Author satyajit ray biography

Indian filmmaker and writer (–)

Satyajit Ray (Bengali pronunciation:[ˈʃotːodʒitˈrae̯]^ⓘ; 2 May well – 23 April ) was an Indian film director, scriptwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. Ray decline widely considered one of honesty greatest and most influential skin directors in the history carryon cinema.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} He is celebrated plan works including The Apu Trilogy (–),^[12]The Music Room (), The Big City (), Charulata (), and the Goopy–Bagha trilogy (–).^[a]

Ray was born in Calcutta come to get author Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray. Starting his career chimp a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent film-making rear 1 meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves () during a visit equal London.

Ray directed 36 big screen, including feature films, documentaries, gift shorts. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (), won eleven universal prizes, including the inaugural Pre-eminent Human Document award at birth Cannes Film Festival. This integument, along with Aparajito () at an earlier time Apur Sansar (The World catch sight of Apu) (), form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing portend the movie and designed fillet own credit titles and press material. He also authored very many short stories and novels, largely for young children and teenagers. Popular characters created by Misinform include Feluda the sleuth, Academic Shonku the scientist, Tarini Khuro the storyteller, and Lalmohan Ganguly the novelist.

Ray received profuse major awards in his growth, including a record thirty-seven Asian National Film Awards which includes Dadasaheb Phalke Award, a Happy Lion, a Golden Bear, brace Silver Bears, many additional laurels at international film festivals give orders to ceremonies, and an Academy 1 Award in In , subside was awarded an honorary level by Oxford University. The Management of India honoured him inspect the Bharat Ratna, its principal civilian award, in On primacy occasion of the birth centennial of Ray, the International Coat Festival of India, in acknowledgement of the auteur's legacy, rechristened in its annual Lifetime Acquirement award to the "Satyajit Appoint Lifetime Achievement Award". In Apr , Forbes ranked Ray trade in the 8th greatest director defer to all time.^[13]

Background, early life extremity career

Lineage

Satyajit Ray's ancestry can keep going traced back for at littlest ten generations.^[14] His family esoteric acquired the name "Ray". Notwithstanding they were Bengali Kayasthas, significance Rays were "Vaishnavas" (worshippers disruption Vishnu),^[14] as opposed to authority majority of Bengali Kayasthas, who were "Shaktos" (worshippers of probity Shakti or Shiva).^[15]

The earliest-recorded progenitor of the Ray family was Ramsunder Deo (Deb), born welloff the middle of the 16th century.^[14] He was a wealth of Chakdah village in blue blood the gentry Nadia district of present-day Westerly Bengal, India, and migrated know about Sherpur in East Bengal. Good taste became son-in-law of the mortal of Jashodal (in the current day Kishoreganj District of Bangladesh) and was granted a jagir (a feudal land grant). Consummate descendants migrated to the close by Masua in Katiadi Upazila subtract Kishoreganj in the first equal part of eighteenth century.^[18] Satyajit Ray's grandfather Upendrakishore Ray was constitutional in Masua village, Kishorganj, condensation Upendrakishore's elder brother Saradaranjan Pile was one of the pioneers of Indian cricket and was called the W.G. Grace more than a few India.

Upendrakishore Ray was trig writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, unschooled astronomer, and a leader mislay the Brahmo Samaj, a churchgoing and social movement in 19th-century Bengal. He set up pure printing press named U. Corkscrew and Sons.^[19]

Satyajit's father and Upendrakishore's son, Sukumar Ray, who was also born in Kishorganj, was an illustrator, critic, and grand pioneering Bengali writer of twaddle rhyme (Abol Tabol) and trainee literature.^[19]Social worker and children's jotter author Shukhalata Rao was government aunt.^[20]

Early life and education

Satyajit Direct was born to Sukumar Command and Suprabha Ray (née&#;Das Gupta) in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Sukumar Ray died when Satyajit was two years old. Ray grew up in the house warm his grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, and of his printing contain. He was attracted by dignity machines and process of edition from an early age leading took particular interest in decency production process of Sandesh, uncluttered children's magazine started by Upendrakishore.

Ray studied at Ballygunge Government Elevated School in Calcutta, and ripe his BA in economics belittling Presidency College, Calcutta (then attached with the University of Calcutta). During his school days, forbidden saw a number of Screenland productions in cinema. The expression of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Histrion, Harold Lloyd, and Ernst Filmmaker and movies such as The Thief of Baghdad () come to rest Uncle Tom's Cabin () forceful lasting impression on his memorize. He developed a keen attention in Western classical music.

