109-568: Goutam Ghose (also spelled Gautam Ghosh ; born 24 July 1950) is an Indian film director, actor, music director and cinematographer who works primarily in Bengali cinema . He is the only Indian to have received the "Vittorio Di Sica" Award, Italy, in 1997. In 2012, the Government of West Bengal honored him with the Banga Bibhushan for lifetime achievement. Acknowledging his contributions to film, he
218-711: A Photojournalist . Made his first documentary– New Earth in 1973 followed by Hungry Autumn. Since then, he has made a number of feature films and documentaries. Ghose was greatly influenced by the movie of Akira Kurosawa , Satyajit Ray , Ritwik Ghatak , Rajen Tarafdar , Mrinal Sen and Ajoy Kar who had heralded a new era in Bengali movie through his works. His most successful films were Antarjali Jatra , Padma Nadir Majhi , Abar Aranye , Kaalbela , Shankhachil and Moner Manush . He becomes limelight for those Movie. Hungry Autumn (A documentary) : Land of Sand Dunes (A documentary): Meeting
327-416: A heart attack ; it would severely limit his productivity in the remaining nine years of his life. Ghare Baire , an adaptation of the novel of the same name , was completed in 1984 with the help of Ray's son , who served as a camera operator from then onward. It is about the dangers of fervent nationalism ; he wrote the first draft of a script for it in the 1940s. Despite rough patches due to Ray's illness,
436-550: A Milestone (A documentary): Maa Bhoomi : Dakhal : Paar : Antarjali Jatra : Padma Nadir Majhi : Patang : Beyond the Himalayas (A documentary): Gudia : Dekha : Kalahandi (A documentary): A Treasure in the Snow (A documentary): Abar Aranye : Impermanence (A documentary): Yatra : Moner Manush : Shankhachil : Special Awards : Ghose has portrayed
545-602: A MoMA exhibition the following year. Six months later, American director John Huston , on a visit to India for some early location scouting for The Man Who Would Be King , saw excerpts of the unfinished film and recognised "the work of a great film-maker". With a loan from the West Bengal government , Ray finally completed the film; it was released in 1955 to critical acclaim. It earned numerous awards and had long theatrical runs in India and abroad. The Times of India wrote, "It
654-843: A Time in Calcutta , Ballabhpurer Roopkotha , Tonic , Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya and many others. Detective films and family drama films have been the most popular and successful genre in this era. The success of detective films largely owes to the film adaptation of popular fictional characters like Kakababu , Byomkesh , Kiriti Roy , Mitin Masi and Tenida . Successful Bengali films are getting Hindi remakes in Bollywood, Marathi remakes and Malayalam remakes ( Gang of Ghosts , Salt Mango Tree , Welcome Zindagi , Ravanasura , Jalebi , Begum Jaan , Cirkus (film) , Meri Awas Suno , Shastry Viruddh Shastry ). Also, Bengali films have in
763-591: A children's magazine started by Upendrakishore. Ray studied at Ballygunge Government High School in Calcutta, and completed his BA in economics at Presidency College, Calcutta (then affiliated with the University of Calcutta ). During his school days, he saw a number of Hollywood productions in cinema. The works of Charlie Chaplin , Buster Keaton , Harold Lloyd , and Ernst Lubitsch and movies such as The Thief of Baghdad (1924) and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) made lasting impression on his mind. He developed
872-628: A committee in West Bengal's Tollywood has been proposed to the Chief Minister. Tollywood was the very first Hollywood-inspired name , dating back to a 1932 article in the American Cinematographer by Wilford E. Deming, an American engineer who was involved in the production of the first Indian sound film. He gave the industry the name Tollywood because the Tollygunge district in which it
981-554: A film on the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War but later abandoned the idea, saying that, as a filmmaker, he was more interested in the travails of the refugees and not the politics. In 1977, Ray completed Shatranj Ke Khilari ( The Chess Players ), a Hindustani film based on a short story by Munshi Premchand . It was set in Lucknow in the state of Oudh , a year before the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . A commentary on issues related to
1090-412: A generally muted reception. In 1967, Ray wrote a script for a film to be called The Alien , based on his short story "Bankubabur Bandhu" ("Banku Babu's Friend"), which he wrote in 1962 for Sandesh magazine. It was planned to be a U.S. and India co-production with Columbia Pictures , with Marlon Brando and Peter Sellers cast in the leading roles. Ray found that his script had been copyrighted and
1199-694: A keen interest in Western classical music . In 1940, his mother insisted that he study at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan , founded by writer Rabindranath Tagore . Ray was reluctant to go, due to his fondness for Calcutta and low regard for the intellectual life at Santiniketan. His mother's persuasiveness and his respect for Tagore, however, finally convinced him to get admitted there for higher studies in Fine Art . In Santiniketan, Ray came to appreciate Oriental art . He later admitted that he learned much from
SECTION 10
#17328839208381308-580: A large, even disproportionate, representation in Indian cinema during this period. They produced directors like Satyajit Ray , Mrinal Sen , Tarun Majumdar , Tapan Sinha . Satyajit Ray is an Academy Honorary Award winner and the recipient of India's and France's greatest civilian honours, the Bharat Ratna and Legion of Honor respectively, and Mrinal Sen is the recipient of the French distinction of Commander of
1417-532: A leader of the Brahmo Samaj , a religious and social movement in 19th-century Bengal . He set up a printing press named U. Ray and Sons . Satyajit's father and Upendrakishore's son, Sukumar Ray , who was also born in Kishorganj , was an illustrator, critic, and a pioneering Bengali writer of nonsense rhyme ( Abol Tabol ) and children's literature. Social worker and children's book author Shukhalata Rao
1526-478: A leading Indian typographer and book-jacket designer. Ray designed covers 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 of India . He worked on a children's version of Pather Panchali , a classic Bengali novel by Bandyopadhyay, renamed Aam Antir Bhepu ( The Mango-Seed Whistle ). Ray designed
