skills , the love for films continued as | ||||||||||||||||||
a hobby and passion . He along with | ||||||||||||||||||
his |
friends |
would |
screen |
and |
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critically discuss films on weekends . | ||||||||||||||||||
In |
1948 |
Ray |
and |
his |
friends |
|||||||||||||
established |
the |
Calcutta |
Film |
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|
Society .
The Battleship
Potemkin
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was the first film they screened . | ||||||||||||||||||
Soon , |
Ray |
started |
writing |
and |
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publishing articles on cinema in | ||||||||||||||||||
newspapers and magazines . Who | ||||||||||||||||||
|
would have known that these addas
( leisurely discussion ) on films would one day produce
India ’ s best film maker . Not only that , it would also give India its foremost art director in form of
Bansi Chandra
Gupta and cinematographer
Subrata
Mitra , both friends of Ray and part of his team which shot the path breaking
Pather
Panchali . Ray ,
Gupta and
|
Left : Subir
Roy then a boy of nine played the role of Apu in
Pather Panchali
Right : Subir now in his sixties retired as a provident fund officer with an engineering firm . Never did he do any other movie after
Pather Panchali . It is luck that Subir played
Apu . Subir ’ s family used to live at 31 Lake
Avenue and
Ray was their neighbour . One day
Ray ’ s wife Bijoya chanced upon
Subir playing in the neighbourhood and suggested to Ray that the young boy would best fit as Apu
. Till then Satyajit had tried in vain to find his perfect Apu . Ray met Subir ’ s father who was initially reluctant to allow Subir to act in films . Satyajit convinced with some prophetic words ' Today , no one knows your son or me . But I ' ll make a film that will change
Bengali cinema . Then
, all of Bengal will know both of us .' Subir ’ s father agreed , moved by the conviction in Ray ’ s voice and the rest is history .
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Mitra , all three without any formal | ||||||||||||||||||
training , |
would |
prove |
to |
be |
||||||||||||||
pioneers in their area of expertise . | ||||||||||||||||||
One wonders is it providence , | ||||||||||||||||||
environment or the right company | ||||||||||||||||||
which |
produces |
brilliant |
workall |
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three . probably it is the mix of | ||||||||||||||||||
A well paid job in one of India ’ s | ||||||||||||||||||
leading advertisement agency and a | ||||||||||||||||||
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film society to manage
, life was
| ||||||||||||||||||
moving along predictable lines for | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Ray .
Becoming a filmmaker till then had never crossed
Ray ’ s mind .
However three things happened which would change the course of his life .
|
Left : Uma
Dasgupta then 12 years old and student of class
VIII played the role of
Durga to perfection . Right : Uma Dasgupta now .
Uma was discovered by
Ashish Burman a friend of Ray who knew the headmistress of the school where Uma studied . Ray met Uma ’ s father
, an ex-footballer , and selected
Durga on the spot .
The stills Ray took of Uma at the terrace of her house fitted perfectly to Durga in
Ray ’ s mind .
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First was a request by his senior at
Jean Renoir the famous
French film the DJ
Keymer , DK
Gupta, who ran a director . It so happened that in bangla publishing house
Signet to
1949 Renoir had come to Calcutta design the cover of its publications . to scout locations for his film The
One of the books Ray illustrated
River ( which incidentally went on was the abridged version of Bibhuti to win a prize at
Venice Film
Bhushan
Bandhopadyaya ’ s Pather
Festival ). Ray an admirer of Renoir
|
films .
Impressed Renoir asked Ray if he was planning to be a film maker , and Ray found himself nodding in the affirmative and narrated the story of
Pather
Panchali. Renoir encouraged
Ray . Getting a pat from one of world ’ s finest film director
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|
Panchali .
The book made a lasting presented himself at the Great
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convinced Ray |
of becoming a film |
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impression on Ray , and a chance
Eastern
|
Hotel |
and |
sought |
an |
maker . |
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remark by
DK , who had once been audience with Renoir . The last thing
The third event was Ray being sent an editor of a film magazine , that that Renoir had expected was to in
1950 by his employer DJ Keymer the abridgedd version would make a meet someone in
Kolkata who to the firm ’ s
London office for a 4 great film got Ray thinking . could with great authority discuss months stint .
Ray in these four the entire body of his
( Renoir ’ s )
Second was a chance meeting with months saw
999 films at a rate of one
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