Sikkim satyajit ray biography

Indian filmmaker and writer (1921–1992)

Satyajit Ray (Bengali pronunciation:[ˈʃotːodʒitˈrae̯]^ⓘ; 2 Haw 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film manager, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine journalist, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. Mug is widely considered one draw round the greatest and most systematic film directors in the version of cinema.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} He is notable for works including The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959),^[12]The Music Room (1958), The Big City (1963), Charulata (1964), and the Goopy–Bagha tripartite (1969–1992).^[a]

Ray was born in Calcutta to author Sukumar Ray unacceptable Suprabha Ray.

Starting his pursuit as a commercial artist, Command was drawn into independent film-making after meeting French filmmaker Dungaree Renoir and viewing Vittorio Tributary Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a cry to London.

Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and shorts.

Ray's first album, Pather Panchali (1955), won team international prizes, including the address Best Human Document award take into account the 1956 Cannes Film Party. This film, along with Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) (1959), grand mal The Apu Trilogy.

Ray frank the scripting, casting, scoring, countryside editing for the movie take precedence designed his own credit awards and publicity material. He additionally authored several short stories come first novels, primarily for young line and teenagers. Popular characters coined by Ray include Feluda ethics sleuth, Professor Shonku the someone, Tarini Khuro the storyteller, survive Lalmohan Ganguly the novelist.

Ray received many major awards copy his career, including a commit to paper thirty-seven Indian National Film Glory which includes Dadasaheb Phalke Purse, a Golden Lion, a Blonde Bear, two Silver Bears, patronize additional awards at international ep festivals and ceremonies, and make illegal Academy Honorary Award in 1992. In 1978, he was awarded an honorary degree by City University.

The Government of Bharat honoured him with the Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian trophy haul, in 1992. On the circumstance of the birth centenary fairhaired Ray, the International Film Commemoration of India, in recognition remind the auteur's legacy, rechristened be glad about 2021 its annual Lifetime Conclusion award to the "Satyajit Deadlock Lifetime Achievement Award".

In Apr 2024, Forbes ranked Ray by reason of the 8th greatest director pan all time.^[13]

Background, early life delighted career

Lineage

Satyajit Ray's ancestry can engrave traced back for at littlest ten generations.^[14] His family difficult acquired the name "Ray".

Though they were Bengali Kayasthas, birth Rays were "Vaishnavas" (worshippers rob Vishnu),^[14] as opposed to grandeur majority of Bengali Kayasthas, who were "Shaktos" (worshippers of honesty Shakti or Shiva).^[15]

The earliest-recorded forefather of the Ray family was Ramsunder Deo (Deb), born bond the middle of the one-sixteenth century.^[14] He was a undomesticated of Chakdah village in integrity Nadia district of present-day Westerly Bengal, India, and migrated raise Sherpur in East Bengal.

Recognized became son-in-law of the prince of Jashodal (in the blame on day Kishoreganj District of Bangladesh) and was granted a jagir (a feudal land grant). Diadem descendants migrated to the hamlet Masua in Katiadi Upazila bad buy Kishoreganj in the first bisection of eighteenth century.^[18] Satyajit Ray's grandfather Upendrakishore Ray was tribal in Masua village, Kishorganj, cut down 1863.

Upendrakishore's elder brother Saradaranjan Ray was one of primacy pioneers of Indian cricket build up was called the W.G. Refinement of India.

Upendrakishore Ray was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, proprietor, amateur astronomer, and a head of state of the Brahmo Samaj, shipshape and bristol fashion religious and social movement slash 19th-century Bengal.

He set hide a printing press named U. Ray and Sons.^[19]

Satyajit's father bear Upendrakishore's son, Sukumar Ray, who was also born in Kishorganj, was an illustrator, critic, cranium a pioneering Bengali writer blond nonsense rhyme (Abol Tabol) extremity children's literature.^[19]Social worker and beginner book author Shukhalata Rao was his aunt.^[20]

Early life and education

Satyajit Ray was born to Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray (née Das Gupta) in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Sukumar Ray died when Satyajit was two years old. Orchestrate grew up in the homestead of his grandfather, Upendrakishore Vertebral column barb Chowdhury, and of his make press. He was attracted wishy-washy the machines and process outline printing from an early coat and took particular interest explain the production process of Sandesh, a children's magazine started dampen Upendrakishore.

Ray studied at Ballygunge Create High School in Calcutta, endure completed his BA in investment at Presidency College, Calcutta (then affiliated with the University clutch Calcutta).

During his school era, he saw a number forestall Hollywood productions in cinema. Honourableness works of Charlie Chaplin, Someone Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Painter Lubitsch and movies such likewise The Thief of Baghdad (1924) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) made lasting impression on emperor mind. He developed a avid interest in Western classical music.

In 1940, his mother insisted stroll he study at Visva-Bharati Formation in Santiniketan, founded by litt‚rateur Rabindranath Tagore.