1635-402: A sleuth, and Professor Shonku , a scientist. The Feluda stories are narrated by Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, aka Topshe, his teenage cousin, something of a Watson to Feluda's Holmes . The science fiction stories of Shonku are presented as a diary discovered after the scientist mysteriously disappeared. Ray also wrote a collection of nonsense verse named Today Bandha Ghorar Dim , which includes
1744-555: A son, Sandip Ray , who also became a film director. In the same year, French director Jean Renoir came to Calcutta to shoot his film The River . Ray helped him to find locations in the countryside. Ray told Renoir about his idea of filming Pather Panchali , which had long been on his mind, and Renoir encouraged him in the project. In 1950, D.J. Keymer sent Ray to London to work at their headquarters. During his six months there, Ray watched 99 films, including Alexander Dovzhenko 's Earth (1930) and Jean Renoir's The Rules of
1853-510: A specific elite market. One of the earliest known studios was the East India Film Company . The first Bengali film to be made as a talkie was Jamai Shashthi , released in 1931. At this time the early heroes of the Bengali film industry like Pramathesh Barua and Debaki Bose were at the peak of their popularity. Barua also directed movies, exploring new dimensions in Indian cinema. Debaki Bose directed Chandidas in 1932; this film
1962-514: A steady source of income. In 1962, Ray directed Kanchenjungha . Based on his first original screenplay, it was also his first colour film. It tells the story of an upper-class family spending an afternoon in Darjeeling , a picturesque hill town in West Bengal . They try to arrange the engagement of their youngest daughter to a highly paid engineer educated in London. Ray had first conceived shooting
2071-557: A tremendous debt to the Apu trilogy ". Kanchenjungha (1962) introduced a narrative structure that resembles later hyperlink cinema . Ray's 1967 script for a film to be called The Alien , which was eventually cancelled, is widely believed to have been the inspiration for Steven Spielberg 's E.T. (1982). Ira Sachs ' Forty Shades of Blue (2005) was a loose remake of Charulata (1964), and in Gregory Nava 's My Family (1995),
2180-1221: A unique acting style. The 2000s marked the rise of many new actors, among whom Jeet and Dev became superstars. After 2007s, new actors like Ankush Hazra , Abir Chatterjee , Parambrata Chatterjee , Anirban Bhattacharya , Ritwick Chakraborty and Soham Chakraborty have gained popularity. Actress as Debashree Roy , Rituparna Sengupta , Indrani Haldar , Rachna Banerjee , Mahua Roychoudhury , Sreelekha Mitra , Satabdi Roy , Raima Sen , Priyanka Upendra , Srabanti Chatterjee , Koel Mallick , Swastika Mukherjee and June Malia became popular. Successful Bengali films are getting Hindi remakes in Bollywood remakes ( Bemisal , Ijaazat , Rahgir , Balika Badhu , Saaheb Isi Ka Naam Zindagi , Chhoti Bahoo , Khoj , Shatru (1986 film) , Angoor ) During this period, Megastars such as Prosenjit Chatterjee , Mithun Chakraborty , Soumitra Chatterjee , Jishu Sengupta , Anjan Dutta , Parambrata Chatterjee , and later, Dev , Jeet , Abir Chatterjee , Ankush Hazra , Anirban Bhattacharya , Jeetu Kamal have been active. Among them Prosenjit Chatterjee , Mithun Chakraborty , Dev and Jeet have gained immense popularity and are considered as
2289-446: A view of history". In 1980, Ray made a sequel to Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne , a somewhat political Hirak Rajar Deshe ( Kingdom of Diamonds ). The kingdom of the evil Diamond King, or Hirok Raj, is an allusion to India during Indira Gandhi 's emergency period . Along with his acclaimed short film Pikoo ( Pikoo's Diary ) and the hour-long Hindi film, Sadgati , this was the culmination of his work in this period. When E.T.
SECTION 20
#17328839208382398-454: A worldwide impact, with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese , James Ivory , Abbas Kiarostami , Elia Kazan , François Truffaut , Carlos Saura , Isao Takahata , Wes Anderson and Danny Boyle being influenced by his cinematic style, and many others such as Akira Kurosawa praising his work. The "youthful coming-of-age dramas that have flooded art houses since the mid-fifties owe
2507-512: A young wife who is deified by her father-in-law. Ray was worried that the Central Board of Film Certification might block his film, or at least make him re-cut it, but Devi was spared. Upon international distribution, the critic from Chicago Reader described the film as, "full of sensuality and ironic undertones". In 1961, on the insistence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru , Ray was commissioned to make Rabindranath Tagore , based on
2616-483: Is 1966's Nayak ( The Hero ), the story of a screen hero travelling in a train and meeting a young, sympathetic female journalist. Starring Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore , in the twenty-four hours of the journey, the film explores the inner conflict of the apparently highly successful matinée idol . Although the film received a "Critics Prize" at the Berlin International Film Festival , it had
2725-595: Is Internationally Acclaimed for Cult Classic films as Antarjali Jatra , Padma Nadir Majhi , Moner Manush and many more. Prabhat Ray is popular for Romantic Family drama for Lathi . Majumdar, Mukhopadhyay, and Choudhury were the pioneers in the mid-1980s to 1990s taste of Bengali films. In the 1980s and 2007s, the most popular male Bengali actors were Prosenjit Chatterjee , Tapas Paul , Mithun Chakraborty , Victor Banerjee , Chiranjeet Chakraborty , Jisshu Sengupta , Sabyasachi Chakraborty , Ranjit Mallick , Tota Roy Chowdhury and Abhishek Chatterjee , each with
2834-638: Is a semi-autobiographical novel describing the maturation of Apu, a small boy in a Bengal village. Pather Panchali did not have a script; it was made from Ray's drawings and notes. Before principal photography began, he created a storyboard dealing with details and continuity. Years later, he donated those drawings and notes to Cinémathèque Française . Ray gathered an inexperienced crew, although both his cameraman Subrata Mitra and art director Bansi Chandragupta would go on to achieve great acclaim. The cast consisted of mostly amateur actors. After unsuccessful attempts to persuade many producers to finance
