Satyajit Ray (born May 2, 1921) is generally considered one of the great Indian directors of all time. His genius put an end to conventional film making techniques and created a new style of filmmaking that was widely influential around the world. Ray was known a director, writer, composer and illustrator as well. He was not only a pioneer of Indian cinema, but also a story teller and in his films he represented the emotions of its victims, social changes and events in the Indian society.
More Than fifty years of filmmaking have seen Ray make many different genres ranging from socio-political drama to light comedy with a humanist thrust and his films are still being seen by directors and audiences around the world today and his legacy is unmatched in the world of cinema.
Satyajit Ray’s Cinematic Masterpieces: A Legacy Of Timeless Stories
Pather Panchali (1955)
Plot/Theme: The first and primary part of Apu Trilogy, a story of a poor Bengali family living on a village in rural India focusing on the lives of Apu and his sister Durga, and their happy and difficult times.
Ray portrayal: Ray weaved delicately woven stories to expose familial bonds and the realities of rural life with a naturalism that is unprecedented in Indian cinema.
Aparajito (1956)
Plot/Theme: The sequel to ‘Apu Trilogy’, this time it is all about how Apu goes from being a child to an adolescent and how he deals with his mother as he moves to the city for school.
Ray’s portrayal: At every turning point Ray brought to life Apu’s emotional and intellectual evolution through aspiration, separation, and the passing of time.
Charulata (1964)
Plot/Theme: Set in 19th Century Bengal, the film depicts Charulata, a lonely woman living in a loveless marriage who takes an emotional liaison with her husband’s cousin.
Ray’s portrayal: With delicateness Ray played with Charulata’s inner conflict, examining themes of isolation and inconsistencies between his love and desire.
Satyajit Ray continues to make movies which are filled with beautiful imagery. His works, both realism and humanism based, were faithfully portrayed in Indian culture without succumbing to sensationalism or social paranoia and presented the core of life with beauty and grace.
Ray’s work in the field of movies was admired far and wide, including the Academy Honorary Award in 1992 (he passed away in the year, unfortunately), yet with a vast filmography to his credit, one can definitely rely that he is by far the best director India has ever had and continues to inspire both the filmmakers and the audiences through his visually rich and complex works.
