1 00:00:01,201 --> 00:00:04,784 (traditional Indian music) 2 00:00:47,719 --> 00:00:50,969 (film projector whirs) 3 00:00:52,724 --> 00:00:56,641 (speaking in foreign language) 4 00:01:15,361 --> 00:01:18,111 (train chugging) 5 00:01:39,253 --> 00:01:43,084 - [Narrator] In these iconic scenes from "Pather Panchali", 6 00:01:43,085 --> 00:01:46,039 the two children, Apu and Durga, 7 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,847 run through a field of Kash flowers 8 00:01:48,848 --> 00:01:50,448 to catch a glimpse of the train. 9 00:01:51,851 --> 00:01:53,931 These are some of the first scenes ever shot 10 00:01:54,857 --> 00:01:56,651 by the film's director. 11 00:01:56,652 --> 00:02:00,486 Almost none of the crew had any filmmaking experience. 12 00:02:00,487 --> 00:02:02,941 The cost was also, for the most part, 13 00:02:02,942 --> 00:02:05,465 made up of non-professional actors and actresses. 14 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,074 Yet the film went on to receive 12 major 15 00:02:09,075 --> 00:02:11,347 international awards... 16 00:02:11,348 --> 00:02:14,048 including a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival. 17 00:02:15,307 --> 00:02:18,890 (traditional Indian music) 18 00:02:20,465 --> 00:02:24,382 (chanting in foreign language) 19 00:02:27,501 --> 00:02:30,501 (children laughing) 20 00:02:43,190 --> 00:02:47,282 "Pather Panchali" is also shrouded in mystery 21 00:02:47,283 --> 00:02:48,506 and high drama. 22 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:50,869 During the making of the film, 23 00:02:50,870 --> 00:02:54,086 production had to be put on hold several times, 24 00:02:54,087 --> 00:02:55,940 in one instance for whole year. 25 00:02:57,462 --> 00:03:01,899 In his last days, the director, Satyajit Ray, 26 00:03:01,900 --> 00:03:04,239 wanted to see his sketchbook 27 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,263 containing the storyboard for the film. 28 00:03:07,143 --> 00:03:09,929 However, the film museum in Paris, 29 00:03:09,930 --> 00:03:13,363 where the sketchbook was kept, said it was missing. 30 00:03:14,487 --> 00:03:17,760 In addition, shortly after his death, 31 00:03:17,761 --> 00:03:19,945 the family discovered that the final version 32 00:03:19,946 --> 00:03:21,579 of Ray's memoirs, 33 00:03:21,580 --> 00:03:25,097 describing his experiences making "Pather Panchali", 34 00:03:25,098 --> 00:03:26,411 had been stolen. 35 00:03:28,482 --> 00:03:31,977 And about a year after the Ray's death, 36 00:03:31,978 --> 00:03:35,144 there was a nitrate explosion at the laboratory in London 37 00:03:35,145 --> 00:03:37,461 where the negatives were kept. 38 00:03:37,462 --> 00:03:40,545 The film was severely damaged in the resulting fire. 39 00:03:43,379 --> 00:03:45,497 Seemingly, some mysterious force 40 00:03:45,498 --> 00:03:48,041 had been battling against Ray's creative will, 41 00:03:48,042 --> 00:03:51,777 conspiring to keep "Pather Panchali" hidden. 42 00:03:51,778 --> 00:03:54,101 But in the end, Ray won. 43 00:03:55,142 --> 00:03:58,244 The film, the sketchbook and his memoirs 44 00:03:58,245 --> 00:04:00,078 were miraculously restored. 45 00:04:01,493 --> 00:04:02,382 This is the story 46 00:04:02,383 --> 00:04:05,804 of one of the most important films ever made. 47 00:04:05,805 --> 00:04:08,836 A film not only admired for its intrinsic beauty 48 00:04:08,837 --> 00:04:11,700 but also for starting a film revolution within India, 49 00:04:12,702 --> 00:04:13,871 providing an alternative 50 00:04:13,872 --> 00:04:16,055 to the commercial films made in Mumbai. 51 00:04:17,472 --> 00:04:19,466 This is also the story 52 00:04:19,467 --> 00:04:23,511 of how Satyajit Ray started his filmmaking career. 53 00:04:23,512 --> 00:04:26,356 Known affectionately by those who worked closely with him 54 00:04:26,357 --> 00:04:31,071 as Manik or Manik da, meaning "jewel" and "elder brother", 55 00:04:31,072 --> 00:04:33,432 Ray was a humanist. 56 00:04:33,433 --> 00:04:35,192 He created timeless classics 57 00:04:35,193 --> 00:04:37,546 that can apply to anyone, anywhere. 