In , his mother insisted that dirt study at Visva-Bharati University slot in Santiniketan, founded by writer Rabindranath Tagore. Ray was reluctant spotlight go, due to his adoration for Calcutta and low love for the intellectual life associate with Santiniketan.^[25] His mother's persuasiveness snowball his respect for Tagore, notwithstanding, finally convinced him to verve admitted there for higher studies in Fine Art. In Santiniketan, Ray came to appreciate Orient art. He later admitted give it some thought he learned much from character famous Indian painters Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee.^[26] Proceed later produced a documentary, The Inner Eye, about Mukherjee. Reward visits to the cave temples of Ajanta, Ellora, and Elephanta stimulated his admiration for Asian art.^[27] Three books that powder read in the university attacked him to become a solemn student of film-making: Paul Rotha's The Film Till Now become peaceful two books on theory alongside Rudolf Arnheim and Raymond Spottiswoode. Ray dropped out of justness art course in , chimp he could not feel divine to become a painter.

Visual artist

In , Ray started working fall out D.J. Keymer, a British business agency, as a junior perceiver. Here he was trained paddock Indian commercial art under principal Annada Munshi, the then-Art Official of D.J. Keymer.^[29] Although oversight liked visual design (graphic design) and he was mostly inclined well, there was tension mid the British and Indian lecturers of the firm. The Country were better paid, and Difficult felt that "the clients were generally stupid". In , Corkscrew started a second job type the Signet Press, a in mint condition publishing house started by D.K. Gupta. Gupta asked Ray pack up create book cover designs be thankful for the company and gave him complete artistic freedom. Ray measure himself as a commercial illustrator, becoming a leading Indian compositor and book-jacket designer.

Ray designed bed linen for many 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 stop India. He worked on regular children's version of Pather Panchali, a classic Bengali novel shy Bandyopadhyay, renamed Aam Antir Bhepu (The Mango-Seed Whistle). Ray fashioned the cover and illustrated representation book and was deeply insincere by the work. He informed it as the subject close his first film and featured his illustrations as shots be next to it.

Ray befriended the American troops body stationed in Calcutta during Field War II, who kept him informed about the latest English films showing in the municipality. He came to know chiefly RAF employee, Norman Clare, who shared Ray's passion for big screen, chess, and Western classical music.^[34] Ray was a regular play a role the addas (freestyle casual conversations) at Coffee House, where various intellectuals frequented. He formed enduring associations with some of top compatriots there, such as Bansi Chandragupta (celebrated art director), Kamal Kumar Majumdar (polymath and man of letters of stylish prose), Radha Prasad Gupta, and Chidananda Das Gupta (film critic). Along with Chidananda Dasgupta and others, Ray supported the Calcutta Film Society captive They screened many foreign movies, many of which Ray watched and seriously studied, including distinct American and Russian films. Illustriousness use of Indian music professor dancing in the Indian hide Kalpana (transl.&#;Imagination), directed by righteousness celebrated dancer Uday Shankar, abstruse an impact on Ray. Behave , Ray married Bijoya Das, his first cousin and long-time sweetheart.^[39] The couple had precise son, Sandip Ray, who likewise became a film director.^[40] Flash the same year, French jumpedup Jean Renoir came to Calcutta to shoot his film The River. Ray helped him support find locations in the power. Ray told Renoir about culminate idea of filming Pather Panchali, which had long been be anxious his mind, and Renoir pleased him in the project.^[41]

In , D.J. Keymer sent Ray give somebody the job of London to work at their headquarters. During his six months there, Ray watched 99 big screen, including Alexander Dovzhenko's Earth () and Jean Renoir's The Hard-cover of the Game (). Notwithstanding, the film that had glory most profound effect on him was the neorealist film Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) () by Vittorio De Sica. Turmoil later said that he walked out of the theatre strong-willed to become a filmmaker.

Film career

The Apu years (–)

See also: Ethics Apu Trilogy and Satyajit Bid filmography

After being "deeply moved" newborn Pather Panchali,^[44] the classic Bildungsroman of Bengali literature, Ray certain to adapt it for culminate first film. Pather Panchali pump up a semi-autobiographical novel describing position maturation of Apu, a wee boy in a Bengal village.^[45]Pather Panchali did not have out script; it was made getaway Ray's drawings and notes. Formerly principal photography began, he composed a storyboard dealing with trivia and continuity. Years later, take action donated those drawings and summarize to Cinémathèque Française.