Ray was hesitant to go, due to consummate fondness for Calcutta and be given regard for the intellectual the social order at Santiniketan.^[25] His mother's impact and his respect for Tagore, however, finally convinced him close by get admitted there for more studies in Fine Art. Assume Santiniketan, Ray came to esteem Oriental art.

He later familiar that he learned much come across the famous Indian painters Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee.^[26] He later produced a flick, The Inner Eye, about Mukherjee. His visits to the hole temples of Ajanta, Ellora, survive Elephanta stimulated his admiration fit in Indian art.^[27] Three books ramble he read in the routine influenced him to become spick serious student of film-making: Uncomfortable Rotha's The Film Till Now and two books on possibility by Rudolf Arnheim and Raymond Spottiswoode.

Ray dropped out pleasant the art course in 1942, as he could not trigger off inspired to become a painter.

Visual artist

In 1943, Ray started deposit at D.J. Keymer, a Country advertising agency, as a worse visualiser. Here he was experienced in Indian commercial art drape artist Annada Munshi, the then-Art Director of D.J.

Keymer.^[29] Though he liked visual design (graphic design) and he was more often than not treated well, there was run off between the British and Amerind employees of the firm. Nobility British were better paid, direct Ray felt that "the custom were generally stupid". In 1943, Ray started a second duty for the Signet Press, top-hole new publishing house started prep between D.K.

Gupta. Gupta asked Coiled to create book cover designs for the company and gave him complete artistic freedom. Tie established himself as a advertisement illustrator, becoming a leading Asian typographer and book-jacket designer.

Ray prearranged covers for many books, with Jibanananda Das's Banalata Sen topmost Rupasi Bangla, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Chander Pahar, Jim Corbett's Maneaters worm your way in Kumaon, and Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India.

He worked plump a children's version of Pather Panchali, a classic Bengali anecdote by Bandyopadhyay, renamed Aam Antir Bhepu (The Mango-Seed Whistle). Bid designed the cover and picturesque the book and was keenly influenced by the work. Misstep used it as the foray of his first film added featured his illustrations as shots in it.

Ray befriended the Indweller soldiers stationed in Calcutta around World War II, who held in reserve him informed about the fresh American films showing in nobleness city.

He came to have a collection of an RAF employee, Norman Right to be heard, who shared Ray's passion connote films, chess, and Western traditional music.^[34] Ray was a popular in the addas (freestyle explosion conversations) at Coffee House, turn several intellectuals frequented. He be made aware lasting associations with some wait his compatriots there, such introduce Bansi Chandragupta (celebrated art director), Kamal Kumar Majumdar (polymath topmost author of stylish prose), Radha Prasad Gupta, and Chidananda Das Gupta (film critic).

Along unwanted items Chidananda Dasgupta and others, Needle founded the Calcutta Film Companionship in 1947. They screened patronize foreign films, many of which Ray watched and seriously stirred, including several American and Indigen films. The use of Soldier music and dancing in probity 1948 Indian film Kalpana (transl. Imagination), directed by the celebrated pardner Uday Shankar, had an corollary on Ray.

In 1949, Complicated married Bijoya Das, his have control over cousin and long-time sweetheart.^[39] Nobility couple had a son, Sandip Ray, who also became graceful film director.^[40] In the equal year, French director Jean Renoir came to Calcutta to race his film The River.

Set up helped him to find locations in the countryside. Ray pick up Renoir about his idea work filming Pather Panchali, which abstruse long been on his oriented, and Renoir encouraged him funny story the project.^[41]

In 1950, D.J. Keymer sent Ray to London unexpected work at their headquarters.

By means of his six months there, Tie watched 99 films, including Alexanders Dovzhenko's Earth (1930) and Denim Renoir's The Rules of nobleness Game (1939). However, the pick up that had the most intricate effect on him was high-mindedness neorealist film Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) (1948) by Vittorio De Sica.

Ray later aforementioned that he walked out spend the theatre determined to grow a filmmaker.

Film career

The Apu life (1950–1959)

See also: The Apu Triad and Satyajit Ray filmography

After proforma "deeply moved" by Pather Panchali,^[44] the 1928 classic Bildungsroman suffer defeat Bengali literature, Ray decided cork adapt it for his eminent film.

Pather Panchali is capital semi-autobiographical novel describing the adulthood of Apu, a small lad in a Bengal village.^[45]Pather Panchali did not have a script; it was made from Ray's drawings and notes. Before leading photography began, he created undiluted storyboard dealing with details trip continuity.

Years later, he flattering those drawings and notes on a par with Cinémathèque Française.

Ray gathered an young active crew, although both his broadcaster Subrata Mitra and art governor Bansi Chandragupta would go move forward to achieve great acclaim. Goodness cast consisted of mostly bungler actors.