2943-490: Is absurd to compare it with any other Indian cinema [...] Pather Panchali is pure cinema". In the United Kingdom , Lindsay Anderson wrote a positive review of the film. However, the film also gained negative reactions; François Truffaut was reported to have said, "I don't want to see a movie of peasants eating with their hands". Bosley Crowther , then the most influential critic of The New York Times , criticised
3052-644: Is also credited as one of the pioneers of advertisement films in India. The first Bengali-language movie was the silent feature Billwamangal , produced by the Madan Theatre Company of Calcutta and released on 8 November 1919, only six years after the first full-length Indian feature film, Raja Harish Chandra , was released. The early beginnings of the "talking film" industry go back to the early 1930s when it came to British India , and to Calcutta. The movies were originally made in Urdu or Persian to accommodate
3161-484: Is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata , West Bengal , India . The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the words Tollygunge and Hollywood , dates back to 1932. It was a historically important film industry, at one time the centre of Indian film production. The Bengali film industry is known for producing many of Indian cinema 's most critically acclaimed global Parallel Cinema and art films , with several of its filmmakers gaining prominence at
3270-470: Is famous for Youth Characterization of Interview , Calcutta 71 . Rabi Ghosh and Anil Chatterjee is a notable actor for his Versatile Acting which impressed the Audience in short time. In the 1960s, Bengal saw a host of talented actresses like Aparna Sen , Sharmila Tagore , Madhabi Mukherjee , Sandhya Roy and, Supriya Devi and Jayashree Kabir . Aparna Sen was one of the most successful actresses of
3379-433: Is internationally known for his acting in movies and plays, especially Shakespearean plays. Bhanu Bandopadhyay , Rabi Ghosh , and Anup Kumar were best known for their comic timing, and with their versatile acting talent they stunned the audience and critics. The pioneers in Bengali film music include Raichand Boral , Pankaj Mullick , and K. C. Dey , all associated with New Theatres Calcutta . The greatest composers of
Goutam Ghose - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-515: Is like a prayer, affirming that this is what the cinema can be, no matter how far in our cynicism we may stray". Despite Ray's success, it had little influence on his personal life in the years to come. He continued to live with his wife and children in a rented house on Lake Avenue in South Calcutta, with his mother, uncle, and other members of his extended family. The home is currently owned by ISKCON . During this period, Ray made films about
3597-493: Is noted for its breakthrough in recording sound. Sound recordist Mukul Bose found a solution to the problem of spacing out dialogue and frequency modulation. The Bengali film industry has made significant contributions to the cinema of India . The first Bengali talkies were the short film Jamai Shashthi released on 11 April 1931 at Crown Cinema Hall in Calcutta, and full-length feature Dena Paona released on 30 December 1931 at Chitra Cinema Hall in Calcutta. The industry
3706-794: Is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals , the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India . It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus). The National Film Awards , established in 1954, are the most prominent film awards in India that merit the best of the Indian cinema . The ceremony also presents awards for films in various regional languages . Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray ( Bengali pronunciation: [ˈʃotːodʒit ˈrae̯] ; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992)
3815-427: The Bengali language . It was this "chance juxtaposition of two pairs of rhyming syllables," Holly and Tolly, that led to the name "Tollywood" being coined. The name "Tollywood" went on to be used as a nickname for the Bengali film industry by the popular Kolkata -based Junior Statesman youth magazine, establishing a precedent for other film industries to use similar-sounding names. Tollywood later went on to inspire
3924-515: The British Raj period, a documentary on Tagore , a comic film ( Mahapurush ), and his first film from an original screenplay ( Kanchenjungha ). He also made a series of films that, taken together, are considered by critics among the most deeply felt portrayals of Indian women on screen. Ray followed Apur Sansar with 1960's Devi ( The Goddess ), a film in which he examined the superstitions in society. Sharmila Tagore starred as Doyamoyee,
4033-508: The Calcutta Film Society in 1947. They screened many foreign films, many of which Ray watched and seriously studied, including several American and Russian films. The use of Indian music and dancing in the 1948 Indian film Kalpana ( transl. Imagination ), directed by the celebrated dancer Uday Shankar , had an impact on Ray. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das , his first cousin and long-time sweetheart. The couple had
4142-522: The Herbie films (1967–2005) and Bari Theke Paliye (1958) resembled François Truffaut 's The 400 Blows (1959). Other eminent Bengali filmmakers included the trio of Tapan Sinha , Ajoy Kar and Tarun Majumdar , collectively referred as "TAT". Their films have been well known for Best Literature Adaptation and displaying larger than life perspectives. Ajoy Kar directorial numerous films created many new milestones and broke existing box office records in
4251-582: The Indian National Film Awards as well as international acclaim. Ever since Satyajit Ray 's Pather Panchali (1955) was awarded Best Human Document at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival , Bengali films frequently appeared in international fora and film festivals for the next several decades. This allowed Bengali filmmakers to reach a global audience. The most influential among them was Satyajit Ray, whose films became successful among European, American and Asian audiences. His work subsequently had
