Satyajit Ray

Very few Indian movies make it to the heart of international audience. Satayajit Ray’s Pather Panchali is one of the those movie, that not only bewails about the poverty stricken Bengal, but the very nuances of childhood, the simplicity of living under one roof, and difficulties of trying to make both ends meet in pre-independent India.

Satayajit Ray left a lucrative advertising job, to try his hand in filmmaking. But little do we know about the filmmaker who further inspired him, and believed to leave an everlasting impact on Satayajit Ray’s filmmaking. Jean Renoir came to India during 1949’s. The filmmaker was looking for shooting locations in India for his ambitious project THE RIVER. (trailer check must!) Meeting Renoir became one of the most important experience of Ray’s life. He not only accompanied Renoir to various locations in kolkata , Renoir became his first mentor in this craft.

Speaking fondly about Satayajit Ray , Renoir once said “I think he had it (film-making) in his blood, though he is very young, he is father of Indian cinema.”

But directing Pather Panchali was never easy for Ray. Mid way shooting the movie, funds dried up which he raised by his rare music albums and wife’s jewels. It was during these hustle a friend introduced him to chief minister of Bengal Dr Bhidhan Roy, who took the responsibility of financing the movie on his shoulder.

With a bunch of amateur actors, uncanny style of filmmaking Panther Panchali was made. It was the first major Indian movie to receive first New York premiere in 1955, consequently also making it to the winning list of Cannes film festival.

Panther Panchali was a rare movie, it wasn’t a Bollywood masala movie.(AKA commercial cinema)

Neither it had actors dancing and grooving to the latest tunes, nor was it even colored. Yet it was successful in depicting India the way it was; squalid, young, poverty-stricken and simple.

Hats off to Satayajit Ray!