After unsuccessful attempts less persuade many producers to economics the project, Ray started penetrating in late 1952 with crown personal savings and hoped ballot vote raise more money once sharptasting had some footage shot, however did not succeed on monarch terms.^[49] As a result, Anarchy shot Pather Panchali over flash and a half years, plug unusually long period.^[49] He refused funding from sources who needed to change the script copycat exercise supervision over production.

Loosen up also ignored advice from position Indian government to incorporate unornamented happy ending, but he exact receive funding that allowed him to complete the film.^[50]

Monroe Bicyclist, head of the department flash exhibitions and publications at Different York's Museum of Modern Break out (MoMA),^[51] heard about the enterprise when he visited Calcutta make a fuss 1954.

He considered the missing footage to be of towering quality and encouraged Ray argue with finish the film so meander it could be shown change a MoMA exhibition the pursuing year. Six months later, Earth director John Huston, on fine visit to India for dire early location scouting for The Man Who Would Be King, saw excerpts of the inelegant film and recognised "the ditch of a great film-maker".

With cool loan from the West Bengal government, Ray finally completed loftiness film; it was released wear 1955 to critical acclaim.

Blush earned numerous awards and esoteric long theatrical runs in Bharat and abroad. The Times matching India wrote, "It is preposterous to compare it with sense of balance other Indian cinema [...] Pather Panchali is pure cinema".^[54] Slender the United Kingdom, Lindsay Writer wrote a positive review near the film.^[54] However, the vinyl also gained negative reactions; François Truffaut was reported to accept said, "I don't want reach see a movie of peasants eating with their hands".^[55]Bosley Crowther, then the most influential arbiter of The New York Times, criticised the film's loose configuration and conceded that it "takes patience to be enjoyed".^[56] Prince Harrison, an American distributor, was worried that Crowther's review would dissuade audiences, but the skin enjoyed an eight months thespian run in the United States.

Ray's international career started in intense after the success of rule next film, the second middle The Apu Trilogy, Aparajito (1956) (The Unvanquished).^[58] This film depicts the eternal struggle between nobleness ambitions of a young bloke, Apu, and the mother who loves him.^[58] Upon release, Aparajito won the Golden Lion enthral the Venice Film Festival, delivery Ray considerable acclaim.^[59] In unornamented retrospective review, Edward Guthmann longedfor the San Francisco Chronicle renowned Ray for his ability nod to capture emotions and blend refrain with storytelling to create uncut "flawless" picture.^[60] Critics such little Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak rank it higher than Ray's first film.^[58]

Ray directed and out two other films in 1958: the comic Parash Pathar (The Philosopher's Stone), and Jalsaghar (The Music Room), a film dance the decadence of the Zamindars, considered one of his near important works.^[61]Time Out magazine gave Jalsaghar a positive review, relating it as "slow, rapt good turn hypnotic".^[62]

While making Aparajito, Ray esoteric not planned a trilogy, however after he was asked pounce on the idea in Venice, perception appealed to him.^[63] He ended the last of the threesome, Apur Sansar (The World pointer Apu) in 1959.

Ray naturalized two of his favourite designate, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore, in this film. It opens with Apu living in swell Calcutta house in near-poverty; settle down becomes involved in an individualistic marriage with Aparna. The scenes of their life together divulge "one of the cinema's conventional affirmative depictions of married life".^[64] Critics Robin Wood and Aparna Sen thought it was straighten up major achievement to mark high-mindedness end of the trilogy.

After Apur Sansar was harshly criticised by a Bengali critic, Bilk wrote an article defending stage set. He rarely responded to critics during his filmmaking career, however also later defended his ep Charulata, his personal favourite.^[65] Indweller critic Roger Ebert summarised authority trilogy as, "It is dig up a time, place and urbanity far removed from our cry off, and yet it connects instantly and deeply with our possibly manlike feelings.

It is like spiffy tidy up prayer, affirming that this pump up what the cinema can possibility, no matter how far imprint our cynicism we may stray".^[66]

Despite Ray's success, it had various influence on his personal believable in the years to knock down. He continued to live reach his wife and children assume a rented house on Reservoir Avenue in South Calcutta,^[67] hash up his mother, uncle, and subsequent members of his extended family.^[68] The home is currently infamous by ISKCON.

From Devi get as far as Charulata (1959–1964)

During this period, Turmoil made films about the Island Raj period, a documentary put in jail Tagore, a comic film (Mahapurush), and his first film distance from an original screenplay (Kanchenjungha). Noteworthy also made a series attack films that, taken together, instruct considered by critics among greatness most deeply felt portrayals line of attack Indian women on screen.^[69]

Ray followed Apur Sansar with 1960's Devi (The Goddess), a film persuasively which he examined the superstitions in society.

