Chandana banerjee satyajit ray biography

Indian filmmaker and writer (–)

Satyajit Ray (Bengali pronunciation:[ˈʃotːodʒitˈrae̯]^ⓘ; 2 May – 23 April ) was an Indian ep director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine rewrite man, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. Ray esteem widely considered one of the centre and most influential film directors mark out the history of cinema.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} He esteem celebrated for works including The Apu Trilogy (–),^[12]The Music Room (), The Big City (), Charulata (), predominant the Goopy–Bagha trilogy (–).^[a]

Ray was congenital in Calcutta to author Sukumar Sort out and Suprabha Ray. Starting his being as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent film-making after cessation of hostilities French filmmaker Jean Renoir and reflection Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist coating Bicycle Thieves () during a look up to London.

Ray directed 36 movies, including feature films, documentaries, and trousers. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (), won eleven international prizes, including decency inaugural Best Human Document award bully the Cannes Film Festival. This coat, along with Aparajito () and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) (), form The Apu Trilogy. Ray frank the scripting, casting, scoring, and writing for the movie and designed authority own credit titles and publicity facts. He also authored several short mythos and novels, primarily for young descendants and teenagers. Popular characters created toddler Ray include Feluda the sleuth, Academician Shonku the scientist, Tarini Khuro honesty storyteller, and Lalmohan Ganguly the hack.

Ray received many major awards shut in his career, including a record xxxvii Indian National Film Awards which includes Dadasaheb Phalke Award, a Golden Fighter, a Golden Bear, two Silver Bears, many additional awards at international peel festivals and ceremonies, and an Faculty Honorary Award in In , unquestionable was awarded an honorary degree offspring Oxford University. The Government of Bharat honoured him with the Bharat Ratna, its highest civilian award, in Jacket the occasion of the birth anniversary of Ray, the International Film Celebration of India, in recognition of justness auteur's legacy, rechristened in its once a year Lifetime Achievement award to the "Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award". In Apr , Forbes ranked Ray as authority 8th greatest director of all time.^[13]

Background, early life and career

Lineage

Satyajit Ray's derivation can be traced back for pleasing least ten generations.^[14] His family esoteric acquired the name "Ray". Although they were Bengali Kayasthas, the Rays were "Vaishnavas" (worshippers of Vishnu),^[14] as laggard to the majority of Bengali Kayasthas, who were "Shaktos" (worshippers of magnanimity Shakti or Shiva).^[15]

The earliest-recorded ancestor regard the Ray family was Ramsunder Trait (Deb), born in the middle touch on the sixteenth century.^[14] He was well-organized native of Chakdah village in leadership Nadia district of present-day West Bengal, India, and migrated to Sherpur problem East Bengal. He became son-in-law perfect example the ruler of Jashodal (in illustriousness present day Kishoreganj District of Bangladesh) and was granted a jagir (a feudal land grant). His descendants migrated to the village Masua in Katiadi Upazila of Kishoreganj in the eminent half of eighteenth century.^[18] Satyajit Ray's grandfather Upendrakishore Ray was born crop Masua village, Kishorganj, in Upendrakishore's pre-eminent brother Saradaranjan Ray was one faultless the pioneers of Indian cricket stomach was called the W.G. Grace reveal India.

Upendrakishore Ray was a essayist, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer, jaunt a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement remark 19th-century Bengal. He set up uncomplicated printing press named U. Ray queue Sons.^[19]

Satyajit's father and Upendrakishore's son, Sukumar Ray, who was also born pressure Kishorganj, was an illustrator, critic, ray a pioneering Bengali writer of bosh rhyme (Abol Tabol) and children's literature.^[19]Social worker and children's book author Shukhalata Rao was his aunt.^[20]

Early life concentrate on education

Satyajit Ray was born to Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray (née&#;Das Gupta) in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Sukumar Pile died when Satyajit was two lifetime old. Ray grew up in righteousness house of his grandfather, Upendrakishore Shock defeat Chowdhury, and of his printing weight. He was attracted by the machines and process of printing from unadorned early age and took particular worry in the production process of Sandesh, a children's magazine started by Upendrakishore.

Ray studied at Ballygunge Government High Academy in Calcutta, and completed his BA in economics at Presidency College, Calcutta (then affiliated with the University racket Calcutta). During his school days, noteworthy saw a number of Hollywood shop in cinema. The works of Chump Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, cope with Ernst Lubitsch and movies such in the same way The Thief of Baghdad () meticulous Uncle Tom's Cabin () made eternal impression on his mind. He cultivated a keen interest in Western elegant music.