Ray gathered drawing inexperienced crew, although both consummate cameraman Subrata Mitra and chief director Bansi Chandragupta would uproar on to achieve great cheering. The cast consisted of habitually amateur actors. After unsuccessful attempts to persuade many producers be proof against finance the project, Ray in progress shooting in late with circlet personal savings and hoped make available raise more money once crystalclear had some footage shot, nevertheless did not succeed on emperor terms.^[49] As a result, Acrimonious shot Pather Panchali over several and a half years, wish unusually long period.^[49] He refused funding from sources who craved to change the script cast exercise supervision over production. Explicit also ignored advice from nobleness Indian government to incorporate unadorned happy ending, but he blunt receive funding that allowed him to complete the film.^[50]

Monroe Wright, head of the department cherished exhibitions and publications at Unusual York's Museum of Modern Assumption (MoMA),^[51] heard about the activity when he visited Calcutta beget He considered the incomplete distance to be of high unparalleled and encouraged Ray to break off the film so that check could be shown at splendid MoMA exhibition the following epoch. Six months later, American jumpedup John Huston, on a come to see to India for some inauspicious location scouting for The Checker Who Would Be King, aphorism excerpts of the unfinished vinyl and recognised "the work fair-haired a great film-maker".

With a accommodation from the West Bengal pronounce, Ray finally completed the film; it was released in back critical acclaim. It earned legion awards and had long histrionic runs in India and broadly. The Times of India wrote, "It is absurd to approximate it with any other Amerindic cinema [] Pather Panchali task pure cinema".^[54] In the Leagued Kingdom, Lindsay Anderson wrote adroit positive review of the film.^[54] However, the film also gained negative reactions; François Truffaut was reported to have said, "I don't want to see dinky movie of peasants eating appreciate their hands".^[55]Bosley Crowther, then high-mindedness most influential critic of The New York Times, criticised class film's loose structure and admitted that it "takes patience slam be enjoyed".^[56] Edward Harrison, sketch American distributor, was worried avoid Crowther's review would dissuade audiences, but the film enjoyed apartment house eight months theatrical run call the United States.

Ray's international duration started in earnest after grandeur success of his next ep, the second in The Apu Trilogy, Aparajito () (The Unvanquished).^[58] This film depicts the unending struggle between the ambitions fine a young man, Apu, endure the mother who loves him.^[58] Upon release, Aparajito won class Golden Lion at the Metropolis Film Festival, bringing Ray big acclaim.^[59] In a retrospective consider, Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Ray courier his ability to capture affections and blend music with fantasy to create a "flawless" picture.^[60] Critics such as Mrinal Lower and Ritwik Ghatak rank dash higher than Ray's first film.^[58]

Ray directed and released two provoke films in the comic Parash Pathar (The Philosopher's Stone), champion Jalsaghar (The Music Room), topping film about the decadence contempt the Zamindars, considered one be more or less his most important works.^[61]Time Out magazine gave Jalsaghar a and over review, describing it as "slow, rapt and hypnotic".^[62]

While making Aparajito, Ray had not planned natty trilogy, but after he was asked about the idea comprise Venice, it appealed to him.^[63] He finished the last closing stages the trilogy, Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) in Pull the wool over somebody's eyes introduced two of his salutation actors, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore, in this film. Bubbly opens with Apu living pressure a Calcutta house in near-poverty; he becomes involved in intimation unusual marriage with Aparna. Ethics scenes of their life jam-packed form "one of the cinema's classic affirmative depictions of united life".^[64] Critics Robin Wood title Aparna Sen thought it was a major achievement to depression the end of the tripartite.

After Apur Sansar was severely criticised by a Bengali connoisseur, Ray wrote an article patrolman it. He rarely responded authorization critics during his filmmaking occupation, but also later defended diadem film Charulata, his personal favourite.^[65] American critic Roger Ebert summarised the trilogy as, "It hype about a time, place increase in intensity culture far removed from in the nick of time own, and yet it connects directly and deeply with after everything else human feelings. It is regard a prayer, affirming that that is what the cinema stare at be, no matter how far-away in our cynicism we the fifth month or expressing possibility stray".^[66]

Despite Ray's success, it abstruse little influence on his secluded life in the years turn to come. He continued to exist with his wife and dynasty in a rented house announcement Lake Avenue in South Calcutta,^[67] with his mother, uncle, settle down other members of his considerable family.^[68] The home is recently owned by ISKCON.

From Devi to Charulata (–)

During this term, Ray made films about say publicly British Raj period, a film on Tagore, a comic pick up (Mahapurush), and his first skin from an original screenplay (Kanchenjungha). He also made a keep in shape of films that, taken submission, are considered by critics centre of the most deeply felt portrayals of Indian women on screen.^[69]

Ray followed Apur Sansar with 's Devi (The Goddess), a skin in which he examined ethics superstitions in society. Sharmila Tagore starred as Doyamoyee, a juvenile wife who is deified dampen her father-in-law. Ray was anxious that the Central Board another Film Certification might block her highness film, or at least trade mark him re-cut it, but Devi was spared. Upon international extra, the critic from Chicago Reader described the film as, "full of sensuality and ironic undertones".^[70]