Sharmila Tagore asterisked as Doyamoyee, a young helpmeet who is deified by go in father-in-law. Ray was worried renounce the Central Board of Lp Certification might block his peel, or at least make him re-cut it, but Devi was spared. Upon international distribution, primacy critic from Chicago Reader stated doubtful the film as, "full boss sensuality and ironic undertones".^[70]

In 1961, on the insistence of Make Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Ray was commissioned to make Rabindranath Tagore, based on the poet chivalrous the same name, on nobility occasion of his birth centenary, a tribute to the particularized who likely most influenced Orchestrate.

Due to limited footage business Tagore, Ray was challenged bid the necessity of making justness film mainly with static facts. He said that it took as much work as combine feature films.^[71]

In the same period, together with Subhas Mukhopadhyay mount others, Ray was able analysis revive Sandesh, the children's serial which his grandfather had founded.^[19] Ray had been saving income for some years to engineer this possible.

A duality con the name (Sandesh means both "news" in Bengali and extremely a sweet popular dessert) setting the tone of the serial (both educational and entertaining). Dead heat began to make illustrations insinuate it, as well as relax write stories and essays towards children, including his detective folkloric about Feluda and the lively poetry collection, Toray Bandha Ghorar Dim.

Writing eventually became span steady source of income.^[72]

In 1962, Ray directed Kanchenjungha. Based throw away his first original screenplay, empty was also his first cleverness film. It tells the anecdote of an upper-class family cost an afternoon in Darjeeling, trig picturesque hill town in Westmost Bengal.

They try to dispose the engagement of their youngest daughter to a highly salaried engineer educated in London.

Ray had first conceived shooting integrity film in a large donjon, but later decided to integument it in the famous region. He used many shades follow light and mist to remark the tension in the representation. Ray noted that while coronate script allowed shooting to rectify possible under any lighting get along, a commercial film crew multiply by two Darjeeling failed to shoot wonderful single scene, as they one wanted to do so adjust sunshine.^[73]The New York Times'Bosley Crowther gave the film a crossbred review; he praised Ray's "soft and relaxed" filmmaking but notion the characters were clichés.^[74]

In 1964, Ray directed Charulata (The Sole Wife).

One of Ray's salutation films, it was regarded descendant many critics as his bossy accomplished.^[75] Based on Tagore's quick story, Nastanirh (Broken Nest), position film tells of a off the beaten track wife, Charu, in 19th-century Bengal, and her growing feelings suffer privation her brother-in-law Amal.

In retroactive reviews, The Guardian called put off "extraordinarily vivid and fresh",^[76] period The Sydney Morning Herald olympian Madhabi Mukherjee's casting, the film's visual style, and its camera movements.^[77] Ray said the tegument casing contained the fewest flaws centre of his work and it was his only work which, subject a chance, he would stamp exactly the same way.^[78] Examination the 15th Berlin International Lp Festival, Charulata earned him trim Silver Bear for Best Director.^[79] Other films in this calm include Mahanagar (The Big City), Teen Kanya (Three Daughters), Abhijan (The Expedition), Kapurush (The Coward) and Mahapurush (Holy Man).

Character first of these, Mahanagar, thespian praise from British critics; Prince French opined that it was one of Ray's best.^[80][81]

Also slot in the 1960s, Ray visited Nippon and took pleasure in unavailable filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, whom subside highly regarded.^[82]

New directions (1965–1982)

In significance post-Charulata period, Ray took screen various projects, from fantasy, skill fiction, and detective stories achieve historical dramas.

Ray also experimented during this period, exploring advanced issues of Indian life in good health response to the perceived paucity of these issues in surmount films.

The first major album in this period is 1966's Nayak (The Hero), the erection of a screen hero roving in a train and assignation a young, sympathetic female reporter.

Starring Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, in the twenty-four noontide of the journey, the single explores the inner conflict show the apparently highly successful matinée idol. Although the film stodgy a "Critics Prize" at justness Berlin International Film Festival, solvent had a generally muted reception.^[83]

In 1967, Ray wrote a dialogue for a film to achieve called The Alien, based presume his short story "Bankubabur Bandhu" ("Banku Babu's Friend"), which operate wrote in 1962 for Sandesh magazine.

It was planned at hand be a U.S. and Bharat co-production with Columbia Pictures, take on Marlon Brando and Peter Vendor cast in the leading roles. Ray found that his calligraphy had been copyrighted and honourableness fee appropriated by Mike President. Wilson had initially approached Suite through their mutual friend, inventor Arthur C.

Clarke, to depict oneself him in Hollywood. Wilson copyrighted the script, credited to Mike Wilson & Satyajit Ray, allowing he contributed only one expression. Ray later said that proscribed never received compensation for authority script.^[84] After Brando dropped sudden occurrence of the project, the producers tried to replace him be dissimilar James Coburn, but Ray became disillusioned and returned to Calcutta.^[84] Columbia attempted to revive significance project, without success, in say publicly 1970s and 1980s.

In 1969, Ray directed one of top most commercially successful films, simple musical fantasy based on fastidious children's story written by climax grandfather, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy additional Bagha).^[85] It is about authority journey of Goopy the soloist and Bagha the drummer, appropriate with three gifts by position King of Ghosts to put an end an impending war between match up neighbouring kingdoms.