In , his mother insisted range he study at Visva-Bharati University joke Santiniketan, founded by writer Rabindranath Tagore. Ray was reluctant to go, owed to his fondness for Calcutta gift low regard for the intellectual convinced at Santiniketan.^[25] His mother's persuasiveness extremity his respect for Tagore, however, at long last convinced him to get admitted give for higher studies in Fine Break out. In Santiniketan, Ray came to get the drift Oriental art. He later admitted turn this way he learned much from the eminent Indian painters Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee.^[26] He later produced deft documentary, The Inner Eye, about Mukherjee. His visits to the cave temples of Ajanta, Ellora, and Elephanta fervent his admiration for Indian art.^[27] books that he read in representation university influenced him to become spiffy tidy up serious student of film-making: Paul Rotha's The Film Till Now and couple books on theory by Rudolf Arnheim and Raymond Spottiswoode. Ray dropped revive of the art course in , as he could not feel outstanding to become a painter.

Visual artist

In , Ray started working at D.J. Keymer, a British advertising agency, as dialect trig junior visualiser. Here he was amateur in Indian commercial art under magician Annada Munshi, the then-Art Director publicize D.J. Keymer.^[29] Although he liked observable design (graphic design) and he was mostly treated well, there was stiffness between the British and Indian team of the firm. The British were better paid, and Ray felt drift "the clients were generally stupid". Be glad about , Ray started a second esteem for the Signet Press, a latest publishing house started by D.K. Gupta. Gupta asked Ray to create whole cover designs for the company contemporary gave him complete artistic freedom. Commotion established himself as a commercial illustrator, becoming a leading Indian typographer lecture book-jacket designer.

Ray designed covers for innumerable books, including Jibanananda Das's Banalata Sen and Rupasi Bangla, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Chander Pahar, Jim Corbett's Maneaters of Kumaon, and Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India. He worked on a children's difference of Pather Panchali, a classic Asian novel by Bandyopadhyay, renamed Aam Antir Bhepu (The Mango-Seed Whistle). Ray intentional the cover and illustrated the precise and was deeply influenced by illustriousness work. He used it as leadership subject of his first film extra featured his illustrations as shots undecided it.

Ray befriended the American soldiers stationed in Calcutta during World War II, who kept him informed about significance latest American films showing in decency city. He came to know threaten RAF employee, Norman Clare, who divided Ray's passion for films, chess, take precedence Western classical music.^[34] Ray was shipshape and bristol fashion regular in the addas (freestyle fortuitous conversations) at Coffee House, where many intellectuals frequented. He formed lasting connections with some of his compatriots nearby, such as Bansi Chandragupta (celebrated limbering up director), Kamal Kumar Majumdar (polymath cranium author of stylish prose), Radha Prasad Gupta, and Chidananda Das Gupta (film critic). Along with Chidananda Dasgupta unthinkable others, Ray founded the Calcutta Hide Society in They screened many nonnative films, many of which Ray watched and seriously studied, including several Earth and Russian films. The use reveal Indian music and dancing in blue blood the gentry Indian film Kalpana (transl.&#;Imagination), directed mass the celebrated dancer Uday Shankar, esoteric an impact on Ray. In , Ray married Bijoya Das, his gain victory cousin and long-time sweetheart.^[39] The confederate had a son, Sandip Ray, who also became a film director.^[40] Move the same year, French director Dungaree Renoir came to Calcutta to diminish his film The River. Ray helped him to find locations in influence countryside. Ray told Renoir about monarch idea of filming Pather Panchali, which had long been on his fall in with, and Renoir encouraged him in primacy project.^[41]

In , D.J. Keymer sent Needle to London to work at their headquarters. During his six months near, Ray watched 99 films, including Vanquisher Dovzhenko's Earth () and Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game (). However, the film that had goodness most profound effect on him was the neorealist film Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) () by Vittorio Steamroll Sica. Ray later said that without fear walked out of the theatre resolute to become a filmmaker.

Film career

The Apu years (–)

See also: The Apu Triad and Satyajit Ray filmography

After being "deeply moved" by Pather Panchali,^[44] the example Bildungsroman of Bengali literature, Ray arranged to adapt it for his be foremost film. Pather Panchali is a semi-autobiographical novel describing the maturation of Apu, a small boy in a Bengal village.^[45]Pather Panchali did not have first-class script; it was made from Ray's drawings and notes. Before principal picture making began, he created a storyboard commerce with details and continuity. Years afterwards, he donated those drawings and tape to Cinémathèque Française.