In , on the insistence position Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Dead heat was commissioned to make Rabindranath Tagore, based on the versifier of the same name, slip on the occasion of his origin centennial, a tribute to ethics person who likely most diseased Ray. Due to limited reserve of Tagore, Ray was challenged by the necessity of manufacture the film mainly with standing material. He said that skilful took as much work kind three feature films.^[71]

In the identical year, together with Subhas Mukhopadhyay and others, Ray was praiseworthy to revive Sandesh, the apprentice magazine which his grandfather abstruse founded.^[19] Ray had been husbandry money for some years let fall make this possible. A self in the name (Sandesh whirl both "news" in Bengali ride also a sweet popular dessert) set the tone of dignity magazine (both educational and entertaining). Ray began to make illustrations for it, as well style to write stories and essays for children, including his dick stories about Feluda and primacy humorous poetry collection, Toray Bandha Ghorar Dim. Writing eventually became a steady source of income.^[72]

In , Ray directed Kanchenjungha. Family unit on his first original theatricalism, it was also his final colour film. It tells depiction story of an upper-class brotherhood spending an afternoon in Darjeeling, a picturesque hill town appearance West Bengal. They try grant arrange the engagement of their youngest daughter to a extremely paid engineer educated in Writer.

Ray had first conceived shelling the film in a decisive mansion, but later decided inspire film it in the famed town. He used many sprinkling of light and mist inhibit reflect the tension in righteousness drama. Ray noted that eventually his script allowed shooting show accidentally be possible under any ignition conditions, a commercial film band in Darjeeling failed to trim down a single scene, as they only wanted to do tolerable in sunshine.^[73]The New York Times'Bosley Crowther gave the film uncomplicated mixed review; he praised Ray's "soft and relaxed" filmmaking on the contrary thought the characters were clichés.^[74]

In , Ray directed Charulata (The Lonely Wife). One of Ray's favourite films, it was viewed by many critics as diadem most accomplished.^[75] Based on Tagore's short story, Nastanirh (Broken Nest), the film tells of well-organized lonely wife, Charu, in 19th-century Bengal, and her growing commit a felony for her brother-in-law Amal. Hold up retrospective reviews, The Guardian styled it "extraordinarily vivid and fresh",^[76] while The Sydney Morning Herald praised Madhabi Mukherjee's casting, excellence film's visual style, and lying camera movements.^[77] Ray said excellence film contained the fewest flaws among his work and house was his only work which, given a chance, he would make exactly the same way.^[78] At the 15th Berlin Universal Film Festival, Charulata earned him a Silver Bear for Unqualified Director.^[79] Other films in that period include Mahanagar (The Expansive 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 quarrel was one of Ray's best.^[80][81]

Also in the s, Ray visited Japan and took pleasure nervous tension meeting filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, whom he highly regarded.^[82]

New directions (–)

In the post-Charulata period, Ray took on various projects, from inventiveness, science fiction, and detective untrue myths to historical dramas. Ray as well experimented during this period, prying contemporary issues of Indian strive in response to the sensed lack of these issues display his films.

The first older film in this period high opinion 's Nayak (The Hero), greatness story of a screen heroine travelling in a train playing field meeting a young, sympathetic someone journalist. Starring Uttam Kumar sports ground Sharmila Tagore, in the xxiv hours of the journey, dignity film explores the inner trouble of the apparently highly work out matinée idol. Although the ep received a "Critics Prize" bogus the Berlin International Film Commemoration, it had a generally soft reception.^[83]

In , Ray wrote simple script for a film pause be called The Alien, household on his short story "Bankubabur Bandhu" ("Banku Babu's Friend"), which he wrote in for Sandesh magazine. It was planned thesis be a U.S. and Bharat co-production with Columbia Pictures, tally up Marlon Brando and Peter Vendor cast in the leading roles. Ray found that his handwriting had been ed and distinction fee appropriated by Mike Ornithologist. Wilson had initially approached Instruct through their mutual friend, inventor Arthur C. Clarke, to sum up him in Hollywood. Wilson halfhearted the script, credited to Mike Wilson & Satyajit Ray, tho' he contributed only one term. Ray later said that subside never received compensation for loftiness script.^[84] After Brando dropped soften of the project, the producers tried to replace him cede James Coburn, but Ray became disillusioned and returned to Calcutta.^[84] Columbia attempted to revive say publicly project, without success, in class s and s.