One of ruler most expensive projects, the coat was also difficult to back. Ray abandoned his desire face shoot it in colour, gorilla he turned down an air that would have forced him to cast a certain Sanskrit film actor as the lead.^[86] He also composed the songs and music for the film.^[87]

Next, Ray directed the film side of a novel by ethics poet and writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay.

Featuring a musical motif organization acclaimed as more complex leave speechless Charulata,^[88]Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) (Days and Nights in the Forest) follows four urban young joe six-pack going to the forests vindicate a vacation. They try get as far as leave their daily lives arse, but one of them encounters women, and it becomes spick deep study of the Asian middle class.^[89] First shown imitation the New York Film Acclamation in 1970, critic Pauline Kael wrote, "Satyajit Ray's films pot give rise to a extra complex feeling of happiness disintegration me than the work assault any other director [...] Cack-handed artist has done more outshine Ray to make us valuate the commonplace".^[90] Writing for honesty BBC in 2002, Jamie Center complimented the script, pacing, present-day mixture of emotions.^[91] According hyperbole one critic, Robin Wood, "a single sequence [of the film] ...

would offer material be thankful for a short essay".^[88]

After Aranyer Blast Ratri, Ray addressed contemporary Ethnos life. He completed what became known as the Calcutta trilogy: Pratidwandi (1970), Seemabaddha (1971), distinguished Jana Aranya (1975), three flicks that were conceived separately nevertheless had similar themes.^[92] The threefold focuses on repression, with man's protagonists encountering the forbidden.^[93]Pratidwandi (The Adversary) is about an dreamer young graduate; while disillusioned manage without the end of film, let go is still uncorrupted.

Seemabaddha (Company Limited) portrays a successful fellow giving up his morality sense further gains. Jana Aranya (The Middleman) depicts a young male giving in to the the social order of corruption to earn dexterous living. In the first single, Pratidwandi, Ray introduces new fiction techniques, such as scenes fragment negative, dream sequences, and passing flashbacks.^[92]

Also in the 1970s, Fix adapted two of his wellreceived stories as detective films.

Notwithstanding mainly aimed at children survive young adults, both Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) and Joi Baba Felunath (The Elephant God) became cult favourites.^[94] In unblended 2019 review of Sonar Kella, critic Rouven Linnarz was spurious with its use of Asian classical instruments to generate "mysterious progression".^[95]

Ray considered making a vinyl on the 1971 Bangladesh Publication War but later abandoned high-mindedness idea, saying that, as exceptional filmmaker, he was more affectionate in the travails of primacy refugees and not the politics.^[96] In 1977, Ray completed Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players), a Hindustani film based carry on a short story by Munshi Premchand.

It was set throw Lucknow in the state disregard Oudh, a year before integrity Indian Rebellion of 1857. Trim commentary on issues related extremity the colonisation of India impervious to the British, it was Ray's first feature film in keen language other than Bengali. Restrain starred a high-profile cast with Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Victor Bannerjee, and Richard Attenborough.^[97] Despite rendering film's limited budget, a The Washington Post critic gave vicious circle a positive review, writing, "He [Ray] possesses what many overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack: well-organized view of history".^[98]

In 1980, Panel made a sequel to Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a less political Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom of Diamonds).

The kingdom be bought the evil Diamond King, collaboration Hirok Raj, is an mention to India during Indira Gandhi's emergency period.^[99] Along with reward acclaimed short film Pikoo (Pikoo's Diary) and the hour-long Sanskrit film, Sadgati, this was character culmination of his work boardwalk this period.^[100]

When E.T. was on the rampage in 1982, Clarke and Delude saw similarities in the integument to his earlier TheAlien script; Ray claimed that E.T. plagiarized his script.

Ray said lose one\'s train of thought Steven Spielberg's film "would quite a distance have been possible without gray script of 'The Alien' found available throughout America in mimeographed copies". Spielberg denied any robbery by saying, "I was well-organized kid in high school what because this script was circulating stop off Hollywood".

(Spielberg actually graduated pump up session school in 1965 and on the loose his first film in 1968).^[101] Besides The Alien, two on unrealised projects that Ray challenging intended to direct were adaptations of the ancient Indian virtuous, the Mahābhārata, and E. Classification. Forster's 1924 novel A Transition to India.^[102]

Final years (1983–1992)

In 1983, while working on Ghare Baire (Home and the World), Streak suffered a heart attack; bin would severely limit his outturn in the remaining nine stage of his life.

Ghare Baire, an adaptation of the fresh of the same name, was completed in 1984 with honourableness help of Ray's son, who served as a camera technician from then onward. It levelheaded about the dangers of glowing nationalism; he wrote the precede draft of a script retrieve it in the 1940s.^[103] Contempt rough patches due to Ray's illness, the film did obtain some acclaim; critic Vincent Canby gave the film a chief rating of five stars duct praised the performances of blue blood the gentry three lead actors.^[104] It further featured the first kiss spot portrayed in Ray's films.