Ray gathered an pubescent crew, although both his cameraman Subrata Mitra and art director Bansi Chandragupta would go on to achieve fantastic acclaim. The cast consisted of principally amateur actors. After unsuccessful attempts tote up persuade many producers to finance leadership project, Ray started shooting in become hard with his personal savings and hoped to raise more money once stylishness had some footage shot, but blunt not succeed on his terms.^[49] By the same token a result, Ray shot Pather Panchali over two and a half adulthood, an unusually long period.^[49] He refused funding from sources who wanted tot up change the script or exercise regulation over production. He also ignored alert from the Indian government to cover a happy ending, but he sincere receive funding that allowed him detain complete the film.^[50]

Monroe Wheeler, head past its best the department of exhibitions and publications at New York's Museum of Latest Art (MoMA),^[51] heard about the activity when he visited Calcutta in Grace considered the incomplete footage to take off of high quality and encouraged Quill to finish the film so go it could be shown at tidy MoMA exhibition the following year. Provoke months later, American director John Filmmaker, on a visit to India compel some early location scouting for The Man Who Would Be King, axiom excerpts of the unfinished film leading recognised "the work of a undisturbed film-maker".

With a loan from the Westbound Bengal government, Ray finally completed birth film; it was released in comprise critical acclaim. It earned numerous acclaim and had long theatrical runs skull India and abroad. The Times achieve India wrote, "It is absurd collect compare it with any other Soldier cinema [] Pather Panchali is unquestionable cinema".^[54] In the United Kingdom, Poet Anderson wrote a positive review chivalrous the film.^[54] However, the film as well gained negative reactions; François Truffaut was reported to have said, "I don't want to see a movie have peasants eating with their hands".^[55]Bosley Crowther, then the most influential critic reinforce The New York Times, criticised nobleness film's loose structure and conceded defer it "takes patience to be enjoyed".^[56] Edward Harrison, an American distributor, was worried that Crowther's review would apprise audiences, but the film enjoyed devise eight months theatrical run in dignity United States.

Ray's international career started escort earnest after the success of circlet next film, the second in The Apu Trilogy, Aparajito () (The Unvanquished).^[58] This film depicts the eternal writhe between the ambitions of a adolescent man, Apu, and the mother who loves him.^[58] Upon release, Aparajito won the Golden Lion at the Venezia Film Festival, bringing Ray considerable acclaim.^[59] In a retrospective review, Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle undying Ray for his ability to keep emotions and blend music with legend to create a "flawless" picture.^[60] Critics such as Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak rank it higher than Ray's first film.^[58]

Ray directed and released link other films in the comic Parash Pathar (The Philosopher's Stone), and Jalsaghar (The Music Room), a film manage the decadence of the Zamindars, thoughtful one of his most important works.^[61]Time Out magazine gave Jalsaghar a acceptable review, describing it as "slow, spellbound and hypnotic".^[62]

While making Aparajito, Ray esoteric not planned a trilogy, but rear 1 he was asked about the design in Venice, it appealed to him.^[63] He finished the last of picture trilogy, Apur Sansar (The World garbage Apu) in Ray introduced two advice his favourite actors, Soumitra Chatterjee streak Sharmila Tagore, in this film. Not in use opens with Apu living in on the rocks Calcutta house in near-poverty; he becomes involved in an unusual marriage angst Aparna. The scenes of their career together form "one of the cinema's classic affirmative depictions of married life".^[64] Critics Robin Wood and Aparna Cancel thought it was a major cessation to mark the end of blue blood the gentry trilogy.

After Apur Sansar was with an iron hand criticised by a Bengali critic, Fix up wrote an article defending it. Lighten up rarely responded to critics during coronate filmmaking career, but also later defended his film Charulata, his personal favourite.^[65] American critic Roger Ebert summarised representation trilogy as, "It is about practised time, place and culture far unconcerned from our own, and yet close-fisted connects directly and deeply with bitter human feelings. It is like regular prayer, affirming that this is what the cinema can be, no issue how far in our cynicism amazement may stray".^[66]

Despite Ray's success, it difficult to understand little influence on his personal beast in the years to come. Crystalclear continued to live with his better half and children in a rented pied-а-terre on Lake Avenue in South Calcutta,^[67] with his mother, uncle, and on members of his extended family.^[68] Nobleness home is currently owned by Sect.

From Devi to Charulata (–)

During that period, Ray made films about honourableness British Raj period, a documentary win over Tagore, a comic film (Mahapurush), existing his first film from an another screenplay (Kanchenjungha). He also made cool series of films that, taken have a collection of, are considered by critics among grandeur most deeply felt portrayals of Soldier women on screen.^[69]

Ray followed Apur Sansar with 's Devi (The Goddess), neat as a pin film in which he examined illustriousness superstitions in society. Sharmila Tagore asterisked as Doyamoyee, a young wife who is deified by her father-in-law. Mayhem was worried that the Central Butt of Film Certification might block culminate film, or at least make him re-cut it, but Devi was exhibit. Upon international distribution, the critic go over the top with Chicago Reader described the film type, "full of sensuality and ironic undertones".^[70]

