Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian filmmaker who worked prominently in Bengali cinema and who has often been regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in the History of cinema.[1] Ray was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a Bengali family and started his career as a junior visualiser. His meeting with French film director Jean Renoir, who had come to Calcutta in 1949 to shoot his film The River (1951), and his 1950 visit to London, where he saw Vittorio De Sica's Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) (1948), inspired Ray to become a film-maker. Ray made his directorial debut in 1955 with Pather Panchali and directed 36 films, comprising 29 feature films, five documentaries, and two short films.
Although Ray's work generally received critical acclaim,[2] [3] his film Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (1973) were criticised for "exporting poverty" and "distorting India's image abroad".[2] His Apu Trilogy (1955–1959) appeared in Time All-Time 100 Movies in 2005.[4] Aside from directing, Ray composed music and wrote screenplays for films, both his own and those by other directors. Often credited as a fiction writer, illustrator, and calligrapher; Ray authored several short stories and novels in Bengali, most of which were aimed at children and adolescents.[5] Some of his short stories have been adapted into films by other directors, including his only son, Sandip Ray. Considered a cultural icon in India and acknowledged for his contribution to Indian cinema,[6] Ray has influenced several filmmakers around the world, including Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese,[7] [8] James Ivory,[9] François Truffaut,[10] Carlos Saura,[11] and Christopher Nolan.[12]
Ray intended to make various other films, including The Alien, whose early script is sometimes said to have inspired Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T.;[13] a documentary on Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar;[14] an adaptation of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahābhārata; and an adaptation of E. M. Forster's 1924 novel, A Passage to India. However, none had been started when he died in 1992.
Ray received numerous awards at international film festivals and elsewhere, including several Indian National Film Awards and an honorary Academy Award at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992.[15] Ray was awarded India's highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 1984 and India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1992.[16] [17]
| align=center style="width:50px;background-color:#CEE8F0" | Indicates a documentary | align=center style="width:50px;background-color:#FFECC8" | Indicates a short film | align=center style="width:50px;background-color:#E0E0D1" | Indicates a television film/series | align=center style="width:50px;background-color:#E9D4C9" | Indicates an advertisement film |
| Year | Original title | International release title | Language(s) | Producer | Music | Screenplay | Writer | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Pather Panchali | A Song of the Little Road | Bengali | |||||
| 1956 | Aparajito | The Unvanquished | ||||||
| 1958 | Parash Pathar | The Philosopher's Stone | Dialogue | |||||
| Jalsaghar | The Music Room | Distributor | ||||||
| 1959 | Apur Sansar | The World of Apu | Distributor | |||||
| 1960 | The Goddess | Distributor | ||||||
| 1961 | Teen Kanya The Postmaster Monihara Samapti | Three Daughters / Two Daughters The Postmaster The Lost Jewels The Conclusion | Distributor | |||||
| Rabindranath Tagore | Rabindranath Tagore | English | Narrator | |||||
| 1962 | Kanchenjungha | Kanchanjangha | Bengali | |||||
| Abhijan | The Expedition | |||||||
| 1963 | Mahanagar | The Big City | ||||||
| 1964 | Charulata | The Lonely Wife | ||||||
| Two | Two | No spoken language | ||||||