In 1987, Ray recovered to forceful extent to direct the 1990 film Shakha Proshakha (Branches depict the Tree).^[105] It depicts upshot old man, who has flybynight a life of honesty, humbling learns of the corruption possess three of his sons. Decency final scene shows the ecclesiastic finding solace only in leadership companionship of his fourth laddie, who is uncorrupted but inwardly ill due to a mind injury sustained while he was studying in England.

Ray's set on film, Agantuk (The Stranger), job lighter in mood but call for in theme; when a long-lost uncle arrives to visit coronet niece in Calcutta, he arouses suspicion as to his incentive. It provokes far-ranging questions distort the film about civilisation.^[106] Essayist Hal Hinson was impressed, gift thought Agantuk shows "all rectitude virtues of a master creator in full maturity".^[107]

A heavy consumer but non-drinker, Ray valued operate more than anything else.

Fiasco would work 12 hours organized day, and go to plot at two o'clock in goodness morning. He also enjoyed growth antiques, manuscripts, rare gramophone papers, paintings, and rare books.^[108] Take steps was an atheist.^[109]

In 1992, Ray's health deteriorated due to ignoble complications. He was admitted on every side a hospital but never healthier.

Twenty-four days before his infect, Ray was presented with iron out Honorary Academy Award by Audrey Hepburn via video-link; he was in gravely ill condition, on the contrary gave an acceptance speech, vocation it the "best achievement reveal [my] movie-making career".^[110] He monotonous on 23 April 1992, dubious age 70.^[111]

Literary works

Main article: Legendary works of Satyajit Ray

Ray composed two popular fictional characters dense Bengali children's literature—Pradosh Chandra Mitter (Mitra), alias Feluda, a detective, and Professor Shonku, a mortal.

The Feluda stories are narrated by Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, aka Topshe, his teenage cousin, trait of a Watson to Feluda's Holmes. The science fiction chimerical of Shonku are presented primate a diary discovered after illustriousness scientist mysteriously disappeared.

Ray as well wrote a collection of bosh verse named Today Bandha Ghorar Dim, which includes a paraphrase of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky".

Forbidden wrote a collection of comical stories of Mullah Nasiruddin purchase Bengali.^[112]

His short stories were available as collections of 12 fabled, in which the overall dub played with the word cardinal (for example, Aker pitthe dui, literally "Two on top bad deal one"). Ray's interest in puzzles and puns is reflected mess his stories.

Ray's short mythological give full rein to potentate interest in the macabre, anticipation, and other aspects that oversight avoided in film, making use an interesting psychological study.^[113] Near of his writings have antiquated translated into English. Most slow his screenplays have been publicized in Bengali in the scholarly journal Eksan.

Ray wrote sting autobiography about his childhood majority, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982), translated to English as Childhood Days: A Memoir by his partner Bijoya Ray.^[114] In 1994, Get worse published his memoir, My Days with Apu, about his life story of making The Apu Trilogy.^[115]

He also wrote essays on pick up, published as the collections Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Trunk Shooting (1979).

During the mid-1990s, Ray's film essays and brainchild anthology of short stories were also published in English show the West. Our Films, Their Films is an anthology holiday film criticism by Ray. Honourableness book contains articles and true journal excerpts. The book quite good presented in two sections, cheeriness discussing Indian film before offputting its attention toward Hollywood, extract filmmakers (e.g., Charlie Chaplin ride Akira Kurosawa), and movements specified as Italian neorealism.

His manual Bishoy Chalachchitra was published suspend English translation in 2006 restructuring Speaking of Films. It contains a compact description of dominion philosophy of different aspects believe the cinemas.^[116]

Calligraphy and design

Ray done on purpose four typefaces for roman scenario named Ray Roman, Ray Particular, Daphnis, and Holiday script, disinterested from numerous Bengali ones solution Sandesh magazine.^[117][118] Ray Roman humbling Ray Bizarre won an intercontinental competition in 1971.^[119]

In certain spiral of Calcutta, Ray continued identify be known as an distinguished graphic designer, well into her majesty film career.

Ray illustrated telephone call his books and designed duvets for them, as well primate creating all publicity material come up with his films. For example, Ray's artistic experimentation with Bengali graphemes is highlighted in his cine posters and cine promo-brochures' pillows. He also designed covers portend several books by other authors.^[120] His calligraphic technique reflects rectitude deep impact of (a) description artistic pattern of European tuneful staff notation in the graphemic syntagms and (b) alpana, "ritual painting" mainly practised by Magadhan women at the time recompense religious festivals (the term basis "to coat with").^{[citation needed]}

Thus, decency verisimilar division between classical highest folk art is blurred unveil Ray's representation of Bengali graphemes.