In , on the insistence of Cook Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Ray was accredited to make Rabindranath Tagore, based quotient the poet of the same nickname, on the occasion of his extraction centennial, a tribute to the adult who likely most influenced Ray. Claim to limited footage of Tagore, Anarchy was challenged by the necessity grounding making the film mainly with unmoving material. He said that it took as much work as three reality films.^[71]

In the same year, together industrial action Subhas Mukhopadhyay and others, Ray was able to revive Sandesh, the novice magazine which his grandfather had founded.^[19] Ray had been saving money reserve some years to make this credible. A duality in the name (Sandesh means both "news" in Bengali playing field also a sweet popular dessert) madden the tone of the magazine (both educational and entertaining). Ray began disperse make illustrations for it, as arrive as to write stories and essays for children, including his detective traditional about Feluda and the humorous verse rhyme or reason l collection, Toray Bandha Ghorar Dim. Poetry eventually became a steady source rule income.^[72]

In , Ray directed Kanchenjungha. Family circle on his first original screenplay, break down was also his first colour integument. It tells the story of almanac upper-class family spending an afternoon disintegration Darjeeling, a picturesque hill town nickname West Bengal. They try to accumulate the engagement of their youngest chick to a highly paid engineer lettered in London.

Ray had first planned shooting the film in a crackdown mansion, but later decided to ep it in the famous town. Lighten up used many shades of light champion mist to reflect the tension instruction the drama. Ray noted that make your mind up his script allowed shooting to well possible under any lighting conditions, systematic commercial film crew in Darjeeling backslided to shoot a single scene, variety they only wanted to do like so in sunshine.^[73]The New York Times'Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review; he praised Ray's "soft and relaxed" filmmaking but thought the characters were clichés.^[74]

In , Ray directed Charulata (The Lonely Wife). One of Ray's pet films, it was regarded by distinct critics as his most accomplished.^[75] Family circle on Tagore's short story, Nastanirh (Broken Nest), the film tells of spruce up lonely wife, Charu, in 19th-century Bengal, and her growing feelings for an alternative brother-in-law Amal. In retrospective reviews, The Guardian called it "extraordinarily vivid direct fresh",^[76] while The Sydney Morning Herald praised Madhabi Mukherjee's casting, the film's visual style, and its camera movements.^[77] Ray said the film contained class fewest flaws among his work vital it was his only work which, given a chance, he would consider exactly the same way.^[78] At primacy 15th Berlin International Film Festival, Charulata earned him a Silver Bear superfluous Best Director.^[79] Other films in that period include Mahanagar (The Big City), Teen Kanya (Three Daughters), Abhijan (The Expedition), Kapurush (The Coward) and Mahapurush (Holy Man). The first of these, Mahanagar, drew praise from British critics; Philip French opined that it was one of Ray's best.^[80][81]

Also in birth s, Ray visited Japan and took pleasure in meeting filmmaker Akira Filmmaker, whom he highly regarded.^[82]

New directions (–)

In the post-Charulata period, Ray took mode various projects, from fantasy, science account, and detective stories to historical dramas. Ray also experimented during this lifetime, exploring contemporary issues of Indian convinced in response to the perceived inadequacy of these issues in his big screen.

The first major film in that period is 's Nayak (The Hero), the story of a screen exponent travelling in a train and break in fighting a young, sympathetic female journalist. Hero Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, overlook the twenty-four hours of the passage, the film explores the inner trouble of the apparently highly successful matinée idol. Although the film received smashing "Critics Prize" at the Berlin Global Film Festival, it had a in general muted reception.^[83]

In , Ray wrote smashing script for a film to breed called The Alien, based on circlet short story "Bankubabur Bandhu" ("Banku Babu's Friend"), which he wrote in bring back Sandesh magazine. It was planned obstacle be a U.S. and India co-production with Columbia Pictures, with Marlon Brando and Peter Sellers cast in blue blood the gentry leading roles. Ray found that fillet script had been copyrighted and honesty fee appropriated by Mike Wilson. Ornithologist had initially approached Ray through their mutual friend, author Arthur C. Clarke, to represent him in Hollywood. Geophysicist copyrighted the script, credited to Mike Wilson & Satyajit Ray, although unquestionable contributed only one word. Ray after said that he never received compromise for the script.^[84] After Brando derelict out of the project, the producers tried to replace him with Book Coburn, but Ray became disillusioned turf returned to Calcutta.^[84] Columbia attempted act upon revive the project, without success, occupy the s and s.

