Films are a medium of escape, but making it an experience that lives and thrives for ages, inspires like no other, and when we recall films as an experience, a legend immediately lives through our hearts and minds… Satyajit Sukumar Ray. Satyajit Ray, or should I say Pather Panchali, Aparajito, The World of Apu, and so many more… maybe a lifetime full of philosophical shots and frames that pour life into lifeless words.

Today, as India requests perseverance of his remains, we remember Ray as the pioneer of philosophical camera and inclusive, thoughtful storytelling.

Ray was more than just a filmmaker—he was a cultural renaissance man whose influence spanned cinema, literature, music, design, and thought. The influence was such that it still carries an essence even today and has been influencing for ages into films by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nilhani, Sayed Mirza, and so many more budding artists. Born into an illustrious Bengali family deeply embedded in the literary and artistic traditions of Bengal, Ray carved his path by giving Indian cinema a profound, humanistic, and globally respected voice.

Ray’s Life

How can a man be so talented? But the fact that Ray belonged to a distinguished family of writers and artists. His grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, was a writer, publisher, and a pioneer in printing technology. His father, Sukumar Ray, was a famed poet and satirist. This creative lineage naturally shaped Ray’s intellectual upbringing.

After graduating from Presidency College with a degree in Economics, Ray studied at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, founded by Rabindranath Tagore. There, he was exposed to Indian art, rural life, and Eastern philosophy—impressions that would heavily influence his cinematic worldview.

The Cinematic Revolution Begins

Satyajit Ray’s encounter with French filmmaker Jean Renoir during the latter’s visit to Kolkata and a viewing of Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves” were pivotal moments that convinced him of cinema’s power to tell simple, human stories without melodrama.

Armed with a modest budget and a mostly non-professional crew, Ray embarked on Pather Panchali (1955)—a project that changed the face of Indian cinema forever. The film introduced the "Parallel Cinema" movement in India—an alternative to commercial Bollywood, defined by realism, character depth, and social themes.

Satyajit Ray: A Timeline of Genius

1921 – Born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

1940s – Worked as a commercial artist and book illustrator, designing over 200 book covers.

1947 – Founded the Calcutta Film Society, promoting world cinema among local enthusiasts.

1950 – Travelled to London; watched Bicycle Thieves—a key inspiration.

1952–1955 – Filmed Pather Panchali over two years due to financial struggles. Used amateur actors and local locations.

1955 – Pather Panchali released; won Best Human Document at Cannes Film Festival.

1956 – Aparajito, the second part of the Apu Trilogy, was released; it won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

1959 – Apur Sansar completed the Apu Trilogy. Ray gained global critical acclaim.

1960s – Explored various genres:

Devi (1960) – Feminist critique of blind faith.
Charulata (1964) – Adaptation of a Tagore novella; a cinematic classic on loneliness.
Nayak (1966) – Psychological exploration of a matinee idol’s inner conflict.
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969) – A fantasy musical, loved across generations.

1970s –

Ashani Sanket (1973) – A haunting portrayal of the Bengal famine.
Created Feluda, the iconic detective character in Bengali literature, beginning with Feludar Goendagiri (1971).

1980s –

Suffered health issues but continued filmmaking.
Ghare Baire (1984) – Based on Tagore’s novel, dealt with nationalism and women's liberation.
Ganashatru (1989) and Shakha Proshakha (1990) tackled social issues like superstition and corruption.

1991 –

Released Agantuk (The Stranger), his final film—a reflection on identity, trust, and civilisation.
Honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
Received the Honorary Oscar (Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement). Though bedridden, he accepted the award via video with characteristic grace and humility.

April 23, 1992 – Passed away in Kolkata at the age of 70.

A Visual Craftsman

Before venturing into cinema, Satyajit Ray worked as a commercial artist at the British advertising agency D.J. Keymer in Kolkata. He was trained in visual arts at Santiniketan, under the influence of stalwarts like Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee, which gave him a deep understanding of Indian aesthetics and design.

Ray’s gift for illustration was evident in his work at Signet Press, where he designed some of the most iconic book covers in Bengali literature, including:

Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s Pather Panchali (a book he later adapted into his first film),
Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India,
And multiple works by Rabindranath Tagore.

He created his own typefaces, hand-drew publicity posters, designed credit sequences, and even made detailed storyboards for his films—rare in Indian cinema at the time. His sharp eye for composition ensured that every frame of his film was like a carefully constructed painting.

Writer: Storyteller for All Ages

Ray was a prolific writer in both Bengali fiction and non-fiction. While his films focused on adults, his literature captured the imagination of children and teenagers.

Feluda: The brilliant private detective from Kolkata who solved intricate crimes with intelligence, logic, and charm. Inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Feluda was a distinctly Indian sleuth—intellectual yet relatable.
Professor Shonku: A quirky, multilingual, and adventurous scientist who explored space, invented bizarre gadgets, and dealt with alien lifeforms. These sci-fi stories introduced young readers to science and curiosity long before STEM became trendy.

Ray’s writing style was simple, witty, and engaging, blending suspense with philosophical undertones. His stories often carried moral dilemmas, scientific curiosity, and cultural observations, making them timeless and educational.

Maestro of Melody and Mood

After collaborating with classical legends like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan in his early films, Ray began composing music for his own films from the 1960s onward. His compositions were elegant, emotionally layered, and deeply tied to the narrative.

He could fuse Indian ragas, folk tunes, and Western classical orchestration to evoke nuanced atmospheres. For instance:

The use of minimalistic sitar in Charulata evoked the quiet loneliness of the protagonist.
The magical, percussive score of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne gave it a whimsical, fantasy feel.
In Aparajito and Ashani Sanket, music subtly underlined despair and resilience without overwhelming the story.

Ray was a pioneer in Indian film sound design, using music not as an add-on but as a narrative force. His attention to silence was equally powerful, using pauses, ambient sounds, and breathing space to create emotional gravity.

Global Impact

Satyajit Ray’s influence crossed continents. Directors like Martin Scorsese, Akira Kurosawa, Christopher Nolan, and Wes Anderson have acknowledged his deep impact on their storytelling.

"Not to have seen the films of Ray is to have lived in the world without ever having seen the moon and the sun."
— Akira Kurosawa

Ray’s films remain a staple in international film schools. His stories are used in Indian classrooms to teach not just film, but also ethics, history, sociology, feminism, and philosophy. Institutions like the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata continue to train future storytellers in his spirit.

Satyajit Ray was not just a filmmaker; he was a philosopher with a camera. His cinema, rooted in Indian soil but universal in soul, continues to touch audiences across generations. In an era of commercialism and noise, Ray’s silence still speaks volumes, offering us a lens to understand humanity, beauty, and truth.