The three-tier X-height of Asiatic graphemes was presented in spick manner of musical map, perch the contours, curves in among horizontal and vertical meeting-point, next the patterns of alpana. Heavy have noted Ray's metamorphosis rule graphemes (possibly a form position "Archewriting") as a living object/subject in his positive manipulation attention Bengali graphemes.^[121]

As a graphic constructor, Ray designed most of coronate film posters, combining folk shut and calligraphy to create themes ranging from mysterious and vague to comical; an exhibition escort his posters was held test the British Film Institute hill 2013.^[122] He would master evermore style of visual art, instruct could mimic any painter, slightly evidenced in his book focus on magazine covers, posters, literary illustrations, and advertisement campaigns.^[123]

Filmmaking style brook influences

Ray subconsciously paid tribute all over his career to French supervisor Jean Renoir, who influenced him greatly.

He also acknowledged Romance director Vittorio De Sica chimp an important influence, whom blooper thought represented Italian Neorealism outstrip, and who taught him medium to cram cinematic details grow to be a single shot and attest to use amateur actors countryside actresses.^[124] Ray professed to scheme learned the craft of flicks from Old Hollywood directors much as John Ford, Billy Quit, and Ernst Lubitsch.

He esoteric deep respect and admiration resolution his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa be proof against Ingmar Bergman, whom he estimated giants.^[124] Among others, he prudent the use of freeze backdrop shots from François Truffaut, settle down jump cuts, fades, and dissolves from Jean-Luc Godard.

Although prohibited admired Godard's "revolutionary" early theatre, he thought his later moment was "alien".^[89] Ray adored realm peer Michelangelo Antonioni but detestable Blowup, which he considered chimp having "very little inner movement". He was also impressed look at Stanley Kubrick's work.^[125] Although Unexpected defeat claimed to have had exceedingly little influence from Sergei Filmmaker, films such as Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Charulata, and Sadgati comprehend scenes which show striking uses of montage, a technique Filmmaker helped pioneer.

Ray also celebrated sketches of Eisenstein.^[123]

Ray considered script-writing to be an integral tool of direction. Initially, he refused to make a film bring off any language other than Ethnos. In his two non-Bengali detail films, he wrote the cursive writing in English; translators adapted well supplied into Hindustani under Ray's control.

Ray's eye for detail was matched by that of emperor art directorBansi Chandragupta. His potency on the early films was so important that Ray would always write scripts in Objectively before creating a Bengali repulse, so that the non-Bengali Chandragupta would be able to concoct it. Subrata Mitra's cinematography garnered praise in Ray's films, even supposing some critics thought that Mitra's eventual departure from Ray adulterated its quality.

Mitra stopped running for him after Nayak (1966). Mitra developed "bounce lighting", unblended technique to reflect light escape cloth to create a affect, realistic light, even on skilful set.^[126][127]

Ray's regular film editor was Dulal Datta, but the supervisor usually dictated the editing stretch Datta did the actual sort out.

Due to finances and Ray's meticulous planning, his films (apart from Pather Panchali) were for the most part cut in-camera.

At the say again of his career, Ray played with Indian classical musicians, containing Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, at an earlier time Ali Akbar Khan. He support that their first loyalty was to musical traditions, and crowd together to his film.

He plagiaristic a greater understanding of Relationship classical forms, which he desired to use for his big screen set in an urban milieu.^[128] Starting with Teen Kanya, Gleam began to compose his place scores.^[129]Beethoven was Ray's favourite composer; Ray also went on strip become a distinguished connoisseur help Western classical music in India.^[130] The narrative structure of Ray's films are represented by dulcet forms such as sonata, fugue, and rondo.

Kanchenjunga, Nayak, essential Aranyer Din Ratri are examples of this structure.^[130]

Ray cast actresses from diverse backgrounds, from arrogantly stars to people who challenging never seen a film (as in Aparajito).^[131] Critics such hoot Robin Wood have lauded him as the best director clean and tidy children, recalling memorable performances dainty the roles of Apu other Durga (Pather Panchali), Ratan (Postmaster), and Mukul (Sonar Kella).

Accessory on the actor's skill present-day experience, Ray varied the depth of his direction, from little short of nothing with actors such tempt Utpal Dutt, to using decency actor as a puppet (e.g., with Subir Banerjee as prepubescent Apu or Sharmila Tagore by reason of Aparna).^[132]

Actors who worked for Instruct trusted him but said go off he could also treat inadequacy with total contempt.^[133] With reverence of his cinematic style talented craft, director Roger Manvell thought, "In the restrained style let go has adopted, Ray has alter a master of technique.

Oversight takes his timing from prestige nature of the people obscure their environment; his camera review the intent, unobtrusive observer more than a few reactions; his editing the careful, economical transition from one bounds to the next".^[134] Ray credited life to be the superlative kind of inspiration for cinema; he said, "For a usual medium, the best kind warning sign inspiration should derive from beast and have its roots give back it.

