Biography of Satyajit Ray

Satyajit Ray, standing 6'-4" tall, was a towering figure in the world of cinema. He studied at the university in Calcutta and later joined Shantiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore's university to study art. He began his career as a commercial artist (1943-56). He founded Calcutta's first film society in 1947 and made his first film, Pather Panchali (1955) while working at an advertising agency.

Pather Panchali was an immediate success and won Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival. Pather Panchali with his Aparajito (1956, The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (1959, The World of Apu) are known as 'Apu Trilogy'. His later films include Jalsaghar (1958, The Music Room), Kanchenjunga (1962), Charulata (1964, The Lonely Wife), Ashanti Sanket (1973, Distant Thunder), The Chess Players (1977), The Home and The World (1984), Ganashatru (1989, Public Enemy), and Agantuk (1990, The Stranger).Ray also edited Sandesh, a children's magazine and wrote numerous fiction and nonfiction works.

In 1992 he received an honorary Academy Award.

Growing up, 1921-39
At Shantiniketan, 1940-42
Advertising & Graphic Design, 1943
Calcutta Film Society, 1947
Encounter With Jean Renoir, 1949
The 'Bicycle Thieves' Effect, 1950
Making of Pather Panchali, 1950-55
Triumph of Pather Panchali, 1955
A Film a Year, 1956-1981
Ray's Literary Career, 1961-1992
The Final Offerings, 1989-1992