Best of Satyajit Ray's movies

One of the greatest artists from India who made a mark in the world cinema was Satyajit Ray. Sadly, he is not well known in his motherland. In today's fast-paced world, where content is the King, Ray's cinema still makes an impact. 

The following movies are some of his best works:

Pather Panchali :

Streaming platform: ErosNow, Amazon Prime

Actors: Runki Banerjee, Subir Banerjee

There cannot be a mention of Satyajit Ray’s works without including his greatest and soul-stirring work, Pather Panchali. Adapted from Bhibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay’s popular work under the same title, the movie is a visual perfection. It tells the tale of the brother and sister, Apu and Durga respectively, in the village of Nishchindipur. The central theme of this story is not just to portray the poverty of rural Bengal in the 1950s, but to celebrate childhood innocence that is oblivious to the grim and desolate surroundings. From savouring pickled raw mango to making a nose ring out of a flower, this dynamic duo brings your focus to the small pleasures of life. It resembles RK Narayan’s ‘Swami and Friends’ through its simplicity and humanistic quality. It is so engaging that one cannot help but cry towards the end wondering why life is so unfair.

Mahanagar:

Streaming Platforms: Zee5

Actors: Madhabi Mukherjee, Anil Chatterjee

Mahanagar is a very compelling and courageous tale of a woman who transforms from a housewife to the sole breadwinner of her orthodox family. Arati breaks free from the traditional-minded society only to realise how she had been a victim of the “herd” mentality. In contrast to Arati, Ray had portrayed an Anglo-Indian woman, Edith who is free not only to dress up as she wants but also manages her finances and leads life on her terms. It was a path-breaking feminist movie of those days. This movie is a breath of fresh air and is very relevant even after 60 years of its release.

Ghare bayre:

Streaming platforms: Amazon Prime, Youtube

Actors: Swatilekha Sengupta, Soumitra Chatterjee

               

One of Ray’s most ambitious projects was Ghare Bayer based on Rabindranath Tagore’s story. This story has been of debate and debacle for many generations among feminists and film critics alike. The movie revolves around Bimala, an upper-class woman belonging to the aristocratic Bengali society, in 1905. Although married to a caring Nikhil, Bimala like several women of those times, was a victim of patriarchy.  She was tutored to become a “British lady” through English and music lessons. Her sarees were also fashioned in a western way. But unlike a “British Lady”, Bimala had to hold the pillar of Indian culture and values strong. The story shows Bimala’s struggle for freedom in the backdrop of the Swadeshi movement. Other than these aspects, the movie also highlights the hypocrisy of people fighting for freedom.

 

Seemabaddha :

Streaming Platform: Youtube (available with subtitles)

Actors: Sharmila Tagore, Barun Chandra

                             

Part of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Calcutta Trilogy’, this story revolves around a man, Shyamalendu of a humble upbringing and his struggle towards achieving the corporate throne. Relevant even to this day, this story highlights the unbridled greed that blinds most successful corporate executives. Through this journey, one might vehemently oppose the loss of principles and morals of the protagonist, but towards the end, one must accept and appreciate this tale as the journey of every common man upwards in the levels of class. The master storyteller Ray, concludes on the note that, even though one might get everything he or she ever wanted, there would still be discontentment, loneliness and dejection.

Aranyer Din Ratri :

Streaming platform: Youtube(available with subtitles)

Actors: Sharmila Tagore, Soumitra Chatterjee

Meaning of Title: Days and Nights in the forest

                                 

 The pioneer to the genre of “Dil Chahta Hai” or a “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” type self-exploring journey was made by Satyajit Ray in the 1970s. Four best friends set out to the forests of Bihar to escape the monotony of their urban lives. But each one of them experiences certain events and emotions that ultimately change them. Adapted from Sunil Gangopadhyay’s novel under the same title, the movie focuses on various topics from societal taboos to subtle patriarchy. This movie is known to be one of Ray’s best works apart from the Apu trilogy as it consists of amazing manually executed camera angles. Set in the forest, this movie brilliantly showcases a study on human hypocrisy, highlighting the urban ignorance to the perils of the poor. 

Shatranj Ke Khiladi:

Streaming platform: Youtube, Disney+Hotstar

Actors: Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffery

Meaning of the Title: Chess players

  

Based on Munshi Premchand’s short story under the same title, Shatranj Ke Khiladi is Ray’s only film in Hindi. Belonging to the genre of Historical fiction, this technicolour film presents a story of two nobles in 1857 Awadh, who are so obsessed with the game of chess that they are oblivious to their families and the political changes taking place around them. If you recall, it was this time that the British went about annexing different kingdoms in India. According to historical texts, they managed to annex Awadh and send the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah into exile. But the two nobles in this movie are so busy with their game of chess that they provide no help in fighting against the British. They even ignored the very existence of such a superpower. Overall, this movie is an addictive watch as one just ends up admiring the power of ignorance.

Monihara:

Streaming platform: Youtube

Meaning of title: Lost jewels

Actors: Kanika Majumdar, Kali Banerjee

                                   

In 1961, Satyajit Ray made an anthology of three of Rabindranath Tagore’s stories under the title ‘Teen Kanya’. The last story in this anthology is a horror story named Monihara. The movie although in black and white makes a very strong impression on your mind. It tells the tale of a woman, Monimalika whose only source of happiness was collecting jewellery and adding it to her collection. The rest of the movie is the consequence of this greed. I will not dwell too deep into the story or premise as I fear I might reveal the plot. But I do guarantee that the intense foreboding, chilling silence, horrific squeals and the surprising twist at the end would make it worthwhile.

This movie-maverick was awarded the Bharat Ratna by the Indian Government. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Ray an Honorary Award in 1992 for Lifetime Achievement. I could go on and on about Satyajit Ray’s best works, but I would rather suggest you, to watch the movies and experience the magic! 

Disclaimer: I do not own the pictures posted above. The movie stills are owned by the respective creators.