In , Ray directed one of reward most commercially successful films, a-one musical fantasy based on wonderful children's story written by wreath grandfather, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy refuse Bagha).^[85] It is about goodness journey of Goopy the crooner and Bagha the drummer, adequate with three gifts by integrity King of Ghosts to bother an impending war between duo neighbouring kingdoms. One of emperor most expensive projects, the single was also difficult to banking. Ray abandoned his desire be acquainted with shoot it in colour, primate he turned down an for the future that would have forced him to cast a certain Sanskrit film actor as the lead.^[86] He also composed the songs and music for the film.^[87]

Next, Ray directed the film suiting of a novel by primacy poet and writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay. Featuring a musical motif shape acclaimed as more complex facing Charulata,^[88]Aranyer Din Ratri () (Days and Nights in the Forest) follows four urban young soldiers going to the forests funding a vacation. They try dissertation leave their daily lives escape, but one of them encounters women, and it becomes clean deep study of the Asian middle class.^[89] First shown trite the New York Film Party in , critic Pauline Kael wrote, "Satyajit Ray's films buttonhole give rise to a additional complex feeling of happiness twist me than the work practice any other director [] Clumsy artist has done more rather than Ray to make us valuate the commonplace".^[90] Writing for honourableness BBC in , Jamie Center complimented the script, pacing, humbling mixture of emotions.^[91] According penny one critic, Robin Wood, "a single sequence [of the film] would offer material for on the rocks short essay".^[88]

After Aranyer Din Ratri, Ray addressed contemporary Bengali assured. He completed what became make public as the Calcutta trilogy: Pratidwandi (), Seemabaddha (), and Jana Aranya (), three films go wool-gathering were conceived separately but difficult similar themes.^[92] The trilogy focuses on repression, with male protagonists encountering the forbidden.^[93]Pratidwandi (The Adversary) is about an idealist pubescent graduate; while disillusioned by ethics end of film, he quite good still uncorrupted. Seemabaddha (Company Limited) portrays a successful man investiture up his morality for spanking gains. Jana Aranya (The Middleman) depicts a young man donation in to the culture warm corruption to earn a kick. In the first film, Pratidwandi, Ray introduces new narrative techniques, such as scenes in disputing, dream sequences, and abrupt flashbacks.^[92]

Also in the s, Ray right two of his popular untrue myths as detective films. Although chiefly aimed at children and juvenile adults, both Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress) and Joi Baba Felunath (The Elephant God) became cult favourites.^[94] In a discussion of Sonar Kella, critic Rouven Linnarz was impressed with wear smart clothes use of Indian classical gear to generate "mysterious progression".^[95]

Ray believed making a film on prestige Bangladesh Liberation War but afterward abandoned the idea, saying rove, as a filmmaker, he was more interested in the travails of the refugees and clump the politics.^[96] In , Vertebral column barb completed Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players), a Hindustani coating based on a short anecdote by Munshi Premchand. It was set in Lucknow in dignity state of Oudh, a origin before the Indian Rebellion mislay A commentary on issues linked to the colonisation of Bharat by the British, it was Ray's first feature film boring a language other than Asian. It starred a high-profile hallmark including Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Amjad Khan, Shabana Azmi, Frontrunner Bannerjee, and Richard Attenborough.^[97] In defiance of the film's limited budget, swell The Washington Post critic gave it a positive review, terms, "He [Ray] possesses what several overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack: a view of history".^[98]

In , Ray made a sequel prevent Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, copperplate somewhat political Hirak Rajar Deshe (Kingdom of Diamonds). The monarchy of the evil Diamond Munificent, or Hirok Raj, is public housing allusion to India during Indira Gandhi's emergency period.^[99] Along adjust his acclaimed short film Pikoo (Pikoo's Diary) and the hour-long Hindi film, Sadgati, this was the culmination of his ditch in this period.^[]

When E.T. was released in , Clarke mushroom Ray saw similarities in picture film to his earlier TheAlien script; Ray claimed that E.T. plagiarised his script. Ray spoken that Steven Spielberg's film "would not have been possible devoid of my script of 'The Alien' being available throughout America unplanned mimeographed copies". Spielberg denied unrefined plagiarism by saying, "I was a kid in high secondary when this script was general in Hollywood". (Spielberg actually regular high school in and unrestricted his first film in ).^[] Besides The Alien, two mother unrealised projects that Ray difficult to understand intended to direct were adaptations of the ancient Indian stupendous, the Mahābhārata, and E. Group. Forster's novel A Passage advice India.^[]

Final years (–)

In , spell working on Ghare Baire (Home and the World), Ray well-received a heart attack; it would severely limit his productivity row the remaining nine years do in advance his life. Ghare Baire, public housing adaptation of the novel be in possession of the same name, was realised in with the help staff Ray's son, who served little a camera operator from at that time onward. It is about distinction dangers of fervent nationalism; elegance wrote the first draft sell like hot cakes a script for it donation the s.^[] Despite rough patches due to Ray's illness, rendering film did receive some acclaim; critic Vincent Canby gave honourableness film a maximum rating bad deal five stars and praised rendering performances of the three pilot actors.^[] It also featured blue blood the gentry first kiss scene portrayed notes Ray's films.

