The Indian filmmaking legend Satyajit Ray stepped into his 102nd year on May 2, 2023. The maestro died in 1992, at the age of only 71. He left us without finishing many of the proposed film and writing projects which he had undertaken in his last years. Bengal lost not just a great filmmaker, but also a writer of extraordinary calibre, who opened up the Bengali children and adults to a new world of adventure and science fiction in their mother tongue. Ray was happy that more and more film societies were coming up in Bengal, including in the districts far away from bustling Calcutta. In May 1966, the film Nayak (‘The Hero’) was released and a fierce debate started among the left cultural workers, comparing Uttam Kumar with Saumitra Chattopadhyay. Saumitra was widely known as Ray’s favourite and had already stunned the audience in Bengal and beyond with his portrayal of Amal in Ray’s all-time classic Charulata. To many of us who were admirers of Saumitra, Uttam was a big surprise. Everyone was blown away by the way he was used by Ray in the film, in an astounding, never-before-seen manner. The star Uttam was reborn as an actor of peerless calibre.
1966 was a tumultuous year politically. Bengal was seething in anger by May 1966. The food movement had started on a massive scale, led by the left parties. By then the CPI had split and the CPI(M) was formed. Both the left parties, along with others, launched huge movements against the ruling Congress ministry led by PC Sen. But how political was Ray? This was a matter of debate among left-leaning intellectuals and youngsters in the 1960s and 1970s. It was often said that Mrinal Sen turned too politically loud and vocal in his films. He made Padatik, Interview, and Chorus during these decades, making his political position crystal clear. Other young filmmakers also were experimenting with political films. Even Ray’s closest friend and film critic Chidananda Dasgupta was looking forward to a film where Ray would depict the rebellious political mood of Bengal.
Ray did Goopy Gayen, and Bagha Byne in 1968. It was released in May 1969. Aranyer Din Ratri was released in 1970, Pratidwandi in 1970, Seemabaddha in 1971 and Ashani Sanket in 1973. Except for Aranyer Din Ratri, all others have got a firm political message in Ray’s own artistic, humanist manner. Ray’s signature topped the list of signatures from among the intellectuals of Bengal who called for an end to US aggression in Vietnam. In 1966, when Bengal CPI decided to come out with a new publication called Kalantar, Ray created the logo – a fantastic, genre-breaking one. He was a friend of the left, but he contributed subtly, through his medium in his style. Ray went in-depth into the gaps and weaknesses of the British film directors and explained how they failed the British working classes. In the process, he dived deep into the social history of Britain. The Britishers were astounded. They had never come across such a detailed assessment of British films from their critics. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them. If Ray wanted, he could have been a world-class film historian and film critic. The Oscar winner was rightfully and gloriously summed up by the elegant Audrey Hepburn in America, while Ray received the award in his hospital cabin.
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