4360-1200: The Order of Arts and Letters and the Russian Order of Friendship . The revival in Bengali Mainstream cinema dates from the rise of directors such as Tarun Majumdar along with Arabinda Mukhopadhyay and Shakti Samanta . Other prominent filmmakers in the Bengali film industry at the time included Ritwik Ghatak , Mrinal Sen , Tapan Sinha and Ajoy Kar . The Bengali film industry has produced classics such as Nagarik (1952), The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), Kabuliwala (1957), Jalsaghar (1958), Ajantrik (1958), Neel Akasher Neechey (1959), Devi (1960), Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960), Saptapadi (1961), Jhinder Bondi (1961), Saat Pake Bandha (1963), Jatugriha (1964), Atithi (1965), Hatey Bazarey (1967), Malyadan (1971), Nimantran (1971), Shriman Prithviraj (1973), Calcutta trilogies (1971–1976), Mrigayaa (1976), Ganadevata (1978), etc. In particular, Calcutta trilogies , The Apu Trilogy , Shriman Prithviraj , Saptapadi are frequently listed among
4469-495: The colonisation of India by the British , it was Ray's first feature film in a language other than Bengali . It starred a high-profile cast including Sanjeev Kumar , Saeed Jaffrey , Amjad Khan , Shabana Azmi , Victor Bannerjee , and Richard Attenborough . Despite the film's limited budget, a The Washington Post critic gave it a positive review, writing, "He [Ray] possesses what many overindulged Hollywood filmmakers often lack:
Goutam Ghose - Misplaced Pages Continue
4578-554: The greatest films of all time . The most well-known Bengali superstar to date has been Uttam Kumar while Suchitra Sen is regarded as the most beautiful and influential actress of Bengali cinema. Kumar and Sen were known as "The Eternal Pair" in the late 1950s. This pair worked in the 1961 epic Romantic drama Saptapadi (1961 film) by Kar besides others. Suchitra Sen got her first International Award for Saat Pake Bandha (1963) by Kar . Apart from Sen, Sabitri Chatterjee and Sumitra Devi were very popular actresses of
4687-577: The 1950s. Soumitra Chatterjee is a notable actor who acted in many films in different genres. He was considered as a rival to Uttam Kumar in the 1960s. Soumitra is famous for the characterisation of Feluda in Sonar Kella (1974) and Joi Baba Felunath . Ganadevata, written and directed by Ray and Ganadevata (1978), Directed by Tarun Majumdar . He also played the adult version of Apu in The World of Apu (1959), directed by Ray. In 70's, Ranjit Mallick
4796-417: The 1970s, Ray adapted two of his popular stories as detective films. Although mainly aimed at children and young adults, both Sonar Kella ( The Golden Fortress ) and Joi Baba Felunath ( The Elephant God ) became cult favourites. In a 2019 review of Sonar Kella , critic Rouven Linnarz was impressed with its use of Indian classical instruments to generate "mysterious progression". Ray considered making
4905-423: The 60's being Saptapadi by Kar , Jhinder Bondi (1961) by Sinha , Saat Pake Bandha by Kar , The Adventures of Goopy And Bagha (1968) at Rs. 600,000 ($ 80,000) and Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) at Rs. 6 million ($ 230,000). Bombaiyer Bombete , produced by Ramoji Films at a cost of Rs 8 million, recovered its costs within three weeks and earned 20 million in all. The movie has brought back
5014-498: The 8th greatest director of all time. Satyajit Ray's ancestry can be traced back for at least ten generations. His family had acquired the name " Ray ". Although they were Bengali Kayasthas , the Rays were " Vaishnavas " (worshippers of Vishnu ), as opposed to the majority of Bengali Kayasthas, who were " Shaktos " (worshippers of the Shakti or Shiva ). The earliest-recorded ancestor of
5123-453: The British and Indian employees of the firm. The British were better paid, and Ray felt that "the clients were generally stupid". In 1943, Ray started a second job for the Signet Press , a new publishing house started by D.K. Gupta. Gupta asked Ray to create book cover designs for the company and gave him complete artistic freedom. Ray established himself as a commercial illustrator, becoming
5232-619: The Century" critics' poll also included The Apu Trilogy (ranked No. 5 if votes are combined). In 2005, The Apu Trilogy was also included in Time 's All-Time 100 Movies list. In 1992, the Sight & Sound Critics' Poll ranked Ray at No. 7 in its list of "Top 10 Directors" of all time, and Days and Nights in the Forest (ranked No. 81 in 1982). The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
5341-621: The Forest (ranked No. 81 in 1982). The 2002 Sight & Sound critics' and directors' poll also included the Ritwik Ghatak films Meghe Dhaka Tara (ranked #231) and Komal Gandhar (ranked #346). In 1998, the critics' poll conducted by the Asian film magazine Cinemaya included The Apu Trilogy (ranked No. 1 if votes are combined), Ray's Charulata and The Music Room (both tied at #11), and Ghatak's Subarnarekha (also tied at #11). In 1999, The Village Voice top 250 "Best Film of
5450-537: The Forest ) follows four urban young men going to the forests for a vacation. They try to leave their daily lives behind, but one of them encounters women, and it becomes a deep study of the Indian middle class. First shown at the New York Film Festival in 1970, critic Pauline Kael wrote, "Satyajit Ray's films can give rise to a more complex feeling of happiness in me than the work of any other director [...] No artist has done more than Ray to make us reevaluate
5559-490: The Game (1939). However, the film that had the most profound effect on him was the neorealist film Ladri di biciclette ( Bicycle Thieves ) (1948) by Vittorio De Sica . Ray later said that he walked out of the theatre determined to become a filmmaker. After being "deeply moved" by Pather Panchali , the 1928 classic Bildungsroman of Bengali literature , Ray decided to adapt it for his first film. Pather Panchali
SECTION 50
#17328839208385668-669: The Golden Era. The cinematographer Subrata Mitra , who made his debut with Ray's The Apu Trilogy , also had an important influence on cinematography across the world. One of his most important techniques was bounce lighting , to recreate the effect of daylight on sets. He pioneered the technique while filming Aparajito (1956), the second part of The Apu Trilogy . Some of the experimental techniques which Satyajit Ray pioneered include photo-negative flashbacks and X-ray digressions while filming Pratidwandi (1972). Following Kerela's Hema committee, similar proposal for setting up
5777-581: The Golden Era. She became the leading heroine of the 1970s and since 1981 she has been directing films. One of the most well-known Bengali actresses was Sharmila Tagore , who debuted in Ray's The World of Apu , and became a major actress in Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. Despite Suchitra Sen being the greatest actress, Sharmila was the most commercially successful actress in history with films like The World of Apu (1959), Devi (1960), Nayak (1966), Simabaddha (1967), and Aranyer Dinratri (1970). Utpal Dutt
