Satyajit Ray one of the celebrated personalities in Calcutta, was a highly talented filmmaker whose immense contribution to the field of cinema won him international recognition. He is considered as one of the masters of Indian cinema who was distinctly known for his humanistic approach to films. His movies are a combination of emotion and intellect. Although most of his films were in Bengali language, they were all universally acknowledged. Without the use of any kind of dramatic melodrama his movies have succeeded in evoking a strong emotional feeling amongst the audience. Besides, film direction and production, he was also a writer, composer and screenwriter.
Early Life of Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was born on 2nd May 1921 in Garpar Road, Kolkata. He studied in the Ballygunge Government High School and graduated in economics from the Presidency College. Satyajit Ray was keen on making films from a very young age. He then attended sessions at Kala Bhavan at the Santiniketan University from 1940 to 1942. He came back to Kolkata in 1943 after his five-year course was completed and then started working with D. J. Keymer, an advertising agency owned by a British.
Satyajit Ray's Film Career
Satyajit Ray began making films since the year 1950. He chose to shoot “Pather Panchali” written by Bhibuti Bhushan Banerjee, as his first film. There were a few men to assist him as technicians. Bansi Chandra Gupta was the art director, Anil Choudhury was the Production Controller and Subrata Mitra became the cameraman. However he spent two years searching a producer for his film. He started off initially by borrowing money from his friends and relatives. Ray gathered some money from his insurance policy and also by selling old books and some of his wife’s jewelry. Ray was keen on shooting the film in its original location. He could however shoot only on Sundays as he was still employed with the advertising agency. Pather Panchali was released in Kolkata on 26th August 1955. Initially it was not a great box office hit but later it ha a great impact on the audiences. The film implies a close relationship between creation and destruction. The movie won several awards like Best Human Document, Vatican award, Selznick Golden Laurel, Best Film of the Year and many more.
Best Films of Satyajit Ray
- Pather Panchali (1955)
- Parash Pathar (1957)
- Apur Sansar (1959)
- Teen Kanya (1961)
- Charulata (1964)
- Goopy Gyne Baagha Byne (1969)
- Sonar Kella (1974)
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Major Awards won by Satyajit Ray
Personal awards won by Ray include:
- Padmashree Award (India) in 1958
- Padmabibhushan, India in 1976
- Special Award, Moscow Film Festival in 1979
- Fellowship, The British Film Institute in 1983
- Oscar for Lifetime Achievement (USA) in 1992
Some of the popular film awards:
- Pather Panchali
Diploma of Merit, Edinbugh in 1956
Best Film and Direction, San Francisco in 1957
Best Film, Vancouver in 1958
- Apur Sansar (The World Of Apu)
Diploma of Merit, 14th International Film festival, Edinburgh, 1960
Best Foreign Film, National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, USA, 1960
- Charulata (The Lonely Wife), 1964
Best Film, Acapulco, 1965
President's Gold Medal, New Delhi, 1964
Catholic Award, Berlin, 1965
- Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne
Silver Cross, Adelaide, 1969
Merit Award, Tokyo, 1970
Best Director, Auckland, 1969
- Sonar Kella:
Best Film, Direction and Screenplay, Government of West Bengal, 1974
President's Silver Medal, Best Screenplay, Direction, New Delhi, 1974
Contributions of Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was a versatile and profound personality. He was a prolific writer who wrote several books in English and Bengali that has been translated into many other languages of the world. Some of the major books include Feluda, Sonal Kella, Shonku Samagra, Professor Shonku and many more. Ray also had great ear for music and composed music in many of his films like Hirak Rajar Deshe and The return of Goopy and Bagha. Ray has written songs and tuned them in the European style as well. Besides, Ray was an artist, costume designer and also a poster designer.
Satyajit Ray was suffering from ill heath since 1982 following a massive heart attack. In 1992, he received Lifetime Achievement Oscar Award from his sickbed. He died on 23rd April 1992.
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