based on their experience with some new acquaintances in the forest and eventually become a better version of themselves. Pratidwandi deals with the lack of jobs for qualified personnel in those times along with the impact of Naxalite movement on youth. Dhrittiman Chatterjee’s performance is something to watch out in this movie. In Jana Aranya, we see a qualified graduate who is unable to get a job for himself becoming a middle man. It depicts his highs and lows as a middleman as he ventures into unethical and immoral practice to secure a lucrative contract. It shows the degradation of the moral fabric of society. Seemabaddha is a story about a well-qualified man who is employed with a renowned company and enjoys the confidence of all his top bosses. He is soon to be included in the board of directors when something goes wrong unexpectedly in his ongoing project. The story revolves around how once an honest man takes an unethical route to secure his position in the board of directors. Mr Ray makes a sharp criticism on screen about the corrupt practices in industry where the power hungry people go to extreme extents to get what they want.Hirak Rajar Deshe is one of the beautiful movies where Mr Ray makes an on screen commentary on authoritarian regime albeit humorously. He reminds us through this excellent movie that whenever authoritarian regimes will usher in, uprisings will happen to bring them down.Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath are must watch for Feluda lovers. Soumitra Chatterjee plays the role of a detective perfectly in these movies. Ashani Sanket is a movie about the great famine of Bengal where it is depicted that it was more of a man-made calamity than a natural one.

In the 1990s Mr Ray enlightened us with movies like Ganashatru, Shakha Prosakha and Agnatuk. Ganashatru is a story about a flourishing township in which a temple attracts devotees as well as tourists. The story revolves around a Doctor played by Soumitra Chatterjee who is denounced by people when his findings suggest that charnamrit given to devotees in the temple is leading to serious health problems. Rater than speaking about Shakha Prosakha and Agantuk I would suggest you to watch them. Characters played by Utpal Dutt in Agantuk and Soumitra Chatterjee in Shakha Prosakha will stay with you forever.

Aside from directing, Mr Ray composed music and wrote screenplays for films, both his own and those by other directora. Often credited as a fiction writer, illustrator, and calligrapher; Ray authored several short stories and novels in Bengali, most of which were aimed at children and adolescent. Some of his short stories have been adapted into films by other directors, including his only son, Sandip Ray.

Mr Ray received numerous awards at international film festivals and elsewhere, including several Indian National Film Awards, Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1984) and an Honorary Academy Award (1992). Mr. Ray is the only Indian to be honoured with an Honorary Academy Award. In 1992, Mr. Ray’s health deteriorated due to heart complications and he left for heavenly abode on 23 April 1992.

As we traverse through the journey of this great personality I fall short of words to describe the cinematic genius of Mr Ray. With the nationwide lockdown extended for another couple of weeks, I hope I will complete watching all 36 movies directed by Mr Ray. After reading about this gentleman I know that most of you will be eager to watch his movies. On a personal note I would recommend all my friends and well wishers to at least watch below movies.

The Apu Trilogy, Mahanagar, Chiriyakhan,Kapurush, Devi, Aryaner Din Ratri, Pratidwandi, Sonar Kella, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Shakha Prosakha and Agantuk.