Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray (2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian filmmaker, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking 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. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, music composer, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents. Feluda, the sleuth, and Professor Shonku, the scientist in his science fiction stories, are popular fictional characters created by him. He was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including 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, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and ...

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The Expedition (1962)

The story revolves around a North Indian taxi driver, Narsingh, who attempts to reinvent his life by visiting his native place, but instead gets embroiled in a local Marwari businessman's smuggling and human trafficking business.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Waheeda Rehman  •  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Ruma Guha Thakurta  •  Gyanesh Mukherjee

The story revolves around a North Indian taxi driver, Narsingh, who attempts to reinvent his life by visiting his native place, but instead gets embroiled in a local Marwari businessman's smuggling and human trafficking business.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Waheeda Rehman  •  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Ruma Guha Thakurta  •  Gyanesh Mukherjee

The Stranger (1991)

A well-off Indian family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he regales them with stories of his travels, tales that are at ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Utpal Dutt  •  Dipankar Dey  •  Mamata Shankar  •  Bikram Bhattacharya

A well-off Indian family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he regales them with stories of his travels, tales that are at ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Utpal Dutt  •  Dipankar Dey  •  Mamata Shankar  •  Bikram Bhattacharya

Aparajito (1956)

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Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Kanu Bannerjee  •  Karuna Banerjee  •  Smaran Ghosal  •  Santi Gupta

Aparajito picks up where the first film leaves off, with Apu and his family having moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Varanasi (then known as Benares). As Apu progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Kanu Bannerjee  •  Karuna Banerjee  •  Smaran Ghosal  •  Santi Gupta

Apur Sansar (1959)

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Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Alok Chakravarty  •  Swapan Mukherjee

Apu is a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer. An old college friend talks him into a visit up-country to a village wedding...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Alok Chakravarty  •  Swapan Mukherjee

Days and Nights in the Forest (1970)

Four friends from Calcutta who have very different personalities make a holiday excursion into the country, to a tiny village in the state of Bihar where they set themselves up in a bungalow. A series of minor events, all connected to their respective reactions to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Samit Bhanja  •  Subhendu Chatterjee  •  Rabi Ghosh

Four friends from Calcutta who have very different personalities make a holiday excursion into the country, to a tiny village in the state of Bihar where they set themselves up in a bungalow. A series of minor events, all connected to their respective reactions to ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Samit Bhanja  •  Subhendu Chatterjee  •  Rabi Ghosh

Distant Thunder (1973)

Gangacharan is the new Brahmin of a village, where he assumes various duties: teaching, organizing religious events, and trying to prevent epidemics. But in that year 1943, war is raging (as reminded by the planes occasionally heard flying over the countryside), ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Bobita  •  Sandhya Roy  •  Chitra Banerjee

Gangacharan is the new Brahmin of a village, where he assumes various duties: teaching, organizing religious events, and trying to prevent epidemics. But in that year 1943, war is raging (as reminded by the planes occasionally heard flying over the countryside), ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Bobita  •  Sandhya Roy  •  Chitra Banerjee

Charulata (1964)

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In 1870s India, Charulata is an isolated, artistically inclined woman who sees little of her busy journalist husband, Bhupati. Realizing that his wife is alienated and unhappy, he convinces his cousin, Amal, to spend time with Charulata and nourish her creative ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Shailen Mukherjee  •  Shyamal Ghoshal

In 1870s India, Charulata is an isolated, artistically inclined woman who sees little of her busy journalist husband, Bhupati. Realizing that his wife is alienated and unhappy, he convinces his cousin, Amal, to spend time with Charulata and nourish her creative ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Shailen Mukherjee  •  Shyamal Ghoshal

Devi (1960)

The life of a woman happily married to the son of an upper-class family in 19th century Bengal is turned upside down when her father-in-law has a vision that she is the Goddess Kali returned to earth. He convinces her to fulfill her role as a living deity and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Sharmila Tagore  •  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Chhabi Biswas  •  Karuna Banerjee

The life of a woman happily married to the son of an upper-class family in 19th century Bengal is turned upside down when her father-in-law has a vision that she is the Goddess Kali returned to earth. He convinces her to fulfill her role as a living deity and ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Sharmila Tagore  •  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Chhabi Biswas  •  Karuna Banerjee

An Enemy of the People (1990)

Ashoke Gupta is an idealistic doctor working in a town near Calcutta. He discovers that the water at a popular temple is the source of an outbreak of typhoid and hepatitis. In order to save lives, he risks his career to try and call attention to this polluted water ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Dhritiman Chatterjee  •  Dipankar Dey  •  Ruma Guha Thakurta

Ashoke Gupta is an idealistic doctor working in a town near Calcutta. He discovers that the water at a popular temple is the source of an outbreak of typhoid and hepatitis. In order to save lives, he risks his career to try and call attention to this polluted water ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Dhritiman Chatterjee  •  Dipankar Dey  •  Ruma Guha Thakurta

The Home and the World (1985)

When the movie opens, a woman is recalling the events that molded her perspective on the world. Years ago, her husband, a wealthy Western-educated landowner, challenged tradition by providing her with schooling, and inviting her out of the seclusion in which ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Victor Banerjee  •  Swatilekha Sengupta  •  Gopa Aich

When the movie opens, a woman is recalling the events that molded her perspective on the world. Years ago, her husband, a wealthy Western-educated landowner, challenged tradition by providing her with schooling, and inviting her out of the seclusion in which ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Victor Banerjee  •  Swatilekha Sengupta  •  Gopa Aich

Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969)

Goopy Gyne and Bagha Byne are banished from their respective villages for being bad musicians. However, with their skills, they succeed in pleasing the king of ghosts who grants them three boons. How will they succeed in preventing the war between Halla and Shundi ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Tapan Chatterjee  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Santosh Dutta  •  Harindranath Chattopadhyay

