TRIBUTE TO SATYAJIT RAY ON HIS BIRTH CENTENARY

 Amidst the ongoing horrific pandemic along with the assembly elections, an important thing  has been overlooked on this day. Today, the 2nd of May marks the birth anniversary of Satyajit Ray, one of the greatest film directors the world has ever produced. Even though many have criticized him but he was a maestro among film directors.

A lot of new directors have taken over the celluloid world but there are certain films and directors whose works will remain immortal. I too watch anime, a modern genre of animated film from Japan and some films are really my favorites especially Kimi No Na Wa by Makoto Shinkai. But how much ever I watch anime, there is something which cannot be expressed in words, a sort of an appeal which I would describe as magical, which is there in Satyajit Ray's films.

There is this appeal along with the excellent direction that transports the viewers inside the film. Plus, there is something which makes the films natural such as the screenplay, the excellent music, the cinematography and the above all the direction and the plot. I am not a film buff but of all the films, I have watched so far, I have never ever seen that music director, screenplay writer, plot creator, casting director and above all the director are the same person. But Satyajit Ray embodied all these qualities in himself. To be true, Satyajit Ray was a legend when it came films or motion pictures.

Akira Kurosawa, another maestro like Ray himself had once commented, "Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon". These words came from a director who is considered as one of the greatest of the twentieth century and also as Oscar awardee. Satayjit Ray too has received Oscar award for lifetime achievement in the year 1992. 

Some of my favourite films by Satyajit Ray are Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath, Kanchenjunga, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Chiriyakhana, Nayak , Gupy Gyne Bagha Byne and most importantly Ganashatru and Dui (Two). Ganashatru can be related with the current pandemic situation and I recommend it as a must watch. Shatranj Ke Khiladi has been called slow by some but it does give us a historical representation of the annexation of Awadh by the British Raj in 1858. The film was made in such a manner that it just transported me to Awadh of the 1850s. Kanchenjunga is another master piece and a must watch. Dui is again another must watch as it depicts the Vietnam war very symbolically and so does it depict the the kids of the 21st century upon my first interpretation.

Moving apart from motion pictures, the writings of Satyajit Ray are excellent. From his short stories to the popular detective Feluda or even the science fiction series of Professor Shonku, all are at par excellence. I have read many detective novels ranging from Sherlock Holmes to Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Byomkesh Bakshi and as a kid, Enid Blyton's Famous Five, Secret Seven, the Adventure Series and after becoming a teenager stories by Agatha Christie. But somehow, I found Feluda the best. This is not a bias that I am a Bengali ethnically or anything of that sort but an objective observation. The other writers cannot be said to be lesser, they too are great.  I prefer travelling and somehow find more interest in detection than forensic science. I have acquired a lot of knowledge by reading Feluda such as learning about the construction of Ellora caves or about the Nawabi era monuments in Lucknow. At times even, my reading of Bengali has developed. I have become straightforward too. 

Another thing Feluda books have are comic relief which potray Jatayu a.k.a Lal Mohan Ganguly, a companion of Feluda who assisted him. The ones mentioned above too had comic relief but something is special in Jatayu, the crime fiction writer who pretty much became a source of humour. The way Feluda ignored him upon asking, how he found out feels just like how Sherlock Holmes used to tell "elementary Watson" to his companion. Another interesting character is Topshe who narrates all the stories and the main assistant of Feluda. The writing style is in the first person format, so that the reader feels and literally gets transported to the fictitious world experiencing almost every detail given. Speaking of the writing style, a descriptive style has been followed which enables the readers to frame a visual representation of the scene which has written about.

 Professor Shonku is a brilliant piece of work. Science fiction could never really cast a spell on me until Professor Shonku came by. It didn't feel like it was a science fiction till it came to Professor Shonku's inventions such as the annihilator. My favourite story is Nakur Babu O El Dorado. The story was simply outstanding. 

His sketches too are remarkable. These sketches are simple yet extremely realistic and the facial expressions showcased are truly good. Hatching has mostly been used but they give that realistic feeling to the sketches which are found in his books. He even did other paintings for some film props which too had turned out to be stunning.

There are some who tell me to come back to the present and why delve in the past. Well even the current day Hollywood directors revere Satyajit Ray like no other. The previous year, his most well acclaimed film franchise "Apu Trilogy" consisting of the films Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar had been restored in cutting edge 4k quality. Moreover, Wes Anderson used music composed by Satyajit Ray for one of his films titled the Darjeeling Limited. These instances truly prove that film is an art and art is timeless.

From writing to music, to screenplay, to plot, to cinematography and most importantly direction, Satyajit Ray was a legend whose name will be engraved  in the world of motion pictures for times to come and his master pieces will continue to inspire directors from around the world to make films.

A tribute by Trishani. 

Do watch the video below.