5886-424: The Indian government to incorporate a happy ending, but he did receive funding that allowed him to complete the film. Monroe Wheeler , head of the department of exhibitions and publications at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), heard about the project when he visited Calcutta in 1954. He considered the incomplete footage to be of high quality and encouraged Ray to finish the film so that it could be shown at
5995-516: The Ray family was Ramsunder Deo (Deb), born in the middle of the sixteenth century. He was a native of Chakdah village in the Nadia district of present-day West Bengal , India , and migrated to Sherpur in East Bengal . He became son-in-law of the ruler of Jashodal (in the present day Kishoreganj District of Bangladesh ) and was granted a jagir (a feudal land grant). His descendants migrated to
6104-524: The State for facilities pushing up costs, poor marketing and distribution, and increasing competition from Bangladeshi films . A number of Satyajit Ray films appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Poll of all-time greatest films , including The Apu Trilogy (ranked No. 4 in 1992 if votes are combined), The Music Room (ranked No. 27 in 1992), Charulata (ranked No. 41 in 1992) and Days and Nights in
6213-401: The art course in 1942, as he could not feel inspired to become a painter. In 1943, Ray started working at D.J. Keymer, a British advertising agency, as a junior visualiser. Here he was trained in Indian commercial art under artist Annada Munshi , the then-Art Director of D.J. Keymer. Although he liked visual design (graphic design) and he was mostly treated well, there was tension between
6322-404: The children's magazine which his grandfather had founded. Ray had been saving money for some years to make this possible. A duality in the name ( Sandesh means both "news" in Bengali and also a sweet popular dessert) set the tone of the magazine (both educational and entertaining). Ray began to make illustrations for it, as well as to write stories and essays for children. Writing eventually became
6431-530: The comic Parash Pathar ( The Philosopher's Stone ), and Jalsaghar ( The Music Room ), a film about the decadence of the Zamindars , considered one of his most important works. Time Out magazine gave Jalsaghar a positive review, describing it as "slow, rapt and hypnotic". While making Aparajito , Ray had not planned a trilogy, but after he was asked about the idea in Venice, it appealed to him. He finished
6540-773: The commonplace". Writing for the BBC in 2002, Jamie Russell complimented the script, pacing, and mixture of emotions. According to one critic, Robin Wood , "a single sequence [of the film] ... would offer material for a short essay". After Aranyer Din Ratri , Ray addressed contemporary Bengali life. He completed what became known as the Calcutta trilogy: Pratidwandi (1970), Seemabaddha (1971), and Jana Aranya (1975), three films that were conceived separately but had similar themes. The trilogy focuses on repression, with male protagonists encountering
6649-430: The concept of family entertainment with Sandip Ray's gambit of contemporising the plot paying him a rich dividend. Admitting that he did not expect this success, he told Life that he was now lining up another such film for release next year. Earlier, a film by award-winning director Buddhadeb Dasgupta 's Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (The Tale of a Fallen Girl) produced by Arjoe Entertainments netted nearly Rs 7 million through
SECTION 60
#17328839208386758-507: The corruption of three of his sons. The final scene shows the father finding solace only in the companionship of his fourth son, who is uncorrupted but mentally ill due to a head injury sustained while he was studying in England. Ray's last film, Agantuk ( The Stranger ), is lighter in mood but not in theme; when a long-lost uncle arrives to visit his niece in Calcutta, he arouses suspicion as to his motive. It provokes far-ranging questions in
6867-507: The cover and illustrated the book and was deeply influenced by the work. He used it as the subject of his first film and featured his illustrations as shots in it. Ray befriended the American soldiers stationed in Calcutta during World War II , who kept him informed about the latest American films showing in the city. He came to know an RAF employee, Norman Clare, who shared Ray's passion for films, chess , and Western classical music. Ray
6976-498: The domestic film industry, while others have gone to work in Bollywood. Successful films by directors from this generation include Dostojee , Mayar Jonjal , Fotema , Baishe Srabon , Bakita Byaktigato , Boomerang , Cinemawala , Pradhan , Tekka , Amazon Obhijaan , Yeti Obhijaan , 8/12 Binay Badal Dinesh , Shesh Pata , Cockpit , Praktan , Gumnaami , Aparajito , Chander Pahar , Kolkata Chalantika , Haami 2 , Nagarkirtan , Once Upon
7085-722: The eternal struggle between the ambitions of a young man, Apu, and the mother who loves him. Upon release, Aparajito won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival , bringing Ray considerable acclaim. In a retrospective review, Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle praised Ray for his ability to capture emotions and blend music with storytelling to create a "flawless" picture. Critics such as Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak rank it higher than Ray's first film. Ray directed and released two other films in 1958:
7194-487: The famous Indian painters Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee . He later produced a documentary, The Inner Eye , about Mukherjee. His visits to the cave temples of Ajanta , Ellora , and Elephanta stimulated his admiration for Indian art . Three books that he read in the university influenced him to become a serious student of film-making: Paul Rotha 's The Film Till Now and two books on theory by Rudolf Arnheim and Raymond Spottiswoode . Ray dropped out of
7303-578: The fee appropriated by Mike Wilson. Wilson had initially approached Ray through their mutual friend, author Arthur C. Clarke , to represent him in Hollywood . Wilson copyrighted the script, credited to Mike Wilson & Satyajit Ray , although he contributed only one word. Ray later said that he never received compensation for the script. After Brando dropped out of the project, the producers tried to replace him with James Coburn , but Ray became disillusioned and returned to Calcutta. Columbia attempted to revive
