Satyajit Ray (Bengali: 唳膏Δ唰嵿Ο唳溹唰� 唳班唳) was an Indian filmmaker and author of Bengali fiction and regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and watching Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist 1948 film, Bicycle Thieves.
Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents.
Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. This film, Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Award in 1992. The Government of India honoured him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Early Life and Background: Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was a writer, illustrator, philosopher, publisher, amateur astronomer and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a religious and social movement in nineteenth century Bengal. Sukumar Ray, Upendrakishore's son and father of Satyajit, was a pioneering Bengali author and poet of nonsense rhyme and children's literature, an illustrator and a critic. Ray was born to Sukumar and Suprabha Ray in Calcutta.
Ray completed his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, though his interest was always in Fine Arts. In 1940, he went to study in Santiniketan where Ray came to appreciate Oriental Art. In 1949, Ray married Bijoya Das and the couple had a son, Sandip ray, who is now a famous film director.
Literary Works: Ray created two of the most famous fictional characters ever in Bengali children's literature鈥擣eluda, a sleuth in Holmesian tradition, and Professor Shonku, a genius scientist. Ray also wrote many short stories mostly centered on Macabre, Thriller and Paranormal which were published as collections of 12 stories. Ray wrote an autobiography about his childhood years, Jakhan Choto Chilam (1982). He also wrote essays on film, published as the collections: Our Films, Their Films (1976), Bishoy Chalachchitra (1976), and Ekei Bole Shooting (1979).
Awards, Honors and Recognitions: Ray received many awards, including 32 National Film Awards by the Government of India. At the Moscow Film Festival in 1979, he was awarded for the contribution to cinema. At the Berlin Film Festival, he was one of only three to win the Silver Bear for Best Director more than once and holds the record for the most Golden Bear nominations, with seven. At the Venice Film Festival, he won a Golden Lion for Aparajito(1956), and awarded the Golden Lion Honorary Award in 1982. In 1992 he was posthumously awarded the Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
You really think you are passionate about film making? Then, you must read these chronicles by Satyajit Ray. You will find out why he is regarded as the pioneer of Indian Cinema! Such was his passion and love towards movies. Those who love the Apu trilogy will enjoy the stories behind some epic shots and transitions, especially the 'train scene' and the final ''necklace'' scene from "Pather Panjali". Highly recommended for film making aspirants.
My Years with Apu, the final book written by Satyajit Ray before his death, goes back to the beginning "birth pangs" of his career as a filmmaker. This book makes a good duo with Ray's prior "Childhood Days", chronicling autobiographically his childhood, early influences, career start and early successes.
Altogether they remind me of Akira Kurosawa's autobiography, which I had read recently. Compared to Ray's, Kurosawa's youthful stories are more colorful and mischievous, and contain more in-depth musings about filmmaking, owing to his breadth of experience in the industry. But Ray's stories are unique and intriguing in a different way, as he jumped into directing his first film a complete amateur, with a ragtag crew of other inexperienced filmmakers like him. You get to see how Ray and co. struggled and overcame the limitations that are so familiar to budding filmmakers: the lack of funding, on-set and off-set troubles, or lukewarm audience reactions. Ultimately, what amazed me and kept me reading is his confidence and love in the work he was doing, apparent in every anecdotes and improvisations. A short and inspiring read for any similar budding filmmakers.
Recently watched the Apu trilogy on Criterion which brought me to this book. Wouldn't attempt to review the movies here but would be suffice to say that they were very moving.
Thankfully the book doesn't read like a collection of diary entries. It's a wholesome account of the struggles Mr.Ray faced to make his first movie and the inspirations that led him to that point. He clearly led a colorful life crossing paths with some of the visionary film makers of that era. Some of the insights on the first movie 'Pather Panchali' were delightful. I wish there was more time spent talking about the third movie as well.
Overall, reading the book enriched my experience of the Apu saga. I feel grateful to have watched the movies and hope to watch more from Satyajit Ray.
Having loved this man and his creations since childhood, getting to be a part of the behind the scenes of his first ever movie, has been a privilege. This book is by far the closest I have come to understanding Satyajit Ray and why he did what he did. I would encourage everyone who admire him, to take this journey of determination, creativity, passion and above all mastery of the great Satyajit Ray.
My Years with Apu is the first book I ever finished, and it deeply moved me as a film enthusiast. What鈥檚 even more astonishing is the story behind the book itself. Half of Ray鈥檚 original papers for this book were stolen imagine even after his death, someone tried to take away pieces of his legacy out of jealousy.Still his family worked hard to preserve what remained and ensure the book was published.