| 1965 | Kapurush-O-Mahapurush Kapurush Mahapurush | The Coward The Holy Man | Bengali | |||||
| 1966 | Nayak | The Hero | ||||||
| 1967 | Chiriyakhana | The Zoo | Lyricist | |||||
| 1969 | Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne | The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha | Costume designer Lyricist | |||||
| 1970 | Aranyer Din Ratri | Days and Nights in the Forest | ||||||
| Pratidwandi | The Adversary | |||||||
| 1971 | Seemabaddha | Company Limited | ||||||
| Sikkim | Sikkim | English | Narrator Sound designer | |||||
| 1972 | The Inner Eye | The Inner Eye | Bengali | Narrator Sound designer | ||||
| 1973 | Ashani Sanket | Distant Thunder | ||||||
| 1974 | Sonar Kella | The Fortress | ||||||
| 1975 | Jana Aranya | The Middleman | ||||||
| 1976 | Bala | Bala | English | Narrator | ||||
| 1977 | Shatranj Ke Khilari | The Chess Players | Hindi Urdu English | Dialogue | ||||
| 1979 | Joi Baba Felunath | The Elephant God | Bengali | |||||
| 1980 | Hirak Rajar Deshe | The Kingdom of Diamonds | Art director Costume designer Lyricist | |||||
| Pikoo | Pikoo's Day | |||||||
| 1981 | Sadgati | Deliverance | Hindi | Dialogue | ||||
| 1984 | Ghare Baire | The Home and The World | Bengali | |||||
| 1987 | Sukumar Ray | Sukumar Ray | ||||||
| 1990 | Ganashatru | An Enemy of the People | ||||||
| Shakha Proshakha | The Branches of the Tree | Distributor | ||||||
| 1991 | Agantuk | The Stranger |
| Year | Original title | Language(s) | Director | Composer | Screenplay | Writer | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | A Perfect Day | English | Documentary film | |||||
| 1951 | The River | Bengali English | Assistant director(Uncredited) | |||||
| 1960 | Our Children will Know Each Other Better | English | ||||||
| 1960 | The Tidal Bore | English | Narrator | |||||
| 1961 | The Story of Tata Steel | English | ||||||
| 1963 | Creative Artists of India: Satyajit Ray | English | Narrator | |||||
| 1965 | Shakespeare Wallah | English | ||||||
| 1967 | Glimpses of West Bengal | English | ||||||
| 1967 | Quest for Health | English | ||||||
| 1969 | House that Never Dies | English | ||||||
| 1970 | Baksa Badal | Bengali | ||||||
| 1970 | Gangasagar Mela | Bengali | ||||||
| 1973 | Max Mueller | English | Narrator | |||||
| 1974 | Darjeeling: Himalayan Fantasy | English | ||||||
| 1978 | The Brave Do Not Die | English | ||||||
| 1983 | Phatik Chand | Bengali | ||||||
| 1983 | The Music of Satyajit Ray | English | Illustrator | |||||
| 1985–86 | Satyajit Ray Presents I | Bengali | ||||||
| 1986–87 | Satyajit Ray Presents II | Bengali | ||||||
| 1986 | Kissa Kathmandu Ka | Hindi | ||||||
| 1991 | Goopy Bagha Phire Elo | Bengali | Lyricist | |||||
| 1994 | Uttoran | Bengali | ||||||
| 1995 | Target | Bengali | ||||||
| 1996 | Baksho Rahashya | Bengali | ||||||
| 1996–97 | Feluda 30 | Bengali | ||||||
| 1998 | Parvaz-e zanbur | Tajik | Boung-hun Min Jamshed Usmonov | |||||
| 1999 | Satyajiter Gappo | Bengali | ||||||
| 2000 | Dr. Munshir Diary | Bengali | ||||||
| 2001 | Satyajiter Priyo Galpo | Bengali | ||||||
| 2001 | Eker Pithe Dui | Bengali | ||||||
| 2003 | Bombaiyer Bombete | Bengali | ||||||
| 2006 | Bankubabur Bandhu | Bengali | ||||||
| 2007 | The Darjeeling Limited | English | ||||||
| 2007 | Kailashey Kelenkari | Bengali | ||||||
| 2008 | Tintorettor Jishu | Bengali | ||||||
| 2010 | Gorosthaney Sabdhan | Bengali | ||||||
| 2011 | Royal Bengal Rahashya | Bengali | ||||||
| 2011 | Some Maana[26] | Kannada | ||||||
| 2012 | Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy | Bengali | ||||||
| 2013 | Bombay Talkies[27] | Hindi | ||||||
| 2014 | Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya[28] | Hindi | ||||||
| 2014 | Chaar | Bengali | ||||||
| 2014 | Badshahi Angti | Bengali | ||||||
| 2016 | Double Feluda | Bengali | ||||||
| 2017 | Anukul | Bengali | ||||||
| 2019 | Professor Shonku O El Dorado | Bengali | ||||||
| 2020 | Feluda Pherot | Bengali |