Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian filmmaker who worked prominently in Bengali cinema and who has often been regarded as one of the greatest and most influential directors in the History of cinema.

Ray was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to a Bengali family and started his career as a junior visualiser. His meeting with French film director Jean Renoir, who had come to Calcutta in 1949 to shoot his film The River (1951), and his 1950 visit to London, where he saw Vittorio De Sica's Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) (1948), inspired Ray to become a film-maker. Ray made his directorial debut in 1955 with Pather Panchali and directed 36 films, comprising 29 feature films, five documentaries, and two short films.

Although Ray's work generally received critical acclaim, his film Pather Panchali and Ashani Sanket (1973) were criticised for "exporting poverty" and "distorting India's image abroad". His Apu Trilogy (1955–1959) appeared in Time All-Time 100 Movies in 2005. Aside from directing, Ray composed music and wrote screenplays for films, both his own and those by other directors. Often credited as a fiction writer, illustrator, and calligrapher; Ray authored several short stories and novels in Bengali, most of which were aimed at children and adolescents. Some of his short stories have been adapted into films by other directors, including his only son, Sandip Ray. Considered a cultural icon in India and acknowledged for his contribution to Indian cinema, Ray has influenced several filmmakers around the world, including Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, James Ivory, François Truffaut, Carlos Saura, and Christopher Nolan.

Ray intended to make various other films, including The Alien, whose early script is sometimes said to have inspired Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T.; a documentary on Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar; an adaptation of the ancient Indian epic, the Mahābhārata; and an adaptation of E. M. Forster's 1924 novel, A Passage to India. However, none had been started when he died in 1992.

Ray received numerous awards at international film festivals and elsewhere, including several Indian National Film Awards and an honorary Academy Award at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992. Ray was awarded India's highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, in 1984 and India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1992.

Key + KeyIndicates a documentaryIndicates a short filmIndicates a television film/seriesIndicates an advertisement film

Filmography + List of films directed by Satyajit RaySatyajit Ray filmography @ satyajitray.org

Satyajit Ray filmography @ satyajitrayworld.com

Year Original title International release title Language(s) Producer Music Screenplay Writer Other 1955 Pather Panchali (The Apu Trilogy) A Song of the Little Road Bengali 1956 Aparajito (The Apu Trilogy) The Unvanquished 1958 Parash Pathar The Philosopher's Stone Dialogue Jalsaghar The Music RoomDistributor 1959 Apur Sansar (The Apu Trilogy) The World of ApuDistributor 1960 Devi The GoddessDistributor 1961 Teen KanyaThe PostmasterMoniharaSamapti Three Daughters / Two DaughtersThe PostmasterThe Lost JewelsThe ConclusionDistributor Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore EnglishNarrator 1962 Kanchenjungha Kanchanjangha Bengali Abhijan The Expedition 1963 Mahanagar The Big City 1964 Charulata The Lonely Wife Two Two No spoken language 1965 Kapurush-O-MahapurushKapurushMahapurushThe CowardThe Holy Man Bengali 1966 Nayak The Hero 1967 Chiriyakhana The ZooLyricist 1969 Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne The Adventures of Goopy and BaghaCostume designerLyricist 1970 Aranyer Din Ratri Days and Nights in the Forest Pratidwandi (The Calcutta Trilogy) The Adversary 1971 Seemabaddha (The Calcutta Trilogy) Company Limited Sikkim Sikkim EnglishNarratorSound designer 1972 The Inner Eye The Inner Eye BengaliNarratorSound designer 1973 Ashani Sanket Distant Thunder 1974 Sonar Kella The Fortress 1975 Jana Aranya (The Calcutta Trilogy) The Middleman 1976 Bala Bala EnglishNarrator 1977 Shatranj Ke Khilari The Chess PlayersHindiUrduEnglish Dialogue 1979 Joi Baba Felunath The Elephant God Bengali 1980 Hirak Rajar Deshe The Kingdom of DiamondsArt directorCostume designerLyricist Pikoo Pikoo's Day 1981 Sadgati Deliverance Hindi Dialogue 1984 Ghare Baire The Home and The World Bengali 1987 Sukumar Ray Sukumar Ray 1990 Ganashatru An Enemy of the People Shakha Proshakha The Branches of the TreeDistributor 1991 Agantuk The Stranger

Contributed to by Ray

+ List of films contributed to by Satyajit Ray Year Original title Language(s) Director Composer Screenplay Writer Other 1948 A Perfect Day English Documentary film1951 The River BengaliEnglish

Assistant director (Uncredited) 1960 Our Children will Know Each Other Better English Harisadhan Dasgupta 1960 The Tidal Bore English Narrator 1961 The Story of Tata Steel English Harisadhan Dasgupta 1963 Creative Artists of India: Satyajit Ray English Narrator 1965 Shakespeare Wallah English 1967 Glimpses of West Bengal English 1967 Quest for Health English Harisadhan Dasgupta 1969 House that Never Dies English 1970 Baksa Badal Bengali 1970 Gangasagar Mela Bengali Bansi Chandragupta 1973 Max Mueller English Jorn Thiel Narrator 1974 Darjeeling: Himalayan Fantasy English Bansi Chandragupta 1978 The Brave Do Not Die English Harisadhan Dasgupta 1983 Phatik Chand Bengali 1983 The Music of Satyajit Ray English Illustrator 1985–86 Satyajit Ray Presents I BengaliRay 1986–87 Satyajit Ray Presents II BengaliRay 1986 Kissa Kathmandu Ka Hindi Sandip Ray 1991 Goopy Bagha Phire Elo Bengali Sandip Ray Lyricist 1994 Uttoran Bengali Sandip Ray 1995 Target Bengali Sandip Ray 1996 Baksho Rahashya Bengali Sandip Ray 1996–97 Feluda 30 Bengali Sandip Ray 1998 Parvaz-e zanbur Tajik Boung-hun MinJamshed Usmonov 1999 Satyajiter Gappo Bengali Sandip Ray 2000 Dr. Munshir Diary Bengali Sandip Ray 2001 Satyajiter Priyo Galpo Bengali Sandip Ray 2001 Eker Pithe Dui Bengali Sandip Ray 2003 Bombaiyer Bombete Bengali Sandip Ray 2006 Bankubabur Bandhu Bengali 2007 The Darjeeling Limited English 2007 Kailashey Kelenkari Bengali { Sandip Ray 2008 Tintorettor Jishu Bengali Sandip Ray 2010 Gorosthaney Sabdhan Bengali Sandip Ray 2011 Royal Bengal Rahashya BengaliRay 2011 Some Maana Kannada 2012 Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy BengaliRay 2013 Bombay Talkies Hindi 2014 Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya Hindi 2014 Chaar Bengali Sandip Ray 2014 Badshahi Angti Bengali Sandip Ray 2016 Double Feluda Bengali Sandip Ray 2017 Anukul Bengali 2019 Professor Shonku O El Dorado Bengali Sandip Ray 2020 Feluda Pherot Bengali

See also

Satyajit Ray Feluda Professor Shonku Bengali Science Fiction

Notes

References

Filmography, contributions and credits

Bibliography

External links

SatyajitRay.org Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center: University of California – Santa Cruz