The book is more than a story 鈥攊t鈥檚 a journey of hard work, patience, and passion for filmmaking of a young lad Manik. From Satyajit Ray鈥檚 early days as a painter in Shantiniketan to his time at Keymer when he got job, meeting Renoir, forming the Calcutta Film Society, and eventually making Pather Panchali with storyboarding with paintings, the book gives a simple and honest account of his life.
The making of Pather Panchali was full of challenges. Producers rejected his story and even tried to get another director to make the film by approaching Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay鈥檚 wife. Ray didn鈥檛 give up and kept working,even though the budget was so small that his team even struggled to cover daily fares to Boral (village shown in film) to fare he given to landlord . They couldn鈥檛 afford subtitles and had to send the film to festivals without them. Still, the story spoke for itself and impressed people worldwide.
What touched me the most was how Ray remembered everyone who helped him, no matter how small their role was. From Bansi, the art director, to Anil Chatterjee, who supported the project, to Nicholson, who just gave him leaves at keymar and gave a job assurance while he was busy with filmmaking.Ray gave credit to all of them. He remembered every detail, every name, and mentioned how each person contributed to his work.It shows how good his memory is, and how much he's still grateful to all of them.
Ray also worked with many inexperienced actors, like Karuna Banerjee, who played Sarbajaya. She had never acted before, yet her performance is remembered as one of the best portrayals of motherhood in Indian cinema. This shows how much trust Ray had in people and his ability to guide them to perform their best.
The book talks about many practical problems, like how they managed every rupee during the shoot and the effort behind difficult scenes like the pigeon shot in Aparajito. Ray found creative ways to solve problems and made the most out of what he had. I almost cried when I read about Pather Panchali winning the Best Human Document award at Cannes, even beating a film by Akira Kurosawa. That was the moment when Manik Ray, the struggling filmmaker from Calcutta, truly became The Satyajit Ray, a name that would resonate across the globe. A film made with so many struggles and challenges getting such recognition felt so inspiring and emotional.
Ray鈥檚 story is a lesson for all of us who make excuses or wait for the right time. He showed that even with no money/resources , if you have dedication and passion, you can create something extraordinary. This book inspires me to work hard If The Satyajit Ray with so immense talent went through such hardships, who are we to procrastinate?
"My Years with Apu" is the 1st ever memoir I've ever read. It's by Satyajit Ray. This isn't about his whole life. This is about how he made the "Apu Trilogy" and how he gathered his interest around films. I don't have any words for this novel. The writing style of Satyajit Ray is so simple yet charming. It's like i can literally, hear him narrating the story. I never read anything in English by him, but i'm so thankful, that i gave it a read. Although he was unable to finish it by himself, when he was on his death bed the copy got stolen. So. Bijoya Devi his wife finished this novel.
This story has 8 parts. 1st is Flashback, where he elaborated his encounters with Nandalal Bose, his years in Shantinikaton and his childhood. And the legacy of his father. (Side note:- i loved the English name of "Abol- Tabol" it's "Hocus-Pocus" and "Ha-ja-ba-ra-la" it's "Higgledy-Pigedy") Thn in "Birth Pangs", "Fade-in Fade-out" , "Action at last" where we'll be able to see the birth of the 1st film "Pather Panchali" as well as Apu. And, his struggles. How he found Apun, his lack of money. Him collecting funds. And everything. In the 5th chapter "The Aftermath" , we'll be witnessing the enormous success of "Pather Panchali". Chapter 6 is my favorite "Picking up the threads" where he is making the 2nd film in Apun Trilogy "Aparajito", and what i love about this chapter is, he went back and forth to his diary and the current date. It's like same person, same issue but different perspective. It was beautiful. In Chapter 7 "Through and Crests" he talked about the giant success of "Aparajito". And finally in chapter 8 "Apu Redivivus" he talked about how he made "Apur Sansar" the 3rd film in "Apu Trilogy" and it was beautiful. He explained few scenes, and they were so beautiful. The "Hairpin scene" personally got me. And... Finally pack up.
This book has the voice of Satyajit Ray. And we'll able to see the beautiful yet extremely hard journey of Him making these films. I loved this book. And i'll always cherish the experience of me reading this book.
's My Years with Apu tells the story behind the making of the Apu Trilogy - Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), and Apur Sansar (1959). This book was reconstructed by Ray's wife, , from his initial draft copy when the actual draft got stolen while he was in a nursing home waiting for his final moments, fighting for his life. Ray has given a wonderful narration of his journey of making his initial films as an amateur, finally becoming a visionary and a pioneer of Indian cinema. The Apu Trilogy is actually based on the two novels - and by . I have read the Malayalam versions of these two novels years ago (啻触嗟囙导 啻淳啻炧祶啻氞淳啻侧纯 - 啻淳啻む疮嗟佮礋嗟� 啻膏磦啻椸祤啻む磦, 啻呧椽啻班淳啻溹纯啻む祷) and also have watched the movies Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959).
