Satyajit Ray, is regarded not only as a legendary figure among the Indian filmmakers but is also estimated as one of the dozen or so great masters of world cinema who have spell bounded the audience for years. Ray’s cinema is known for his humanistic approach to cinema and through various experiments has been able to bring the Indian tradition and its applications before the international cinema. Hailing from a family, which was deeply associated with the Bengal Renaissance and is prominent in the world of arts and letters Ray studied at the Presidency College followed by the Vishva-Bharati University or Shatiniketan of Rabindranath Tagore. It was here that he went under the tutelage of some of the finest artists of the Indian tradition and led to the growth of his iclination to the world of arts, followed by the Films. He later admitted that he learnt much from the illustrious painters, Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee on whom Ray later produced a documentary film.However, he was drawn into filmmaking after meeting the illustious French filmmaker Jean Renoir and perceiving the Italian neo-realist film of De Sica, the Bicycle Thieves while he was on a visit to London.
Satyajit Ray\\\'s films have an ideal representation of the Indian heritage, her culture and graciousness. They are both cinematic and literary at the same time through the usage of simple narrative. They are found in usually classical format, but with minute details and with an ability of acting at many levels of interpretation. He directed thirty-seven films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts.
It was the year 1955, which is regarded in the history of the Indian Film Industry that witnessed the rise of a new concept in the Indian cinema industry. The rise of the Parallel Cinema or the ethos of an alternative thought through the medium of films. The making of Ray’s Pather Panchali not only established him as a reputed film director but also appeared as the beacon to the Indian films portraying the basic objectives of the films that are needed to be accomplished. This film won laurels in the international arena and won numerous awards including the Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. his other films that include Jalsaghar, Devi, Teen Kanya, Charulata, Nayak and others have been venerated in the international sphere in the highest esteem.
Rays has been compared even by critics to maestros in the cinema and literature like Anton Chekov, Renoir, De Sica, Howard Hawks or Mozzart, for his colossal experiments in music of his films. It is generally acknowledged, even by those his bitterest critics that he was implicitly peerless in that his films encompass a whole culture with all its nuances, a sentiment expressed in Ray's obituary in the The Independent, which exclaimed, "Who else can compete?" For his profound contribution he wa fecilitated with the Oscar when he was on the verge of his death.
It was written in the Citation for Lifetime Achievement Oscar®, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1992, “In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.”
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