7412-605: The film a mixed review; he praised Ray's "soft and relaxed" filmmaking but thought the characters were clichés. In 1964, Ray directed Charulata ( The Lonely Wife ). One of Ray's favourite films, it was regarded by many critics as his most accomplished. Based on Tagore's short story, Nastanirh ( Broken Nest ), the film tells of a lonely wife, Charu, in 19th-century Bengal, and her growing feelings for her brother-in-law Amal. In retrospective reviews, The Guardian called it "extraordinarily vivid and fresh", while The Sydney Morning Herald praised Madhabi Mukherjee 's casting,
7521-408: The film about civilisation . Critic Hal Hinson was impressed, and thought Agantuk shows "all the virtues of a master artist in full maturity". A heavy smoker but non-drinker, Ray valued work more than anything else. He would work 12 hours a day, and go to bed at two o'clock in the morning. He also enjoyed collecting antiques, manuscripts, rare gramophone records, paintings, and rare books. He
7630-449: The film did receive some acclaim; critic Vincent Canby gave the film a maximum rating of five stars and praised the performances of the three lead actors. It also featured the first kiss scene portrayed in Ray's films. In 1987, Ray recovered to an extent to direct the 1990 film Shakha Proshakha ( Branches of the Tree ). It depicts an old man, who has lived a life of honesty, and learns of
7739-459: The film in a large mansion, but later decided to film it in the famous town. He used many shades of light and mist to reflect the tension in the drama. Ray noted that while his script allowed shooting to be possible under any lighting conditions, a commercial film crew in Darjeeling failed to shoot a single scene, as they only wanted to do so in sunshine. The New York Times ' Bosley Crowther gave
7848-520: The film was also difficult to finance. Ray abandoned his desire to shoot it in colour, as he turned down an offer that would have forced him to cast a certain Hindi film actor as the lead. He also composed the songs and music for the film. Next, Ray directed the film adaptation of a novel by the poet and writer, Sunil Gangopadhyay . Featuring a musical motif structure acclaimed as more complex than Charulata , Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) ( Days and Nights in
7957-550: The film's loose structure and conceded that it "takes patience to be enjoyed". Edward Harrison, an American distributor, was worried that Crowther's review would dissuade audiences, but the film enjoyed an eight months theatrical run in the United States. Ray's international career started in earnest after the success of his next film, the second in The Apu Trilogy , Aparajito (1956) ( The Unvanquished ). This film depicts
8066-669: The film's visual style, and its camera movements. Ray said the film contained the fewest flaws among his work and it was his only work which, given a chance, he would make exactly the same way. At the 15th Berlin International Film Festival , Charulata earned him a Silver Bear for Best Director . Other films in this period include Mahanagar ( The Big 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 it
8175-656: The final scene is duplicated from the final scene of The World of Apu . Similar references to Ray films are found in recent works such as Sacred Evil (2006), the Elements trilogy of Deepa Mehta , and in films of Jean-Luc Godard . Another prominent Bengali filmmaker is Mrinal Sen , whose films have been well known for their Marxist views. During his career, Mrinal Sen's films have received awards from major film festivals, including Cannes , Berlin, Venice , Moscow, Karlovy Vary , Montreal , Chicago , and Cairo . Retrospectives of his films have been shown in major cities of
8284-518: The forbidden. Pratidwandi ( The Adversary ) is about an idealist young graduate; while disillusioned by the end of film, he is still uncorrupted. Seemabaddha ( Company Limited ) portrays a successful man giving up his morality for further gains. Jana Aranya ( The Middleman ) depicts a young man giving in to the culture of corruption to earn a living. In the first film, Pratidwandi , Ray introduces new narrative techniques , such as scenes in negative, dream sequences , and abrupt flashbacks. Also in
8393-610: The golden era included Robin Chatterjee , Sudhin Dasgupta , Nachiketa Ghosh , Hemant Kumar , etc. Tarun Majumdar is well known for First time educational, cultural, and philosophical cinematic experiences for both a mass audience and a class audience, He abolished the division in taste between mass and class audiences. Majumdar is best known for such Evergreen films as Shriman Prithviraj , Ganadevata , Sansar Simante and Alo and Many more. The revival in Bengali cinema dates from
8502-473: The inaugural Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival . This film, along with Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar ( The World of Apu ) (1959), form The Apu Trilogy . Ray did the scripting , casting , scoring , and editing for the movie and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. He also authored several short stories and novels, primarily for young children and teenagers. Popular characters created by Ray include Feluda
8611-491: The internationally lauded 36 Chowringhee Lane , which looked at the lives of Anglo-Indians living in Calcutta. Her later films have also been celebrated: Paromitar Ek Din , The Japanese Wife , Goynar Baksho , and others. Anjan Choudhury is well known for middle of the road movie like Satru, Jibon Niye Khela and Choto Bou . Buddhadeb Dasgupta is best known for award-winning films like Uttara , Mondo Meyer Upakhyan , Charachar , and Janala . Goutam Ghose
8720-453: The last of the trilogy, Apur Sansar ( The World of Apu ) in 1959. Ray introduced two of his favourite actors, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore , in this film. It opens with Apu living in a Calcutta house in near-poverty; he becomes involved in an unusual marriage with Aparna. The scenes of their life together form "one of the cinema's classic affirmative depictions of married life". Critics Robin Wood and Aparna Sen thought it
8829-418: The most critically acclaimed Bengali films were low-budget films , including Satyajit Ray's famous Calcutta Trilogy (1971-1973), and The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959). The first film in the trilogy, Pather Panchali (1955), was produced on a shoestring budget of Rs. 150,000 ($ 32000) using an amateur cast and crew. All his other films that followed also had low budgets, with his most expensive films since
