Cinema & The Spirit of Satyajit Ray

Kurosawa on Ray

Akira Kurosawa was once asked about Satyajit Ray’s influence on cinema and he believed that “not to have seen the films of Satyajit Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or moon.”
Anyone who’s familiar with Manik Da’s work, knows that he not only aroused curiosity in people, but a sense of awe. Figure larger than life and unreal in its immensity.

Early Years

Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) studied in Presidency college Calcutta and then specialized in Fine Arts at Santiniketan. After graduation, Ray started out working for an advertising agency where he designed illustrations & covers. A stable income was all he needed to pursue his passion for cinema. His deep interest in films since the age of 15 led him to establish the Calcutta film society in 1947 and it was only during his 6 month working tenure in Europe that he came more closer to cinema & its intricacies. Neo-realistic movement was at its peak & Manik Da happened to have watched over 100 films in the span of 4 months. Bicycle thieves by Vittorio De Sica & others were more of a churning point in his life & it was inevitable that something was being shaped up in his soul too. That was Pather Panchali shot in 1955 which brought this self styled film maker to the world stage. It was an audacious project which took more than 2 years to finish and part of the money came from his own pocket too. The dream was realized & there was no looking back for Ray. 

Over the course of time, Manik Da has gone to make 30 major films and 5 major documentaries. He also revived the Bengali Children’s magazine, Sandesh, to which he contributed numerous stories, essays and poems, which his grandfather, Upendra Kishore Ray, had started and to which his father used to contribute frequently. Professor Shonku & Feluda are household names in Bengal & they still continue to spark the minds of children & adults alike even to this age.

Indian Cinema And Ray

Ray influenced film makers of his own generation & the future looked bright for Indian Cinema. But sadly things didn’t turn the way they should have been & the existing nature of films & storytelling medium in our country seems to be in its lowest point. Indian cinema at large has failed to grasp the true spirit of this art & still sticks to its dogmatic approach of conducting its business. Its heavy reliance on western methods with its elementary confusion are the main factors of its present state. Satyajit Ray was right when he pointed out that the main problem lied in the lack of fundamentals in the film making process which continues to exist in its misrepresented form. The more outlandish the content, the more successful it is.

How would Ray perceive this actual reality of our times? How would his films shape up in our age where governments, media & corporations condition humans on grand scale? Is cinema losing its essence on this soil? Is it just a tool for pure entertainment value & distorted reality? Or it has something more to offer?

There is no doubt about the fact that there have been some influential film makers in India who have navigated their own ship through the course of time by preserving the spirit of cinema but the threat to cinema is as greater as it was during the time of Ray. The amount of films produced every year for the sake of it hardly speaks of the social fabric of our country let alone the times we are living in.

The Good God Is In The Details

In this age where everyone gets offended by everything. Satyajit Ray’s characters can still dance to the beats of 21st century complexities & walk away unscathed for the simple fact that the main component of his storytelling was never on political stances but on how his characters were shaped by various political forces on moral & ethical grounds. One could see the tone of secularism all over his films & when it came to religious bigotry, superstitions, and blind faith, he could outwit anyone with his clever approach to these issues. His films highlighted hope & idealism of a newly born state, presenting true sense of time which was then gradually interwoven into economic, social & political narratives in his works. Extracting relevant information from his time’s consciousness & presenting every minute detail on screen is a true testament of this towering figure who was undisputedly ahead of his time & still is.

Heavily influenced by Bengal writers such as Bibutibhushan Bandyopadhyay & Rabindranath Tagore, his films were cultural specific which revolutionized Bengali narratives & successfully managed to transcend language & other barriers. He believed that if you’re able to portray universal feelings, universal relations, emotions & characters, you can cross certain barriers & reach out to others, even non Bengalis which he successfully managed to do so.

Wrapping Up The Spirit

Ray beautifully sums up his thoughts on this gloomy stage of Indian Cinema. This excerpt is taken from the Introductory passage of “Our Films Their Films” written by him in 1976 and published by Orient Longman.

Cinema has never been saved by writers. We may have more of them now than ever before but at the same time there are more strong shoulders to shrug them off. No, words are not enough. Words need the backing of action, or there is no revolution. And the only action that counts is that which a film maker calls into play by snapping out his word of command in his own particular field of battle. If his victory, and of many others like him, restore even a little of the dignity the great art form has lost, on then can we talk of having a revolution.”