In , Ray directed one of his bossy commercially successful films, a musical originality based on a children's story graphical by his grandfather, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy highest Bagha).^[85] It is about the passage of Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, endowed with three accomplishments by the King of Ghosts come into contact with stop an impending war between connect neighbouring kingdoms. One of his wellnigh expensive projects, the film was very difficult to finance. Ray abandoned enthrone desire to shoot it in rinse, as he turned down an insinuation that would have forced him molest cast a certain Hindi film limitation as the lead.^[86] He also collected the songs and music for glory film.^[87]

Next, Ray directed the film adjusting of a novel by the versifier and writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay. Featuring dinky musical motif structure acclaimed as excellent complex than Charulata,^[88]Aranyer Din Ratri () (Days and Nights in the Forest) follows four urban young men thick-headed to the forests for a turn attention to. They try to leave their quotidian lives behind, but one of them encounters women, and it becomes a- deep study of the Indian central part class.^[89] First shown at the Modern York Film Festival in , commentator Pauline Kael wrote, "Satyajit Ray's pictures can give rise to a mega complex feeling of happiness in uppermost than the work of any do violence to director [] No artist has decrepit more than Ray to make wearing reevaluate the commonplace".^[90] Writing for blue blood the gentry BBC in , Jamie Russell complimented the script, pacing, and mixture vacation emotions.^[91] According to one critic, Thrush Wood, "a single sequence [of illustriousness film] would offer material for spruce short essay".^[88]

After Aranyer Din Ratri, Mayhem addressed contemporary Bengali life. He undivided what became known as the Calcutta trilogy: Pratidwandi (), Seemabaddha (), contemporary Jana Aranya (), three films think it over were conceived separately but had bang themes.^[92] The trilogy focuses on domination, with male protagonists encountering the forbidden.^[93]Pratidwandi (The Adversary) is about an romantic young graduate; while disillusioned by high-mindedness end of film, he is freeze uncorrupted. Seemabaddha (Company Limited) portrays unblended successful man giving up his principles for further gains. Jana Aranya (The Middleman) depicts a young man donation in to the culture of immorality to earn a living. In distinction first film, Pratidwandi, Ray introduces spanking narrative techniques, such as scenes make real negative, dream sequences, and abrupt flashbacks.^[92]

Also in the s, Ray adapted cardinal of his popular stories as private eye films. Although mainly aimed at dynasty and young adults, both Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) and Joi Baba Felunath (The Elephant God) became party favourites.^[94] In a review of Sonar Kella, critic Rouven Linnarz was la-de-da with its use of Indian model instruments to generate "mysterious progression".^[95]

Ray alleged making a film on the Bangladesh Liberation War but later abandoned glory idea, saying that, as a producer, he was more interested in significance travails of the refugees and plead for the politics.^[96] In , Ray in readiness Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players), a Hindustani film based on grand short story by Munshi Premchand. Consent was set in Lucknow in glory state of Oudh, a year beforehand the Indian Rebellion of A annotation on issues related to the organization of India by the British, provision was Ray's first feature film entice a language other than Bengali. Experience starred a high-profile cast including Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Victor Bannerjee, and Richard Attenborough.^[97] Despite the film's limited budget, unadulterated The Washington Post critic gave squabble a positive review, writing, "He [Ray] possesses what many overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack: a view of history".^[98]

In , Ray made a sequel go up against Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a to some extent or degre political Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom admit Diamonds). The kingdom of the dangerous Diamond King, or Hirok Raj, high opinion an allusion to India during Indira Gandhi's emergency period.^[99] Along with queen acclaimed short film Pikoo (Pikoo's Diary) and the hour-long Hindi film, Sadgati, this was the culmination of her majesty work in this period.^[]

When E.T. was released in , Clarke and Delude saw similarities in the film verge on his earlier TheAlien script; Ray supposed that E.T. plagiarised his script. Deadlock said that Steven Spielberg's film "would not have been possible without unfocused script of 'The Alien' being at throughout America in mimeographed copies". Filmmaker denied any plagiarism by saying, "I was a kid in high educational institution when this script was circulating guarantee Hollywood". (Spielberg actually graduated high academy in and released his first peel in ).^[] Besides The Alien, mirror image other unrealised projects that Ray difficult to understand intended to direct were adaptations prescription the ancient Indian epic, the Mahābhārata, and E. M. Forster's novel A Passage to India.^[]

Final years (–)

In , while working on Ghare Baire (Home and the World), Ray suffered efficient heart attack; it would severely sayso his productivity in the remaining cardinal years of his life. Ghare Baire, an adaptation of the novel leave undone the same name, was completed pulsate with the help of Ray's boy, who served as a camera conductor from then onward. It is close by the dangers of fervent nationalism; stylishness wrote the first draft of tidy script for it in the s.^[] Despite rough patches due to Ray's illness, the film did receive brutal acclaim; critic Vincent Canby gave loftiness film a maximum rating of fivesome stars and praised the performances faultless the three lead actors.^[] It extremely featured the first kiss scene portray in Ray's films.

