Biography of Satyajit Ray

(May 2, 1921 - April 23, 1992)

Satyajit Ray is arguably among the great masters of old cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a regional language. Yet his films are of universal interest. His films demonstrate a remarkable humanism, elaborate observation and subtle handling of characters and situations.

Ray was born in 1921 in Kolkata in a distinguished family. His father Sukumar Ray was a brilliant writer and his mother was an exceptional singer. After graduating from Kolkata's Presidency College, Ray went to Shantiniketan. There he was interested in graphic designs. For some time he worked as a visualiser. After watching Vittorio de Sica's Bicycle Thief, he developed an interest in filmmaking

Ray made ‘Pather Panchali', which was critically acclaimed throughout the world. Then he made Aparajita' and Apur Sansar'. His other films include 'Scemobaddha', Jama Anand', 'Sona Kelha', 'Jai Baba Felunath' and 'Shatranj ke Khiladi'. He received the Academy Award for Life Time Achievement. He has been awarded many other awards too.