Manik Da’s films are testament to this underlying fact that Cinema can still breathe life into the understandings of this immense nation which has so much to offer. The time is apt for revolution & his films are open playground for anyone who can grasp all the laws of film making & play them through this unique passage of time we are living in.

The Satyajit Ray Story: The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Satyajit Ray: 10 Essential Films

Dive into the world of Satyajit Ray for pure cinematic experience through these 10 visually immersive films. These masterpieces are not only ahead of their time but have the power to spellbound the audience of present and the future.

1. Aranyer Din Ratri

2. AshaniSanket

3. Apu Trilogy

4. Agnatuk

5. Kanchenjunga

6. Charulata

7. Nayak

8. GhareBaire

9. Mahanagar

10. Jalsaghar

Inclusive India – A Far Off Dream?

India subcontinent since time immemorial has been bestowed with abundance of life and bounteous nature. The northern territory bounded by the Himalayas and close to two-thirds of the land covered by water, people here never had to worry about foreign invasions until it became a wider phenomenon somewhere between 5th century BC.

People living here never developed the audacity to loot and plunder the neighboring countries or states. Instead of exploiting the nature and the other forces of the world, they started inquiring about how to attain inner peace and how to live a fresh in spirit.

The natural conditions were abundant for this thought to develop. Invasions over the centuries brought many cultures which intertwined with the local conditions present and India never lost its identity. This is truly remarkable for the simple fact that people of different ideologies, dialects, race, caste etc are still holding strong and its diversity is still intact. There is a growing body of evidence in everyday walks of life of how culturally diverse this part of the world is but it also carries repercussions which will be highlighted later.

Speaking about the 21^st century, India is on the verge of competing with established world order. Various leading Economist and think tanks have highlighted the prospects of how it could be achieved. India can build on its potential since 65% of its population would be under the age of 35 in coming decade and there is no doubt that this would give it a competitive edge, unlike many countries which have already reached the threshold and are finding it hard to sustain the balance.

Colonization followed by capitalism and globalization can have far-reaching consequences in developing countries. Problems like lack of shelter, sanitation, education and clean water are the by-products of the social and political structure and this is what India faced when the seeds were sown under the crown rule which swayed over Indian territories in the 19^th century.

What is more important is to acknowledge vital accomplishment that this country has achieved in challenging global powers. Green revolution which kicked off in 1960’s made India self-sufficient in food. ISRO established in 1969, down the decades has demonstrated the world its mass potential and would exhibit in years to come. The 1971 strategic atomic weapon test was a necessary step in order to neutralize the effect our neighbors were up-to and was a significant footing in order to become one of the global players. The 1991 economic reforms speak for themselves. Economy accelerated in a subtle pace but the aim of eradicating poverty still has to go through some rough patches. Major exercise in decentralization of power was achieved by the panchayti raj amendment act in 1992 which was of up-most significance. From G77 to G20 and now all the eyes set on UN security council, There is no looking back for India.

Surely India has come a long way and would continue to thrive in the near future, but there are some aspects of this country which are holding it back and are certain blips, when enlarged, the root cause can be seen with infectious wounds too rugged to heal. To put it briefly, the social stratification which has been deeply ill rooted in our society. Dignity of labor is being abused everyday and power in India means oppression, and not to serve people. Vote bank politics has been dividing people since Independence and shows no signs of slowing down. This is the curious case of India. We take 2 steps forward and 1 back.

No nation can prosper if it does not give importance to dignity of labor. Hardworking professionals such as cobblers, coolies, drivers are looked down with contempt amidst thousands and thousands of working class people. Social stratification in India continues to dehumanize labor which can have disastrous effects for any country to progress. To carry this unwanted weight along the lines of building a stronger and inclusive India seems to be a far off dream.

A country where 1/4^th of the population open defecate and millions die of hunger and poverty is preaching its state subjects to go cashless? How ironical is that? Everyone has to be tagged along if we dream of an inclusive society. It might take decades or centuries but the dream is still alive!

India’s diverse geography coupled with it’s rich cultural supremacy should not be taken for granted. A blessing in disguise which has the tendency to come together in an hour of need. An inclusive society is only possible when India’s diversity becomes its strength.