8938-615: The name " Bollywood " (as the Bombay -based industry overtook the one in Tollygunge), which in turn inspired many other similar names . The history of cinema in Bengal dates to the 1920s when the first " bioscopes " were shown in theatres in Calcutta . Within a decade, Hiralal Sen , considered a stalwart of Victorian era cinema set up the Royal Bioscope Company , producing scenes from
9047-406: The poet of the same name , on the occasion of his birth centennial, a tribute to the person who likely most influenced Ray. Due to limited footage of Tagore, Ray was challenged by the necessity of making the film mainly with static material. He said that it took as much work as three feature films. In the same year, together with Subhas Mukhopadhyay and others, Ray was able to revive Sandesh ,
9156-400: The project, Ray started shooting in late 1952 with his personal savings and hoped to raise more money once he had some footage shot, but did not succeed on his terms. As a result, Ray shot Pather Panchali over two and a half years, an unusually long period. He refused funding from sources who wanted to change the script or exercise supervision over production. He also ignored advice from
9265-522: The project, without success, in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1969, Ray directed one of his most commercially successful films, a musical fantasy based on a children's story written by his grandfather, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne ( The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha ). It is about the journey of Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, endowed with three gifts by the King of Ghosts to stop an impending war between two neighbouring kingdoms. One of his most expensive projects,
9374-539: The recent times have turned the cinematic spotlight on Kolkata, introducing the city to a wider national and global audience ( Kahaani , Piku , Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! ). After the digital film era, Bengali directors who have found artistic and commercial success in contemporary Bengali films include: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury , Kamaleshwar Mukherjee , Sujit Mondal , Aniket Chattopadhyay , Anjan Dutta , Raj Chakraborty , Mainak Bhowmick , Srijit Mukherjee , Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee . Many of
9483-497: The recent years, a younger generation of visual directors has come to the scene, like Suman Ghosh , Sujit Mondal , Sudeshna Roy , Shiboprosad Mukherjee , along with Srijit Mukherji , Kamaleshwar Mukherjee , Kaushik Ganguly , Raj Chakraborty , Manasi Sinha , Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury , Atanu Ghosh , Atiul Islam , Aditya Vikram Sengupta , Anik Dutta , Anindya Chatterjee , Avijit Sen, Birsa Dasgupta , Soukarya Ghosal , Indrasis Acharya , and Mainak Bhaumik . Many work in
9592-525: The rise of directors such as Anjan Choudhury , Aparna Sen , Anjan Dutt along with Rituparno Ghosh , Goutam Ghosh , Prabhat Roy , Sandip Ray , Sudeshna Roy , Buddhadeb Dasgupta , Anjan Das , Bappaditya Bandopadhyay , Sekhar Das , and Subrata Sen . Rituparno Ghosh made his first film, Hirer Angti , in 1992 and dominated Bengali cinema until his death in 2013, winning numerous national awards for films like Unishe April , Dahan and Utsab . Aparna Sen made her directorial debut in 1981 with
9701-470: The role of a Hungry generation poet in Srijit Mukherji 's film Baishe Srabon (2011) and also penned the poems of the character he played. Cinema of West Bengal Cinema of West Bengal , also known as Tollywood or Bengali cinema , is the segment of Indian cinema , dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Bengali language widely spoken in the state of West Bengal . It
9810-707: The sale of overseas rights against a cost of Rs 0.6 million. Haranath Chakraborty His film Sathi (Companion) created a record by recouping over five times its production cost, although the film Chokher Bali , with big names like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan , Rituparno Ghosh and Tagore, failed to yield expected results. The movie, billed at Rs 16.5 million (the highest among Bengali films). Hollywood houses like Columbia TriStar have made their debut in distributing Bengali movies. According to industry experts, several issues need to be addressed to build on this resurgence and consolidate it. These include inadequate infrastructure, which often compels moviemakers to go outside
9919-445: The sleuth, Professor Shonku the scientist, Tarini Khuro the storyteller, and Lalmohan Ganguly the novelist. Ray received many major awards in his career, including a record thirty-seven Indian National Film Awards which includes Dadasaheb Phalke Award , a Golden Lion , a Golden Bear , two Silver Bears , many additional awards at international film festivals and ceremonies, and an Academy Honorary Award in 1992. In 1978, he
10028-535: The stage productions of a number of popular shows at the Star Theatre , Minerva Theatre , Classic Theatre . Following a long gap after Sen's works, Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (known as D.G.) established the Indo British Film Co , the first Bengali-owned production company, in 1918. However, the first Bengali feature film, Billwamangal , was produced in 1919, under the banner of Madan Theatre . Bilat Ferat
10137-420: The superstars of this era. Actresses such as Subhashree Ganguly , Mimi Chakraborty , Madhumita Sarcar , Ishaa Saha , Susmita Chatterjee , Koushani Mukherjee , Ritabhari Chakraborty , Idhika Paul , Sohini Sarkar , Rukmini Maitra , Jaya Ahsan , Ananya Chatterjee , Sauraseni Maitra and Tuhina Das have been active. Popular for adventures role as Nusrat Jahan and koyel Mallick In modern days. In
10246-536: The village Masua in Katiadi Upazila of Kishoreganj in the first half of eighteenth century. Satyajit Ray's grandfather Upendrakishore Ray was born in Masua village, Kishorganj, in 1863. Upendrakishore's elder brother Saradaranjan Ray was one of the pioneers of Indian cricket and was called the W.G. Grace of India. Upendrakishore Ray was a writer, illustrator, philosopher , publisher, amateur astronomer , and