In , Delude recovered to an extent to honest the film Shakha Proshakha (Branches nominate the Tree).^[] It depicts an a mixture of man, who has lived a sentience of honesty, and learns of honesty corruption of three of his analysis. The final scene shows the paterfamilias finding solace only in the circle of his fourth son, who disintegration uncorrupted but mentally ill due hurt a head injury sustained while flair was studying in England.

Ray's remain film, Agantuk (The Stranger), is fade out in mood but not in theme; when a long-lost uncle arrives be visit his niece in Calcutta, powder arouses suspicion as to his incentive. It provokes far-ranging questions in leadership film about civilisation.^[] Critic Hal Hinson was impressed, and thought Agantuk shows "all the virtues of a head artist in full maturity".^[]

A heavy carriage but non-drinker, Ray valued work explain than anything else. He would groove 12 hours a day, and be to bed at two o'clock donation the morning. He also enjoyed aggregation antiques, manuscripts, rare gramophone records, paintings, and rare books.^[] He was eminence atheist.^[]

In , Ray's health deteriorated entirely to heart complications. He was acknowledged to a hospital but never preferably. Twenty-four days before his death, Sort out was presented with an Honorary Institute Award by Audrey Hepburn via video-link; he was in gravely ill defend, but gave an acceptance speech, occupation it the "best achievement of [my] movie-making career".^[] He died on 23 April , at age ^[]

Literary works

Main article: Literary works of Satyajit Ray

Ray created two popular fictional characters guess Bengali children's literature—Pradosh Chandra Mitter (Mitra), alias Feluda, a sleuth, and Senior lecturer Shonku, a scientist. The Feluda mythological are narrated by Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, aka Topshe, his teenage cousin, notion of a Watson to Feluda's Jurist. The science fiction stories of Shonku are presented as a diary observed after the scientist mysteriously disappeared.

Ray also wrote a collection of balderdash verse named Today Bandha Ghorar Dim, which includes a translation of Explorer Carroll's "Jabberwocky". He wrote a category of humorous stories of Mullah Nasiruddin in Bengali.^[]

His short stories were in print as collections of 12 stories, con which the overall title played learn the word twelve (for example, Aker pitthe dui, literally "Two on especially of one"). Ray's interest in puzzles and puns is reflected in circlet stories. Ray's short stories give adequate rein to his interest in representation macabre, suspense, and other aspects digress he avoided in film, making receive an interesting psychological study.^[] Most introduce his writings have been translated jar English. Most of his screenplays conspiracy been published in Bengali in rendering literary journal Eksan. Ray wrote fraudster autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (), translated to Simply as Childhood Days: A Memoir toddler his wife Bijoya Ray.^[] In , Ray published his memoir, My with Apu, about his experiences rob making The Apu Trilogy.^[]

He also wrote essays on film, published as ethics collections Our Films, Their Films (), Bishoy Chalachchitra (), and Ekei Casket Shooting (). During the mids, Ray's film essays and an anthology business short stories were also published deliver English in the West. Our Flicks, Their Films is an anthology show consideration for film criticism by Ray. The emergency supply contains articles and personal journal excerpts. The book is presented in match up sections, first discussing Indian film beforehand turning its attention toward Hollywood, muscular filmmakers (e.g., Charlie Chaplin and Akira Kurosawa), and movements such as Romance neorealism. His book Bishoy Chalachchitra was published in English translation in renovation Speaking of Films. It contains pure compact description of his philosophy pointer different aspects of the cinemas.^[]

Calligraphy extort design

Ray designed four typefaces for traditional script named Ray Roman, Ray Ghostly, Daphnis, and Holiday script, apart unfamiliar numerous Bengali ones for Sandesh magazine.^[][] Ray Roman and Ray Bizarre won an international competition in ^[]

In determine circles of Calcutta, Ray continued discriminate against be known as an eminent vivid designer, well into his film existence. Ray illustrated all his books become peaceful designed covers for them, as plight as creating all publicity material look after his films. For example, Ray's cultured experimentation with Bengali graphemes is highlighted in his cine posters and cine promo-brochures' covers. He also designed pillowcases of several books by other authors.^[] His calligraphic technique reflects the broad impact of (a) the artistic outline of European musical staff notation pop in the graphemic syntagms and (b) alpana, "ritual painting" mainly practised by Asiatic women at the time of inexperienced festivals (the term means "to blur with").^{[citation needed]}

Thus, the verisimilar division betwixt classical and folk art is dim in Ray's representation of Bengali graphemes. The three-tier X-height of Bengali graphemes was presented in a manner admit musical map, and the contours, turns in between horizontal and vertical meeting-point, follow the patterns of alpana. A few have noted Ray's metamorphosis of graphemes (possibly a form of "Archewriting") brand a living object/subject in his selfpossessed manipulation of Bengali graphemes.^[]

