ISBN 978-81-925489-2-0 - ramniranjan jhunjhunwala college

‘THE APU LEGACY’ – UNFOLDING SATYAJIT RAYS’S EXPERIENCE IN INDIAN
CINEMA
Baishakhi Dutta, Department of Geography, R.J. College, Mumbai
1. INTRODUCTION
dbaishakhi@rediffmail.com
The Apu Trilogy consists of a set of three Bengali films directed by Satyajit Ray – Pather Panchali (Song of the
Little Road) Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The world of Apu). The three films were
completed between 1955 –1959 based on novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and music
composed by late Pandit Ravi Shankar. The films were produced on a shoestring budget of Rs. 1.5 lakh with a
very amateur casting crew. Apu trilogy was a milestone in Indian cinema and remains one of the finest
examples of parallel cinema. It is listed to be one of the greatest films of all times and is of great acclaim. The
trilogy of Apu is considered by critics around the world to rank among the greatest historical achievements of
Indian films. Satyajit Ray’s cinematic debut Pather Panchali won thirteen international prizes at the Cannes
Film Festival followed by eleven international prized for Aparajito at Venice Film Festival and numerous other
awards for Apur Sansar at the London Film Festivals. The trilogy established Ray’s career in international film
world. His success did not influence his personal life in the years to come as he lived with his extended family
for years in a rented flat. He believed in simple living and high thinking.
2. EXPERIENCING SATYAJIT RAY
Satyajit Ray was born in 1921 in a family of distinguished intellectuals. His father was a leading poet and
dramatist of his time and mother was an accomplished singer. His relatives were scientists, photographers,
artists etc. Ray developed an early interest in western classical music and cinema. From a very early age he
watched American films which influenced him deeply. Between 1955 and 1991, Satyajit Ray made more than
thirty feature films, but he is best remembered in the west for the ‘Apu Trilogy’ which launched his career as a
remarkable director. After studying art in college, Satyajit Ray worked in the advertising industry for many
years with growing interest in films. In late 1940s he established a film society in Kolkata and in 1950 he was
determined to make a small intimate film of his own. Satyajit Ray drew his inspiration from some Halian Neo-
Realists for his first film where he introduces his hero Apu almost twenty minutes after the starting of Pather
Panchali. In the first part of his trilogy films he introduces the audience to the day-to-day life in Bengal, Apu’s
village, his sister Durga, their aged aunt Indir Thakurain, their mother Sarbajaya who does her best for her
children inspite of abject poverty, their father Harihar dreaming to become big one day, captivates the mind of
the audience with a flourish of music from Ravi Shankar. Over the next two films, Ray has depicted, Apu grow
into a promising student, leaves home to live in Kolkata city, suffers tragedy in his married life and experiences
moments of joy with his son. Ray had captured all these special moments in his compassionate camera. The
sequel has much jaw-dropping cinematic beauty which has crossed the shore to reach the western audiences too.
3. UNDERSTANDING ‘APU TRILOGY’:
The Apu Trilogy made Satyajit Ray to be India’s first internationally recognized director. It helped to redefine
cinema for most Indian filmmakers of his time and encouraged many others internationally. In the words of the
Japanese master director Akira Kurosawa “Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world
without seeing the sun or the moon”. Apu Trilogy includes Pather Panchali (song of the Little Road) in 1955,
followed by Aparajito (The Unvanquished) in 1956, and lastly Apur Sansar (The world of Apu) in 1959.
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