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Biography

Growing up

At Shantiniketan

Advertising artist,Illustrator & FilmCritic

Calcutta FilmSociety

Encounter WithJean Renoir

'Bicycle Thieves'Effect

Making of PatherPanchali

Triumph of PatherPanchali

A Film a Year

Ray's LiteraryCareer

Final Offerings

Making of Pather Panchali

1950, Search for a ProducerOn his return in late 1950, with absolutely no experience inmovie-making, Ray collected a group of young men to work astechnicians. Subrata Mitra was the cinematographer; he hadbeen a still photographer and had to coaxed into taking up theassignment. Anil Choudhury became the Production Controller,Bansi Chandra Gupta the art director.

While looking for financial backers, he approached widow ofBibhuti Bhusan Banerjee, the writer of Pather Panchali for filmrights. She admired Ray's illustrations for the book and works ofhis father and grandfather. She gave her oral assurance andretained her faith in Satyajit Ray despite a better financial offer.

To explain his concept for the film to the potential producers,Ray had a small note-book, filled with sketches, dialogue and thetreatment. This script along with another sketchbook thatillustrated the key dramatic moments of the film were greetedwith curiosity by producers. While many of them were impressed,none came forward to produce the film. Later, Ray donated thisscript and the wash sketches to the Cinémathèque Française,Paris.

Many offered advise against shooting in outdoor locations asmost films were made in studios at that time. He was told bymany that rain sequences could not be shot in the actual rainsbut required a well equipped studio. At the earliest opportunity,Ray rushed out with a 16 mm camera to test-shoot monsoonrains.

About two years were spent in vain to find a producer.Meanwhile, undeterred Ray had begun assembling the cast andlooking for locations.

1952, Cattle eat up the sceneUnable to find a producer, Ray decided that unless he couldprove his bona fides by producing a few sequences of the film,he was not likely to find financial backing. He borrowed moneyagainst his insurance policy and from a few relatives and friends.The shooting was to be done on Sundays due to his job at D.J.Keymer.

On 27 October 1952, he set out to take the first shot. Thescene was the famous 'discovery of train by Apu and his sisterDurga in the field of Kaash flowers'. "One day's work with camera

and actors taught me more than all the dozen books," Ray wouldwrite later.

The following Sunday when they returned to shoot, to theirhorror they discovered that the Kaash flowers had been feastedupon by a herd of cattle. He had to wait for the next season offlowers to complete the scene.

1952, Casting and locationsMeanwhile, efforts to find a backer and working on otherproduction requirements and casting continued.

A page from the script ofPather Panchali ©Ray Family

Apu

Durga

Indir Thakrun and Durga©Teknica

A s till from Bimal Roy's Do Bigha

Jamin, 1953

Ray filming P ather P anchali

©Bans i C handragupta

production requirements and casting continued.

The cast was a mix of professional actors and a few with noprior experience in acting. Only Subir Banerjee who played Apu,Karuna Banerjee who played Apu's mother, and the villagers whoplayed other smaller roles, had no prior experience of acting. Therest had either acted in films or theatre.

Chunibala Devi, an 80-year old, retired theatre actress was castto play Indir Thakrun. Boral, a small village on the outskirts ofCalcutta was to be the major location.

1952, Faith in realistic cinema gets strongerDuring this time, Bimal Roy hadmade Do Bigha Jamin (Two Acres ofLand), in India; The film had a fewsongs, shot largely on locations. Itwas about the struggle of apeasant family. The film was in thetradition of neo-realist cinema withnatural acting (though usingprofessional actors, including BalrajSahni who pioneered natural actingin mainstream Indian films). The film

won the Prix International at the Cannes Festival, 1954. DoBigha Jamin and Kurosawa's Rashoman, further strengthenedSatyajit Ray's faith in the kind of film he was making.

Pather Panchali was to be shot in sequence as Ray had realizedthat he would be learning as they went along. He had todiscover for himself, "how to catch the hushed stillness of duskin a Bengali village when the wind drops and turns the ponds intosheets of glass, dappled by the leaves of Saluki and Shale, andthe smoke from the ovens settles in wispy trails over thelandscape and the plaintive blows on conch shells from homesfar and near are joined by the chorus of crickets which rises asthe light falls, until all one sees are the stars in the sky, and thestars that blink and swirl in the thickets."

1953, A producer at lastHe found a producer, Ana Dutta,who provided some funds with apromise of more after seeing theresults and releasing his latest film.

Ray took one month's leave withoutpay to shoot a few moresequences.

The shooting began in the village.Ray recalls this period as a greatlearning experience. The filmappeared to be shaping up well. Itwas not long before the funds ranout. The producer's latest film had

been a box-office disaster so he was unable to provide any morefinances. However, since the arrangements had already beenmade for shoot, some of Ray's wife, Bijoya's jewelry was pawnedand shooting continued for a few days more.

Ray was back to work at Kaymer. The footage was later editedto about 4000 ft. Ray approached many producers with theedited footage and was turned down. Ray's production manager, Anil Choudhury suggestedapproaching Dr. B. C. Roy, the Chief Minister of West Bengal forhelp. The government agreed to fund. On September 8, 1953, ason and the only child, Sandip was born.

Sketches by Ray, Durga andApu discover a train

©Ray Family

Durga & Apu in a field of Kaashflowers ©Teknica

Chunibala Devi, an 80-yearold, retired theatre actress

played Indir Thakrun

Durga & her parents ©Teknica

Apu ©Teknica

It was a marathon session andleft us exhausted but happy,because most of the music

sounded wonderful.

- Satyajit Ray, about music recording for

Pather Panchali, 1955

Ray rehears ing 80-year old

C hunibala Devi

©Bans i C handragupta

son and the only child, Sandip was born.

1954, Shooting resumes after a long breakAfter a break of almost a year, theshooting resumed in the early partof 1954. The funding from thegovernment meant that the moneywould come in installments. Beforeeach installment, the accounts hadto be submitted and cleared by thegovernment. This would often takeup to a month.

Later, Ray would describe it as amiracle that while making the film,"One, Apu's voice did not break.Two, Durga did not grow up. Three,Indir Thakrun did not die."

In the autumn of 1954, MonroeWheeler, a director of Museum ofModern Art (MOMA), New York wasin Calcutta for putting togethersome Indian highlights for an

exhibition. In a chance meeting, Ray showed some stills ofPather Panchali. Wheeler offered to hold a world premier atMOMA.

About six months later, John Huston had come to India in searchof locations for 'The man who would be King'. He had been askedby Monroe Wheeler to check the progress of the film. Afterseeing about 15-20 minute long silent rough-cut, John Hustongave rave reviews to Wheeler. The film was scheduled topremier at MOMA.

1955, Breakneck post-productionRay wanted Pandit Ravi Shankar, renowned Sitar maestro, tocompose music for the film. Ravi Shankar, due to his tighttouring schedule, was able to see only about half of the film andrecorded the music in a non-stop session of about eleven hours."It was a marathon session and left us exhausted but happy,because most of the music sounded wonderful", Ray would writein 'My Years with Apu', many years later. Due to shortage oftime, however, Ravi Shankar could not provide music for a fewsequences. Subrata Mitra, Ray's cinematographer, devised musicfor the sweetmeat seller as he goes peddling his sweets. Mitraalso played sitar for a sequence.

To meet the MOMA deadline, Ray and his editor worked ten daysand nights continuously in the final stage of post-production.The first print of Pather Panchali came out at night before it wasto be dispatched. There was no time or money for the subtitles.

Weeks after the scheduled screening at MOMA, a letter cameform MOMA describing at length how well the film had beenreceived by the audience.

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