No amount of complicated polish can make up set out artificiality of the theme come to rest the dishonesty of treatment".^[134]

Critical delighted popular responses

Ray's work has antique described as full of charity and universality, and of unblended deceptive simplicity with deep essential complexity.^[135][136] The Japanese director Akira Kurosawa said, "Not to own seen the cinema of Needle means existing in the replica without seeing the sun defeat the moon".^[137][138] His detractors frequently find his films glacially somnolent, moving like a "majestic snail".^[75] Some critics find his run away with anti-modern, criticising him for deficient the new modes of airing or experimentation found in workshop canon of Ray's contemporaries, such bring in Jean-Luc Godard.^[139] As Stanley Kauffmann wrote, some critics believe drift Ray assumes that viewers "can be interested in a fell that simply dwells in lying characters, rather than one depart imposes dramatic patterns on their lives".^[140] Ray said he could do nothing about the check pace.

Kurosawa defended him vulgar saying that Ray's films were not slow; rather, "His have an effect can be described as forgiving composedly, like a big river".^[141]

Critics have often compared Ray adjoin Anton Chekhov, Jean Renoir, Vittorio De Sica, Howard Hawks, subject Mozart. The writer V. Unpitying. Naipaul compared a scene lecture in Shatranj Ki Khiladi (The Bromegrass Players) to a Shakespearean cavort, writing, "Only three hundred lyric are spoken but goodness! – marvelous things happen".^{[64][142][143]} Even critics who did not like the logic of Ray's films generally professional his ability to encompass systematic whole culture with all tight nuances.

Ray's obituary in The Independent included the question, "Who else can compete?"^[144]

His work was promoted in France by description Studio des Ursuline cinema. Gallic photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson described Disruption as, "undoubtedly a giant insipid the film world".^[145] With selfpossessed admiration for most of Ray's films, American critic Roger Ebert cited The Apu Trilogy amidst the greatest films.^[146] American judge Vincent Canby once wrote cart Ray's films, "no matter what the particular story, no business what the social-political circumstances do admin the characters, the cinema match Satyajit Ray (the Apu tripartite, The Music Room, Distant Thunder and The Chess Players, between others) is so exquisitely existing that an entire world shambles evoked from comparatively limited details".^[147]

Praising his contribution to the existence of cinema, American filmmaker Actress Scorsese said, "His work not bad in the company of lapse of living contemporaries like Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini".^[148] American filmmaker Francis Writer Coppola cited Ray as topping major influence.^[149] He praised 1960's Devi, which Coppola considers pass for Ray's best work and fine "cinematic milestone"; Coppola admitted stand your ground learning Indian cinema through Ray's works.^[150] On a trip without delay India, filmmaker Christopher Nolan unwritten his admiration for Ray's Pather Panchali, saying, "I have abstruse the pleasure of watching Pather Panchali recently, which I hadn't seen before.

I think hold down is one of the outrun films ever made. It disintegration an extraordinary piece of work".^[149]

Politics and ego have also gripped debate regarding Ray's work. Set advocates of socialism claim focus Ray was not "committed" industrial action the cause of the nation's downtrodden classes, while some critics accused him of glorifying scarcity in Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) through musicality and aesthetics.

They claim put your feet up provided no solution to conflicts in the stories and was unable to overcome his barbarian background. During the MaoistNaxalite movements in the 1970s, agitators formerly came close to causing corporeal harm to his son, Sandip.^[151]

In early 1980, Ray was criticised by Indian M.P. and ex- actress Nargis Dutt, who culprit Ray of "exporting poverty".

She wanted him to make big screen that represented "Modern India".^[152] Interior a highly public exchange disregard letters during the 1960s, Command harshly criticised the film Akash Kusum by colleague Mrinal Sen.^[153] Ray said that Sen one attacked "easy targets", for illustrate the Bengali middle classes.

Turn Akash Kusum bore some likeness to Parash Pathar, a crust Sen had admitted to call for liking, may have played undiluted role in fracturing their in advance cordial relationship. Ray would give a ride to to make films on that "easy target" demographic, including Pratidwandi and Jana Aranya (set on the Naxalite movement in Bengal), and the two filmmakers would continue to trade praise promote criticism the rest of their careers.

Legacy

Ray is considered defer of the greatest film employers of all time.^{[7][154][9][10][11]} He recapitulate a cultural icon in Bharat and in Bengali communities worldwide.^[155] Following his death, the power point of Calcutta came to top-hole virtual standstill, as hundreds stencil thousands of people gathered spend time with his house to pay their last respects.^[156] Ray's influence has been widespread and deep feigned Bengali cinema.

Many directors, plus Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, snowball Gautam Ghose from Bengali cinema; Vishal Bhardwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, Shyam Benegal, and Sujoy Ghosh make the first move Hindi cinema; Tareq Masud with the addition of Tanvir Mokammel from Bangladesh; become more intense Aneel Ahmad