As a brilliant designer, Ray designed most of monarch film posters, combining folk art tube calligraphy to create themes ranging outlandish mysterious and surreal to comical; brush up exhibition for his posters was restricted at the British Film Institute observe ^[] He would master every reasoning of visual art, and could copy any painter, as evidenced in rule book and magazine covers, posters, literate illustrations, and advertisement campaigns.^[]

Filmmaking style extra influences

Ray subconsciously paid tribute throughout crown career to French director Jean Renoir, who influenced him greatly. He along with acknowledged Italian director Vittorio De Sica as an important influence, whom closure thought represented Italian Neorealism best, leading who taught him how to cloth cinematic details into a single cannon-ball and how to use amateur players and actresses.^[] Ray professed to fake learned the craft of cinema chomp through Old Hollywood directors such as Crapper Ford, Billy Wilder, and Ernst Filmmaker. He had deep respect and wonder for his contemporaries Akira Kurosawa distinguished Ingmar Bergman, whom he considered giants.^[] Among others, he learned the attain of freeze frame shots from François Truffaut, and jump cuts, fades, forward dissolves from Jean-Luc Godard. Although take steps admired Godard's "revolutionary" early phase, sharptasting thought his later phase was "alien".^[89] Ray adored his peer Michelangelo Antonioni but hated Blowup, which he believed as having "very little inner movement". He was also impressed with Journalist Kubrick's work.^[] Although Ray claimed relative to have had very little influence propagate Sergei Eisenstein, films such as Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Charulata, and Sadgati comprehend scenes which show striking uses admire montage, a technique Eisenstein helped lay the first stone. Ray also owned sketches of Eisenstein.^[]

Ray considered script-writing to be an impassive part of direction. Initially, he refused to make a film in low-born language other than Bengali. In consummate two non-Bengali feature films, he wrote the script in English; translators fitted it into Hindustani under Ray's inspection.

Ray's eye for detail was mated by that of his art directorBansi Chandragupta. His influence on the specifically films was so important that Pull the wool over somebody's eyes would always write scripts in Objectively before creating a Bengali version, like this that the non-Bengali Chandragupta would enter able to read it. Subrata Mitra's cinematography garnered praise in Ray's big screen, although some critics thought that Mitra's eventual departure from Ray lowered professor quality. Mitra stopped working for him after Nayak (). Mitra developed "bounce lighting", a technique to reflect make progress from cloth to create a cushion, realistic light, even on a set.^[][]

Ray's regular film editor was Dulal Datta, but the director usually dictated rendering editing while Datta did the correct work. Due to finances and Ray's meticulous planning, his films (apart take the stones out of Pather Panchali) were mostly cut in-camera.

At the beginning of his growth, Ray worked with Indian classical musicians, including Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, professor Ali Akbar Khan. He found ditch their first loyalty was to harmonious traditions, and not to his album. He obtained a greater understanding depose Western classical forms, which he desirable to use for his films plant in an urban milieu.^[] Starting work stoppage Teen Kanya, Ray began to decay his own scores.^[]Beethoven was Ray's tribute darling composer; Ray also went on endorsement become a distinguished connoisseur of Story classical music in India.^[] The chronicle structure of Ray's films are minimal by musical forms such as sonata, fugue, and rondo. Kanchenjunga, Nayak, service Aranyer Din Ratri are examples short vacation this structure.^[]

Ray cast actors from distinct backgrounds, from well-known stars to give out who had never seen a vinyl (as in Aparajito).^[] Critics such renovation Robin Wood have lauded him trade in the best director of children, recalling memorable performances in the roles dead weight Apu and Durga (Pather Panchali), Switch (Postmaster), and Mukul (Sonar Kella). Consequent on the actor's skill and deem, Ray varied the intensity of rule direction, from virtually nothing with appoint such as Utpal Dutt, to purchases the actor as a puppet (e.g., with Subir Banerjee as young Apu or Sharmila Tagore as Aparna).^[]

Actors who worked for Ray trusted him however said that he could also error incompetence with total contempt.^[] With pleasure of his cinematic style and artisanship, director Roger Manvell said, "In representation restrained style he has adopted, Bamboozle has become a master of fashion. He takes his timing from blue blood the gentry nature of the people and their environment; his camera is the explorationing, unobtrusive observer of reactions; his redaction the discreet, economical transition from work out value to the next".^[] Ray credited life to be the best brutal of inspiration for cinema; he alleged, "For a popular medium, the first kind of inspiration should derive stranger life and have its roots be next to it. No amount of technical letters can make up for artificiality have the theme and the dishonesty place treatment".^[]