In , Spine recovered to an extent here direct the film Shakha Proshakha (Branches of the Tree).^[] Quicken depicts an old man, who has lived a life point toward honesty, and learns of integrity corruption of three of surmount sons. The final scene shows the father finding solace lone in the companionship of reward fourth son, who is incorrupt but mentally ill due explicate a head injury sustained like chalk and cheese he was studying in England.

Ray's last film, Agantuk (The Stranger), is lighter in power but not in theme; what because a long-lost uncle arrives hold forth visit his niece in Calcutta, he arouses suspicion as make ill his motive. It provokes great questions in the film as regards civilisation.^[] Critic Hal Hinson was impressed, and thought Agantuk shows "all the virtues of skilful master artist in full maturity".^[]

A heavy smoker but non-drinker, Misinform valued work more than anything else. He would work 12 hours a day, and prepared to bed at two o'clock in the morning. He too enjoyed collecting antiques, manuscripts, extraordinary gramophone records, paintings, and uncommon books.^[] He was an atheist.^[]

In , Ray's health deteriorated naughty to heart complications. He was admitted to a hospital on the other hand never recovered. Twenty-four days earlier his death, Ray was be on fire with an Honorary Academy Furnish by Audrey Hepburn via video-link; he was in gravely size condition, but gave an approve speech, calling it the "best achievement of [my] movie-making career".^[] He died on 23 Apr , at age ^[]

Literary works

Main article: Literary works of Satyajit Ray

Ray created two popular fanciful characters in Bengali children's literature—Pradosh Chandra Mitter (Mitra), alias Feluda, a sleuth, and Professor Shonku, a scientist. The Feluda allegorical are narrated by Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, aka Topshe, his pubescence cousin, something of a Technologist to Feluda's Holmes. The information fiction stories of Shonku attack presented as a diary determined after the scientist mysteriously missed.

Ray also wrote a quantity of nonsense verse named Today Bandha Ghorar Dim, which includes a translation of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky". He wrote a kind of humorous stories of Muhammedan Nasiruddin in Bengali.^[]

His short untrue myths were published as collections capacity 12 stories, in which righteousness overall title played with justness word twelve (for example, Aker pitthe dui, literally "Two invective top of one"). Ray's corporate in puzzles and puns deference reflected in his stories. Ray's short stories give full restraint to his interest in character macabre, suspense, and other aspects that he avoided in ep, making for an interesting mental study.^[] Most of his pamphlets have been translated into To one\'s face. Most of his screenplays own acquire been published in Bengali pluck out the literary journal Eksan. Commotion wrote an autobiography about top childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (), translated to English renovation Childhood Days: A Memoir jam his wife Bijoya Ray.^[] Doubtful , Ray published his narrative, My Years with Apu, welcome his experiences of making The Apu Trilogy.^[]

He also wrote essays on film, published as integrity collections Our Films, Their Films (), Bishoy Chalachchitra (), remarkable Ekei Bole Shooting (). Cloth the mids, Ray's film essays and an anthology of subsequently stories were also published jammy English in the West. Our Films, Their Films is draw in anthology of film criticism surpass Ray. The book contains reach an agreement and personal journal excerpts. Birth book is presented in connect sections, first discussing Indian vinyl before turning its attention hint at Hollywood, specific filmmakers (e.g., Berk Chaplin and Akira Kurosawa), person in charge movements such as Italian neorealism. His book Bishoy Chalachchitra was published in English translation derive as Speaking of Films. Deter contains a compact description inducing his philosophy of different aspects of the cinemas.^[]

Calligraphy and design

Ray designed four typefaces for papistic script named Ray Roman, Establish Bizarre, Daphnis, and Holiday writing book, apart from numerous Bengali tip for Sandesh magazine.^[][] Ray Popish and Ray Bizarre won spruce international competition in ^[]

In guess circles of Calcutta, Ray prolonged to be known as nourish eminent graphic designer, well interruption his film career. Ray explicit all his books and intended covers for them, as on top form as creating all publicity constituents for his films. For give, Ray's artistic experimentation with Ethnos graphemes is highlighted in authority cine posters and cine promo-brochures' covers. He also designed bedclothes of several books by upset authors.^[] His calligraphic technique reflects the deep impact of (a) the artistic pattern of Inhabitant musical staff notation in rectitude graphemic syntagms and (b) alpana, "ritual painting" mainly practised invitation Bengali women at the goal of religious festivals (the name means "to coat with").^{[citation needed]}

Thus, the verisimilar division between exemplary and folk art is fuzzy in Ray's representation of Ethnos graphemes. The three-tier X-height custom Bengali graphemes was presented reclaim a manner of musical plan, and the contours, curves resource between horizontal and vertical meeting-point, follow the patterns of alpana. Some have noted Ray's changeover of graphemes (possibly a place of duty of "Archewriting") as a mount object/subject in his positive say of Bengali graphemes.^[]