Goopy Gyne and Bagha Byne are banished from their respective villages for being bad musicians. However, with their skills, they succeed in pleasing the king of ghosts who grants them three boons. How will they succeed in preventing the war between Halla and Shundi ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Tapan Chatterjee  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Santosh Dutta  •  Harindranath Chattopadhyay

The Kingdom of Diamonds (1980)

When Goopy and Bagha learn about Hirak Raja's tyranny, they try to set him right with the help of Udayan, a school teacher, and their magical powers.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Utpal Dutt  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Tapan Chatterjee

When Goopy and Bagha learn about Hirak Raja's tyranny, they try to set him right with the help of Udayan, a school teacher, and their magical powers.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Utpal Dutt  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Tapan Chatterjee

The Music Room (1958)

TragicBrilliantDarkMusical

A wealthy landlord who lives a decadent life with his wife and son. His passion - his wife would call it his addiction - is music, and he spends a great deal of his fortune on concerts held for the locals in his magnificent music room. He feels threatened by his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Chhabi Biswas  •  Padmadevi  •  Kali Sarkar  •  Gangapada Basu

A wealthy landlord who lives a decadent life with his wife and son. His passion - his wife would call it his addiction - is music, and he spends a great deal of his fortune on concerts held for the locals in his magnificent music room. He feels threatened by his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Chhabi Biswas  •  Padmadevi  •  Kali Sarkar  •  Gangapada Basu

The Middleman (1976)

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A bright and idealistic young graduate steels himself for a dog-eat-dog world, only to flounder in a job market packed with thousands of other hopefuls. When he eventually decides to start his own business as a middle-man, he discovers that the world of business ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Satya Banerjee  •  Pradip Mukherjee  •  Arati Bhattacharya  •  Gautam Chakraborty

A bright and idealistic young graduate steels himself for a dog-eat-dog world, only to flounder in a job market packed with thousands of other hopefuls. When he eventually decides to start his own business as a middle-man, he discovers that the world of business ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Satya Banerjee  •  Pradip Mukherjee  •  Arati Bhattacharya  •  Gautam Chakraborty

The Elephant God (1979)

Set in the holy city of Benares, this is the second film about the detective Feluda, in which he goes for a holiday along with his cousin, Topshe and his friend, Lalmohan Ganguly. But the theft of a priceless deity of Lord Ganesh (the Elephant God) from a local ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Siddhartha Chatterjee  •  Santosh Dutta  •  Utpal Dutt

Set in the holy city of Benares, this is the second film about the detective Feluda, in which he goes for a holiday along with his cousin, Topshe and his friend, Lalmohan Ganguly. But the theft of a priceless deity of Lord Ganesh (the Elephant God) from a local ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Siddhartha Chatterjee  •  Santosh Dutta  •  Utpal Dutt

Kanchenjungha (1962)

Played out in real time, several complex family dramas intersect in the landscape of the Himalayan foothills, allowing the Bengali auteur to examine the class and generational differences of postcolonial India while celebrating the hopes of a society in transition.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Chhabi Biswas  •  Karuna Banerjee  •  Anil Chatterjee  •  Pahadi Sanyal

Played out in real time, several complex family dramas intersect in the landscape of the Himalayan foothills, allowing the Bengali auteur to examine the class and generational differences of postcolonial India while celebrating the hopes of a society in transition.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Chhabi Biswas  •  Karuna Banerjee  •  Anil Chatterjee  •  Pahadi Sanyal

The Coward (1965)

Amitabha Roy is a Calcutta-based scriptwriter, driving around in the country to collect material for a film. His vehicle breaks down in a small town. A tea planter, Bimal Gupta, offers hospitality for the night. Amitabha is forced to accept the offer as he has no ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Santi Chatterjee  •  Satish Haldar

Amitabha Roy is a Calcutta-based scriptwriter, driving around in the country to collect material for a film. His vehicle breaks down in a small town. A tea planter, Bimal Gupta, offers hospitality for the night. Amitabha is forced to accept the offer as he has no ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Soumitra Chatterjee  •  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Santi Chatterjee  •  Satish Haldar

The Big City (1963)

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Life at home changes when a housewife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a salesperson.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Anil Chatterjee  •  Jaya Bachchan  •  Haren Chatterjee

Life at home changes when a housewife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a salesperson.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Madhabi Mukherjee  •  Anil Chatterjee  •  Jaya Bachchan  •  Haren Chatterjee

The Holy Man (1965)

A wandering baba initiates a widower layer and his youngest daughter, irritating her boyfriend Satya and the ever-skeptical Nibaran.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Charuprakash Ghosh  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Prasad Mukherjee  •  Gitali Roy

A wandering baba initiates a widower layer and his youngest daughter, irritating her boyfriend Satya and the ever-skeptical Nibaran.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Charuprakash Ghosh  •  Rabi Ghosh  •  Prasad Mukherjee  •  Gitali Roy

The Hero (1966)

Arindam, a matinee idol, is going by train to collect an acting award. On the train, he is confronted by Aditi, a journalist who somewhat unwillingly starts to take his interview. Arindam, won over by Aditi's naivete, starts to disclose his past, his fears and his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Uttam Kumar  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Bireswar Sen  •  Somen Bose

Arindam, a matinee idol, is going by train to collect an acting award. On the train, he is confronted by Aditi, a journalist who somewhat unwillingly starts to take his interview. Arindam, won over by Aditi's naivete, starts to disclose his past, his fears and his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Satyajit Ray
CAST:  Uttam Kumar  •  Sharmila Tagore  •  Bireswar Sen  •  Somen Bose
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