Quite a beautiful written memoir, even though this wasn't the final draft (As Mrs. Ray wrote, the final draft of this book went "missing" within a few days of Mr. Ray's death). One wonders what additional moments we could have savoured if we weren't robbed of the final draft.
Also, mind you that this was a journal / diary and hence you so not expect too many explanations into the "workings of the mind". Nevertheless, this book is written in first-person voice, and hence one gets an undiluted peek into Mr. Ray's thoughts, work and an autobiography of his pre-Apu days.
Two specific feedback (which explains "4 stars" instead of "5 stars"): 1/ the translation could have been much better and it seems to me that the book's editors were rather hasty in publishing this, as the book has a sprinkle of typographical errors. 2/ In the copy that I got from Penguin Books (ISBN 978-0-140-24780-0), the photographs were quite dull which normally happens if the printer is short of ink. This prevents me from classifying this book as a collector's item.
A lucid and captivating account of the journey of one of the greatest filmmakers of India, Satyajit Ray, from his creative desk at an advertising agency to the world of reels. Although developed from the notes of Manik babu(nickname of Satyajit Ray) by his wife, Mrs. Bijoya Ray, the memoir doesn't fail to capture the essence of his literary flavour (having read a number of his other works).
The memoir starts with a brief introduction of Manik babu's family and flows on to highlight his initial stint at an advertising agency to transforming his love for films, to a passion. It was no secret that Manik babu had to face innumerable impediments during the making of Pather Panchali, but the manner in which they are detailed out in this memoir makes you eager to learn more about the struggle. The spell-binding description of the shooting of the train scene, to finding the location for Nischindipur to his production woes, you get to live every moment of 'the making'. My only disappointment is that we could not get a more detailed account of his years of making Apur Sansar.
A note for the readers: Do watch the full Apu Trilogy before immersing yourselves into this beautiful journey of a visionary and his ageless classics.
Story behind the making of Apu triology ..(Pather Panjali, Aparajiho and Apur Sansar ) ...Like all filims of Ray these three are classics ... Sail through Bengal of 1950's ...Apart from filim maker Satyajit Ray was a writer of repute ... Generally regarded as India's greatest filim maker ever .....all his movies are worth watching if are into serious filims of national and international arena... Sharmila tagore's and Soumitra Chatterji made their first appearence in Ray's Apur Sansar... Soumitra Chatterji went on to become the most sought after actor in Bengal, while Sharmila Tagore made an extremely successful career for herself in Bollywood....
An exceptional book, authored by one of the greatest film makers of India. A language which is beautiful yet flowing, effortless. A presentation such that the whole era flashes in front of you, even if you have not seen the films. Such rich verbal imagery, it magically transforms you back in time. Makes it plainly easy to understand how & why Mr. Ray became what he did. As also it goes to show what intense passion can help you achieve & how it overcomes all odds!! Worth every word of the prose!
First, I highly recommend the Apu Trilogy to all who haven鈥檛 seen it. and you must see it before reading this.
I adored this book and wish it had been three times as long. The memories recounted here are charming, moving, and sometimes hilarious. Because Ray is never seeking the audience鈥檚 approval and doesn鈥檛 need to self-aggrandize, his plainspoken descriptions of the long road to success mean we are always rooting for him. He has vision but no arrogance 鈥� which makes him a venerable artist.
Interested to read about one of the great Indian directors to have existed. This book was a good start to understanding the genius. The original manuscript of the story was lost for the book and was put together by his wife. It is extremely well written to understand the movie making process of a time long faded. Must read for anyone interested to know first Indian to get an Oscar and talented in so many facets.
Can we as viewers of Indian cinema have a greater fortune than to get to know the backstories and process behind the making of Apu Trilogy narrated in Satyajit Ray's words ? In my opinion, no. I haven't seen all 3 films. But I sure enjoyed the read. * The book contains details of the plots of all 3 films, if one plans to watch the film, the book might prove to be a spoiler.
Aww, this book is a precious gem that explores Ray's quintessential details of his journey while making "Apu's trilogy". The hurdles and tackles he faced while filming and how he managed to create the best works with his creative mind and calibre is narrated grippingly in this memoir. The book also makes you go down the lane and imagine the scenes whichever is is is described by the legend Ray.