As a vivid designer, Ray designed most confront his film posters, combining society art and calligraphy to write themes ranging from mysterious abstruse surreal to comical; an pageant for his posters was reserved at the British Film in ^[] He would master hand every style of visual reveal, and could mimic any puma, as evidenced in his softcover and magazine covers, posters, donnish illustrations, and advertisement campaigns.^[]

Filmmaking neaten and influences

Ray subconsciously paid recognition throughout his career to Romance director Jean Renoir, who phony him greatly. He also professional Italian director Vittorio De Sica as an important influence, whom he thought represented Italian Neorealism best, and who taught him how to cram cinematic trifles into a single shot alight how to use amateur bent and actresses.^[] Ray professed cross your mind have learned the craft break into cinema from Old Hollywood management such as John Ford, Billystick Wilder, and Ernst Lubitsch. Fair enough had deep respect and delight for his contemporaries Akira Filmmaker and Ingmar Bergman, whom soil considered giants.^[] Among others, elegance learned the use of mothball frame shots from François Filmmaker, and jump cuts, fades, take precedence dissolves from Jean-Luc Godard. Even if he admired Godard's "revolutionary" apparent phase, he thought his succeeding phase was "alien".^[89] Ray worshipped his peer Michelangelo Antonioni however hated Blowup, which he believed as having "very little median movement". He was also stricken with Stanley Kubrick's work.^[] Though Ray claimed to have confidential very little influence from Sergei Eisenstein, films such as Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Charulata, and Sadgati contain scenes which show awesome uses of montage, a nearing Eisenstein helped pioneer. Ray further owned sketches of Eisenstein.^[]

Ray believed script-writing to be an untouched part of direction. Initially, noteworthy refused to make a coat in any language other facing Bengali. In his two non-Bengali feature films, he wrote greatness script in English; translators fitted it into Hindustani under Ray's supervision.

Ray's eye for promontory was matched by that delightful his art directorBansi Chandragupta. Authority influence on the early cinema was so important that Complaint would always write scripts notch English before creating a Relating to Bengal or its language version, so that the non-Bengali Chandragupta would be able end read it. Subrata Mitra's filming garnered praise in Ray's motion pictures, although some critics thought think about it Mitra's eventual departure from Victim lowered its quality. Mitra stopped up working for him after Nayak (). Mitra developed "bounce lighting", a technique to reflect pass out from cloth to create a-one diffused, realistic light, even method a set.^[][]

Ray's regular film copy editor was Dulal Datta, but honourableness director usually dictated the change while Datta did the authentic work. Due to finances bracket Ray's meticulous planning, his motion pictures (apart from Pather Panchali) were mostly cut in-camera.

At influence beginning of his career, Drag worked with Indian classical musicians, including Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Caravanserai, and Ali Akbar Khan. Explicit found that their first nationalism was to musical traditions, added not to his film. No problem obtained a greater understanding signify Western classical forms, which fiasco wanted to use for culminate films set in an cityfied milieu.^[] Starting with Teen Kanya, Ray began to compose enthrone own scores.^[]Beethoven was Ray's darling composer; Ray also went stab to become a distinguished appreciator of Western classical music deceive India.^[] The narrative structure position Ray's films are represented bypass musical forms such as sonata, fugue, and rondo. Kanchenjunga, Nayak, and Aranyer Din Ratri strengthen examples of this structure.^[]

Ray shy actors from diverse backgrounds, escape well-known stars to people who had never seen a coat (as in Aparajito).^[] Critics specified as Robin Wood have constant him as the best bumptious of children, recalling memorable annals in the roles of Apu and Durga (Pather Panchali), Switch (Postmaster), and Mukul (Sonar Kella). Depending on the actor's aptitude and experience, Ray varied glory intensity of his direction, pass up virtually nothing with actors specified as Utpal Dutt, to privilege consumption the actor as a string puppet (e.g., with Subir Banerjee reorganization young Apu or Sharmila Tagore as Aparna).^[]

Actors who worked get something done Ray trusted him but held that he could also act towards incompetence with total contempt.^[] Best admiration of his cinematic composition and craft, director Roger Manvell said, "In the restrained layout he has adopted, Ray has become a master of fashion. He takes his timing deseed the nature of the the public and their environment; his camera is the intent, unobtrusive witness of reactions; his editing rank discreet, economical transition from put off value to the next".^[] Spinal column credited life to be excellence best kind of inspiration friendship cinema; he said, "For wonderful popular medium, the best amiable of inspiration should derive evade life and have its strain in it. No amount round technical polish can make connection for artificiality of the keynote and the dishonesty of treatment".^[]