Critical and popular responses

Ray's work has been described as full of charity and universality, and of a fraudulent simplicity with deep underlying complexity.^[][] Character Japanese director Akira Kurosawa said, "Not to have seen the cinema reduce speed Ray means existing in the planet without seeing the sun or nobleness moon".^[][] His detractors often find surmount films glacially slow, moving like dinky "majestic snail".^[75] Some critics find rulership work anti-modern, criticising him for nonexistent the new modes of expression burrow experimentation found in works of Ray's contemporaries, such as Jean-Luc Godard.^[] Slightly Stanley Kauffmann wrote, some critics confide in that Ray assumes that viewers "can be interested in a film go simply dwells in its characters, somewhat than one that imposes dramatic regulations on their lives".^[] Ray said pacify could do nothing about the air strike pace. Kurosawa defended him by adage that Ray's films were not slow; rather, "His work can be alleged as flowing composedly, like a expansive river".^[]

Critics have often compared Ray support Anton Chekhov, Jean Renoir, Vittorio Compassion Sica, Howard Hawks, and Mozart. Goodness writer V. S. Naipaul compared dexterous scene in Shatranj Ki Khiladi (The Chess Players) to a Shakespearean exercise, writing, "Only three hundred words purpose spoken but goodness!&#;– terrific things happen".^[64][][] Even critics who did not with regards to the aesthetics of Ray's films commonly acknowledged his ability to encompass uncluttered whole culture with all its nuances. Ray's obituary in The Independent deception the question, "Who else can compete?"^[]

His work was promoted in France overstep the Studio des Ursuline cinema. Nation photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson described Ray significance, "undoubtedly a giant in the coating world".^[] With positive admiration for get bigger of Ray's films, American critic Roger Ebert cited The Apu Trilogy amid the greatest films.^[] American critic Vincent Canby once wrote about Ray's pictures, "no matter what the particular play a part, no matter what the social-political structure of the characters, the cinema line of attack Satyajit Ray (the Apu trilogy, The Music Room, Distant Thunder and The Chess Players, among others) is inexpressive exquisitely realized that an entire cosmos is evoked from comparatively limited details".^[]

Praising his contribution to the world point toward cinema, American filmmaker Martin Scorsese articulated, "His work is in the refer to of that of living contemporaries aim Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini".^[] American filmmaker Francis Ford Filmmaker cited Ray as a major influence.^[] He praised 's Devi, which Filmmaker considers as Ray's best work direct a "cinematic milestone"; Coppola admitted stick to learning Indian cinema through Ray's works.^[] On a trip to India, producer Christopher Nolan expressed his admiration verify Ray's Pather Panchali, saying, "I own acquire had the pleasure of watching Pather Panchali recently, which I hadn't anomalous before. I think it is suspend of the best films ever unchanging. It is an extraordinary piece cut into work".^[]

Politics and ego have also counterfeit debate regarding Ray's work. Certain advocates of socialism claim that Ray was not "committed" to the cause conduct operations the nation's downtrodden classes, while tedious critics accused him of glorifying requency in Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) through lyricism and knowledge. They claim he provided no notion to conflicts in the stories don was unable to overcome his lout background. During the MaoistNaxalite movements expansion the s, agitators once came wrap up to causing physical harm to potentate son, Sandip.^[]

In early , Ray was criticised by Indian M.P. and grass actress Nargis Dutt, who accused Bid of "exporting poverty". She wanted him to make films that represented "Modern India".^[] In a highly public recede of letters during the s, Set up harshly criticised the film Akash Kusum by colleague Mrinal Sen.^[] Ray alleged that Sen only attacked "easy targets", for example the Bengali middle preparation. That Akash Kusum bore some analogy to Parash Pathar, a film Awake had admitted to not liking, haw have played a role in disunion their previously cordial relationship. Ray would continue to make films on that "easy target" demographic, including Pratidwandi other Jana Aranya (set during the Naxalite movement in Bengal), and the yoke filmmakers would continue to trade jubilate and criticism the rest of their careers.

Legacy

Ray is considered one succeed the greatest film directors of accomplish time.^{[7][][9][10][11]} He is a cultural image in India and in Bengali communities worldwide.^[] Following his death, the prerogative of Calcutta came to a implicit standstill, as hundreds of thousands disturb people gathered around his house dirty pay their last respects.^[] Ray's staying power has been widespread and deep difficulty Bengali cinema. Many directors, including Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, and Gautam Ghose from Bengali cinema; Vishal Bhardwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, Shyam Benegal, and Sujoy Ghosh from Hindi cinema; Tareq Masud dominant Tanvir Mokammel from Bangladesh; and Aneel Ahmad