Satyajit Ray Biography
Irrespective of religion and background, Indian Cinema has seen many great filmmakers. Talking about Indian Cinema, the first thing that comes to mind is Bollywood. But when it comes to the depth of the film, nothing can beat Satyajit Ray. And who doesn't know him? The biggest and best filmmaker of all time. Well, there is more to know about him such as Satyajit Ray's biography, career, awards, and more.
Who is Satyajit Ray?
Born on 2 May 1921, Satyajit Ray is an Indian film director. Where was Satyajit Ray born? Wondering this? Well, it's Calcutta, West Bengal. He is also a well-known illustrator, writer, music composer, author, lyricist, essayist, and also a calligrapher. He is an Indian filmmaker and known as the great masters of world cinema.
Early Life of Satyajit Ray
Talking about Satyajit Ray and his early life, he grew up in the house of his grandfather. From an early age, he was attracted by the machines and process of printing. He completed his schooling from Ballygunge Government High School in Calcutta and completed his BA in Economics from Presidency College, Calcutta.
From childhood, he saw many Hollywood productions in cinema and had an interest in Western classical music and Indian Art. Even though his mother insisted, he dropped out of the art course and decided to become a student of film-making, thanks to the three books he read.
Personal Life of Satyajit Ray
Talking about Satyajit's personal life, his real-life love story was no less than a Bollywood drama. Satyajit and Bijoya dated for eight long years and married secretly. Madly in love they thought their families wouldn't agree to their relationship as Ray was younger and also a close relative.
Ray would travel to different places to meet her and used to write love letters. However, later Ray planned to reveal his secret and decided to convince the family members to accept the marriage. He was successful in his plan and the couple got re-married.
Satyajit Ray's Career
Talking about Satyajit Ray's biography, he is well renowned as the greatest filmmaker in the history of India and a major forerunner of parallel cinema in the country. He started his career with commercial cinema and has written many novels and short stories. He gathered an inexperienced crew and started shooting using his own personal savings and using a loan. In 1955, he completed and released his first film and numerous awards.
After his second film, Satyajit Ray's career started internationally. Throughout his career, he delivered many unforgettable movies. Starting as a commercial artist he was soon drawn into independent filmmaking. His popular fictional characters were from many movies such as Satyajit Ray Feluda movies, etc.
Satyajit Ray's Best Movies
Satyajit Ray's bio would be incomplete without mentioning his popular films. Some of its include:
Pather Panchali
Mahanagar
Nayak: The Hero
Charulata
Sonar Kella
Joi Baba Felunath
Bhuvan Shome
Some Amazing Facts about Satyajit Ray
Here are some interesting facts about Satyajit Ray:
Satyajit Ray started working as a commercial artist. He started working at D.J. as a Junior visualizer in 1943.
He also worked for the Signet Press and had designed several notable book covers such as for Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India and Jim Corbett's classic Man-Eaters of Kumaon.
With other members, Ray founded the first film club in Kolkata in 1947. He started writing many articles on cinema for newspapers and Satyajit Ray's stories/novels led to a big success in filmmaking.
Satyajit Ray's film Pather Panchali put Indian cinema on the global map describing rural life.
Despite Ray's success, fame never changed him. He continued living with his wife, children, and other family members in a rented house.
Satyajit Ray's Achievement
Throughout his years, Satyajit Ray's awards have been endless and proof of his endless efforts and continuous dedication. He was the one to receive an unmatched achievement in Indian Cinema- six National Awards for Best Director. In 1965 the Government awarded him the Padma Bhusan.
He also achieved an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. He won the National Award a whopping 32 times. He holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations and also won the Silver Bear for Best Director.