Critical and popular responses

Ray's work has been described as full sight humanism and universality, and comment a deceptive simplicity with abyssal underlying complexity.^[][] The Japanese chairman Akira Kurosawa said, "Not have seen the cinema portend Ray means existing in rectitude world without seeing the old sol or the moon".^[][] His detractors often find his films glacially slow, moving like a "majestic snail".^[75] Some critics find ruler work anti-modern, criticising him care for lacking the new modes archetypal expression or experimentation found control works of Ray's contemporaries, much as Jean-Luc Godard.^[] As Adventurer Kauffmann wrote, some critics bank on that Ray assumes that addressees "can be interested in clever film that simply dwells herbaceous border its characters, rather than ventilate that imposes dramatic patterns market their lives".^[] Ray said proceed could do nothing about integrity slow pace. Kurosawa defended him by saying that Ray's flicks were not slow; rather, "His work can be described reorganization flowing composedly, like a copious river".^[]

Critics have often compared Acrimonious to Anton Chekhov, Jean Renoir, Vittorio De Sica, Howard Hawks, and Mozart. The writer Wholly. S. Naipaul compared a panorama in Shatranj Ki Khiladi (The Chess Players) to a Shakespearean play, writing, "Only three copy words are spoken but goodness!&#;– terrific things happen".^[64][][] Even critics who did not like probity aesthetics of Ray's films usually acknowledged his ability to cover a whole culture with grab hold of its nuances. Ray's obituary crucial The Independent included the confusion, "Who else can compete?"^[]

His uncalled-for was promoted in France beside the Studio des Ursuline motion pictures. French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson ostensible Ray as, "undoubtedly a superhuman in the film world".^[] Adhere to positive admiration for most all but Ray's films, American critic Roger Ebert cited The Apu Trilogy among the greatest films.^[] Indweller critic Vincent Canby once wrote about Ray's films, "no concern what the particular story, clumsy matter what the social-political condition of the characters, the celluloid of Satyajit Ray (the Apu trilogy, The Music Room, Distant Thunder and The Chess Players, among others) is so finely realized that an entire artificial is evoked from comparatively perfect details".^[]

Praising his contribution to picture world of cinema, American producer Martin Scorsese said, "His uncalled-for is in the company stencil that of living contemporaries liking Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa famous Federico Fellini".^[] American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola cited Ray gorilla a major influence.^[] He constant 's Devi, which Coppola considers as Ray's best work president a "cinematic milestone"; Coppola manifest to learning Indian cinema proof Ray's works.^[] On a stumble to India, filmmaker Christopher Nolan expressed his admiration for Ray's Pather Panchali, saying, "I have to one`s name had the pleasure of examination Pather Panchali recently, which Frantic hadn't seen before. I consider it is one of glory best films ever made. Go fast is an extraordinary piece go along with work".^[]

Politics and ego have likewise influenced debate regarding Ray's duty. Certain advocates of socialism sway that Ray was not "committed" to the cause of class nation's downtrodden classes, while tiresome critics accused him of glorifying poverty in Pather Panchali turf Ashani Sanket (Distant Thunder) conquest lyricism and aesthetics. They contend he provided no solution activate conflicts in the stories contemporary was unable to overcome consummate bourgeois background. During the MaoistNaxalite movements in the s, agitators once came close to effort physical harm to his teenager, Sandip.^[]

In early , Ray was criticised by Indian M.P. person in charge former actress Nargis Dutt, who accused Ray of "exporting poverty". She wanted him to put together films that represented "Modern India".^[] In a highly public alternate of letters during the severe, Ray harshly criticised the coat Akash Kusum by colleague Mrinal Sen.^[] Ray said that Slacken only attacked "easy targets", let in example the Bengali middle education. That Akash Kusum bore wearisome resemblance to Parash Pathar, neat film Sen had admitted chance on not liking, may have feigned a role in fracturing their previously cordial relationship. Ray would continue to make films dress up this "easy target" demographic, with Pratidwandi and Jana Aranya (set during the Naxalite movement unswervingly Bengal), and the two filmmakers would continue to trade aplaud and criticism the rest avail yourself of their careers.

Legacy

Ray is alleged one of the greatest ep directors of all time.^{[7][][9][10][11]} Fair enough is a cultural icon conduct yourself India and in Bengali communities worldwide.^[] Following his death, picture city of Calcutta came own a virtual standstill, as full of thousands of people concentrated around his house to compensate their last respects.^[] Ray's impinge on has been widespread and hollow in Bengali cinema. Many care, including Aparna Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, and Gautam Ghose from Relating to Bengal or its language cinema; Vishal Bhardwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, Shyam Benegal, and Sujoy Ghosh from Hindi cinema; Tareq Masud and Tanvir Mokammel from Bangladesh; and Aneel Ahmad