Satyajit Ray Birth Anniversary: 7 interesting and known facts about the cinematic legend of India

Satyajit Ray 102 Birth Anniversary: Satyajit Ray, aka Manik Da, was born in Kolkata on May 2, 1921. He debuted in direction with Pather Panchali in 1955. Here’s looking at some facts about the Godfather of Indian Cinema.

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Satyajit Ray's legacy is difficult to put into words. Satyajit Ray is the man who virtually led a new generation of Indian films to the international arena and generated innumerable magnificent works of cultural output. Whether it's films and literary works for children or new and thought-provoking films, filmmakers worldwide still value innovation.

Satyajit Ray's debut film depicted poverty in India, which was well-received internationally but not in India. The Government of India awarded Ray 32 National Awards for his outstanding contribution to Indian film. Not only that, but he received a special Oscar for his tremendous contribution to cinema. The head of the committee himself travelled to India at the time to bestow this accolade to Ray, who was unable to travel owing to sickness.

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Satyajit Ray was born in Kolkata on May 2, 1921. The famous filmmaker studied painting at Rabindranath Tagore's institution at Shantiniketan. Ray made his directorial debut in 1955 with Pather Panchali.

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Throughout his career, Satyajit Ray delivered exceptional films that continue to act as an inspiration to Indian filmmakers, especially the younger breed of directors. Ray made most of the films in Bengali. 

His first film 'Pather Panchali' won many awards. After this, he made the film 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi' in Hindi. It is included in the memorable films of Hindi cinema. The director of the Hollywood film 'The Godfather', Francis Ford Coppola, was also a fan of Satyajit Ray. While Ray's first film was praised worldwide, the film faced criticism in India.

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Ray was a talented writer, artist, graphic designer, calligrapher, set designer, music composer, cinema critic and a great director. Ray passed away on April 23, 1992, due to old age issues.

In London, Ray saw the film ‘Bicycle Thieves’, after which he was so impressed by the film that he wanted to become a director. While in London, he watched about 100 films. Satyajit Ray made his first film Pather Panchali, fulfilling this desire. His film made it to the Cannes Film Festival, where it was highly appreciated.

Ray's films have won 32 National Academy Awards. He was awarded the Lgion d'honneur (Legion of Honour) by the President of France in 1987.

Kanchenjunga, the first coloured Bengali film, was released in 1962 by Ray. He began his career as a graphic designer, creating covers for publications such as Jawahar Lal Nehru's Discovery of India.

Ray's debut picture, Pather Panchali, took three years to complete and was filmed on a minimal budget. Ray and several cinema historians and contemporaries founded the Calcutta Cinema Society in 1947.

Ray was the first Indian to get the prestigious Oscar. He received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Government of India awarded Ray the Bharat Ratna before his demise.