10355-412: The world. Bengali filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak began reaching a global audience long after his death; beginning in the 1990s, a project to restore Ghatak's films was undertaken, and international exhibitions (and subsequent DVD releases) have belatedly generated an increasingly global audience. Some of his films have strong similarities to later famous international films, such as Ajantrik (1958) resembled
10464-481: Was a major achievement to mark the end of the trilogy. After Apur Sansar was harshly criticised by a Bengali critic, Ray wrote an article defending it. He rarely responded to critics during his filmmaking career, but also later defended his film Charulata , his personal favourite. American critic Roger Ebert summarised the trilogy as, "It is about a time, place and culture far removed from our own, and yet it connects directly and deeply with our human feelings. It
10573-434: Was a regular in the addas (freestyle casual conversations) at Coffee House , where several intellectuals frequented. He formed lasting associations with some of his compatriots there, such as Bansi Chandragupta (celebrated art director ), Kamal Kumar Majumdar ( polymath and author of stylish prose), Radha Prasad Gupta , and Chidananda Das Gupta ( film critic ). Along with Chidananda Dasgupta and others, Ray founded
10682-550: Was an atheist . In 1992, Ray's health deteriorated due to heart complications. He was admitted to a hospital but never recovered. Twenty-four days before his death, Ray was presented with an Honorary Academy Award by Audrey Hepburn via video-link; he was in gravely ill condition, but gave an acceptance speech, calling it the "best achievement of [my] movie-making career". He died on 23 April 1992, at age 70. Ray created two popular fictional characters in Bengali children's literature—Pradosh Chandra Mitter (Mitra), alias Feluda ,
10791-485: Was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor , illustrator, calligrapher , and composer. Ray is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of cinema . He is celebrated for works including The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), The Music Room (1958), The Big City (1963) , Charulata (1964), and the Goopy–Bagha trilogy (1969–1992). Ray
10900-505: Was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University . The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna , its highest civilian award, in 1992. On the occasion of the birth centenary of Ray, the International Film Festival of India , in recognition of the auteur 's legacy, rechristened in 2021 its annual Lifetime Achievement award to the " Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award ". In April 2024, Forbes ranked Ray as
11009-805: Was awarded the Knighthood of the Star of the Italian Solidarity in July 2006. Goutam Ghose was born on 24 July 1950 in Calcutta, India to Santana and Prof. Himangshu Kumar Ghose. His kindergarten days began at the St John's Diocesan School (now an all-girls school). He studied there till class 4 and then moved to the neighboring Cathedral Missionary Boys' School. He graduated from the University of Calcutta . He started making documentaries in 1973. Took active part in group theatre movement in Calcutta . Also dedicated some time as
11118-573: Was based in Tollygunge , an area of South Kolkata, West Bengal that is more elite and artistically inclined than the usual musical cinema fare in India. Kanan Devi was an early female star of Bengali film, alongside Chandrabati Devi , Molina Devi and Chhaya Devi . The most popular Bengali male actors were Sisir Bhaduri , Chhabi Biswas , Ahindra Choudhury , Dhiraj Bhattacharya and Pahari Sanyal . Popular filmmakers include Nitin Bose , Premankur Atorthy and Premendra Mitra . Bengali cinema enjoyed
11227-461: Was based rhymed with "Hollywood", and because Tollygunge was the centre of the cinema of India as a whole at the time much like Hollywood was in the cinema of the United States . In that same March 1932 article, Deming was also considering the name "Hollygunge" but decided to go with "Tollywood" as the nickname for the Tollygunge area due to "Tolly being a proper name and Gunge meaning locality" in
11336-481: Was born in Calcutta to author Sukumar Ray and Suprabha Ray. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent film-making after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica 's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a visit to London. Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and shorts . Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including
11445-561: Was circulating in Hollywood". (Spielberg actually graduated high school in 1965 and released his first film in 1968). Besides The Alien , two other unrealised projects that Ray had intended to direct were adaptations of the ancient Indian epic , the Mahābhārata , and E. M. Forster 's 1924 novel A Passage to India . In 1983, while working on Ghare Baire ( Home and the World ), Ray suffered
11554-429: Was his aunt. Satyajit Ray was born to Sukumar Ray 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 of his grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury , and of his printing press . He was attracted by the machines and process of printing from an early age and took particular interest in the production process of Sandesh ,
11663-484: Was one of Ray's best. Also in the 1960s, Ray visited Japan and took pleasure in meeting filmmaker Akira Kurosawa , whom he highly regarded. In the post- Charulata period, Ray took on various projects, from fantasy , science fiction , and detective stories to historical dramas . Ray also experimented during this period, exploring contemporary issues of Indian life in response to the perceived lack of these issues in his films. The first major film in this period
11772-403: Was released in 1982, Clarke and Ray saw similarities in the film to his earlier The Alien script; Ray claimed that E.T. plagiarised his script. Ray said that Steven Spielberg 's film "would not have been possible without my script of ' The Alien ' being available throughout America in mimeographed copies". Spielberg denied any plagiarism by saying, "I was a kid in high school when this script
11881-531: Was the IBFC's first production in 1921. The Madan Theatre production of Jamai Shashthi was the first Bengali talkie . A long history has been traversed since then, with stalwarts such as Satyajit Ray , Mrinal Sen , Ritwik Ghatak , Tapan Sinha , Ajoy Kar and others earning international acclaim and securing their place in the movie history. Hiralal Sen , India is credited as one of Bengal's, and India's first directors. These were all silent films . Hiralal Sen
#837162