Happy Birthday Satyajit Ray: 9 Lesser Known Facts of the legendary filmmaker
Satyajit Ray has revolutionized the filmmaking and has carved his niche
Screenwriter, writer, composer, poet, cinematographer and film producer Satyajit Ray was born on May 2, 1921, in West Bengal. Greatest Filmmaker of all times Satyajit Ray was born to a Bengali family which was very prominent in Art and literature. Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and watching Vittorio De Sica’s Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a visit to London.
In his career, Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. Ray’s first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including the inaugural Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Ray was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford university also. In 1992, the Indian government honoured his work with Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award.
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Lesser Known Facts of Satyajit Ray
1. People commonly used to call him by the name of ‘Manik Da’ as a mark of respect
2. He has bagged 32 National Awards out of which 6 are for best directions
3. In 1987, the President of France awarded him the Lgion d’honneur(Legion of Honour).
4. In 1947, Ray opened the Calcutta Film Society.
5. Ray has four Roman typefaces patented under his name viz- Ray Roman, Ray Bizarre, Daphnis and Holiday Script. The first two winning came in an international competition in 1971.
6. He has a lot of fascination for Arts and painting. He made a documentary called Inner Eye on the life of a blind artist.
7. Apart from filmmaking, Ray has also a keen interest in Writing, Calligraphy and numerous other arts. He has written many Books and Essays.
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8. Oxford University gave him an Honorary degree. After Charlie Chaplin, he was the second film personality to receive this honour.
9. In 1992, Just before his death, Government of India honoured him Bharat Ratna
Legacy will inspire many generations in coming future
On April 23, 1992, Ray passed away due to old age complications. He left a legacy behind which will always inspire the young generation. He still has a huge number of audience who loves his work.
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