director’s cut – satyajit ray _ dfuse

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Born on 2nd May, 1921 into the illustrious Ray family, Satyajit Ray was a creative genius who has set the

highest standards possible when it comes to film-making. He spent his formative years under the guidance of

Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan which helped to enhance his already overwhelming brilliance. Ray

made his mark not only as the countrys greatest film maker, but also in several other fields, like music

direction, writing, editing, etc.

During the course of his career, he received several prestigious awards such as the Padma Bhushan, Padma

Vibhushan, the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, an honorary doctorate from the Oxford University,

and the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 to name a few. Shortly before his death, he was awarded

the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna by the Government of India.

It is impossible to list Rays best works. I feel with each and every film, he has outdone his other works. No

other Indian director has probably been able to match upto the finesse and elegant beauty of Rays films.

Hence, I wont even try and categorize his best works. But I will list a few Satyajit Ray films which I believe

must be watched by each and every movie-buff. Not indulging in these movies being a film-lover is possiblythe worst thing you can do to yourself.

Ghare Baire

Based on the novel of the same name by Rabindranath Tagore, this 1985 film by Ray is built around the

theme of female emancipation. Set during the time of the Swadeshi Movement in India, the film explores a

womans journey from complete isolation to courageously acting reckless. Ray manages to aptly carve outthe modern womans independence emerging from the shackles of the traditional Indian mindset. With

stunning performances by Soumitra Chatterjee, Victor Banerjee and Swatilekha Chatterjee, this is probably

one of the most beautiful movies ever made.


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Devi

This 1960 film by Ray follows religious fanaticism and its consequences. With a strong reference to Hindu

traditions and customs, this clearly passes off as one of Rays most honest works. Sharmila Tagore, then a

mere teenager, delivers a stellar performance, along with Soumitra Chatterjee, Chhabi Biswas and PurnenduMukherjee, who support her brilliantly. Rays inherent simplicity, combined with a very strong storyline,

makes this a hauntingly beautiful movie to watch.

Rabindranath Tagore

This documentary was made in 1961 to commemorate the birth centenary of arguably Indias finest poet. It

combines actual footage from Tagores life with dramatized versions of events from his life. One of the finest

documentaries that I have ever come across, it manages to touch the viewers heart while giving a detailed

commentary on Tagores life.

Chiriyakhana


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Made in 1967, this is definitely not one of Rays most famous works. However, it is just as splendid.

Incidentally, Ray went to remark that this was one of his most unsatisfying works. The film revolves around

Byomkesh Bakshi, Saradindu Banerjees famous detective who till date is one of the most loved characters

of Bengali literature, solving the case of a double murder. Uttam Kumar went on to win the National Award

for Best Actor for his fantastic portrayal of the detective. Ray won the National Award for Best Director.

Pather Panchali

The first of The Apu Trilogy,Pather Panchali

was Rays first film and was released in 1955. It narrates thelife of a family in a remote village in Bengal during the early 20 th century. Based on the novel of the same

name by Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, this film manages to strike a heart wrenching chord like no other. The

extreme sense of pathos that one experiences as the film progresses can possibly never be replicated on the

screen again. Unforgettable performances by Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Subir Banerjee, Runki

Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta and especially Chunibala Devi as the old aunt makes this movie the experience of a

lifetime.

Heres a little bit of trivia as I sign off: Chunibala Devi was primarily a theatre actress and had done only 2

films before retiring in 1939. She was brought back to movies at the age of 80 by Ray to play the old aunt in

this movie which has made her one of the immortal faces of Indian cinema. Co-incidentally, she died just

before the release of the movie.

By no means is this list exhaustive. One must watch every single Ray movie to understand what I mean.

Nevertheless, the ones I have listed above are a few of the movies which must be watched.

Till then, happy watching and do tell us what you think about them!

Tags:Tags: apu trilogyapu trilogy,, chiriyakhanachiriyakhana,, devidevi,,pather panchalipather panchali,, rabindranath ragorerabindranath ragore,, satyajit raysatyajit ray,, shantiniketanshantiniketan

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