58 00:04:38,513 --> 00:04:41,799 He was revered as India's most important filmmaker 59 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,304 and admired by multiple generations of filmmakers 60 00:04:44,305 --> 00:04:46,457 from around the world, 61 00:04:46,458 --> 00:04:51,127 including Jean Renoir, Akira Kurosawa, Richard Attenborough, 62 00:04:51,128 --> 00:04:54,614 George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, 63 00:04:54,615 --> 00:04:56,978 Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan. 64 00:04:58,502 --> 00:05:02,397 Satyajit Ray's career spanned almost 40 years. 65 00:05:02,398 --> 00:05:04,971 He made 37 films and documentaries. 66 00:05:06,176 --> 00:05:08,990 Many of these achieved international success, 67 00:05:08,991 --> 00:05:12,407 and Ray himself received numerous accolades, 68 00:05:12,408 --> 00:05:15,779 including an Oscar for lifetime achievement... 69 00:05:15,780 --> 00:05:20,139 - The Academy recognizes Mr. Ray's rare mastery 70 00:05:20,140 --> 00:05:22,751 of the art of motion pictures. 71 00:05:22,752 --> 00:05:24,569 - [Narrator] Eight honorary doctorates, 72 00:05:24,570 --> 00:05:26,771 two of these from the Royal College of Arts 73 00:05:26,772 --> 00:05:28,996 and the University of Oxford, 74 00:05:28,997 --> 00:05:30,876 and the Legion d'honneur, 75 00:05:30,877 --> 00:05:33,827 France's highest civilian award of merit, 76 00:05:33,828 --> 00:05:37,291 which President Mitterrand flew down to Kolkata 77 00:05:37,292 --> 00:05:39,295 to award personally to Satyajit Ray. 78 00:05:41,864 --> 00:05:43,689 Ray is thought by many 79 00:05:43,690 --> 00:05:47,226 to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, 80 00:05:47,227 --> 00:05:49,827 but that's just one part of his artistic repertoire. 81 00:05:50,773 --> 00:05:53,154 Within India, he's equally celebrated 82 00:05:53,155 --> 00:05:56,779 as an artist, designer, music composer, 83 00:05:56,780 --> 00:05:59,186 and writer of children's books, 84 00:05:59,187 --> 00:06:01,562 to the extent that his books actually generated 85 00:06:01,563 --> 00:06:03,223 more revenue than his films 86 00:06:05,452 --> 00:06:08,384 - He has done so many things. 87 00:06:08,385 --> 00:06:10,712 Now I'm realizing it. 88 00:06:10,713 --> 00:06:12,106 That legacy. 89 00:06:12,107 --> 00:06:13,023 Because... 90 00:06:14,522 --> 00:06:16,191 it's enormous. 91 00:06:16,192 --> 00:06:17,877 I mean, he did so many things. 92 00:06:17,878 --> 00:06:20,656 He did all the set designs, 93 00:06:20,657 --> 00:06:23,356 all the set designs, the makeup sketches, 94 00:06:23,357 --> 00:06:27,297 the costume sketches, the title cards and... 95 00:06:28,530 --> 00:06:29,514 the music. 96 00:06:29,515 --> 00:06:31,472 I mean, everything, everything. 97 00:06:31,473 --> 00:06:33,536 Also designed type faces. 98 00:06:33,537 --> 00:06:36,614 And he was an exceptional calligraphist, 99 00:06:36,615 --> 00:06:38,808 and he did a lot of... 100 00:06:38,809 --> 00:06:42,922 And he did a lot of logos for various organizations, 101 00:06:42,923 --> 00:06:44,589 various newspapers. 102 00:06:44,590 --> 00:06:46,276 Nobody knows about this... (chuckles) 103 00:06:46,277 --> 00:06:48,077 so we have to do something about it. 104 00:06:57,340 --> 00:07:01,876 - [Narrator] Satyajit Ray was born in Kolkata, West Bengal 105 00:07:01,877 --> 00:07:03,980 on the 2nd of May, 1921. 106 00:07:04,930 --> 00:07:07,381 His family was already well-known within India 107 00:07:07,382 --> 00:07:08,915 for their artistic talents. 108 00:07:09,999 --> 00:07:13,984 His grandfather, Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, 109 00:07:13,985 --> 00:07:16,324 was a true renascence man. 110 00:07:16,325 --> 00:07:19,012 He was a scientist, a writer, painter, 111 00:07:19,013 --> 00:07:20,696 violinist and composer. 112 00:07:21,548 --> 00:07:24,247 Upendra Kishore also founded a printing press 113 00:07:24,248 --> 00:07:26,051 that became the finest in India. 114 00:07:27,417 --> 00:07:30,839 And in 1913, he started a children's magazine 115 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:31,987 called "Sandesh". 116 00:07:33,257 --> 00:07:36,334 "Sandesh" played an extremely important role 117 00:07:36,335 --> 00:07:38,417 in Bengali literature. 118 00:07:38,418 --> 00:07:41,367 The iconic publication was extremely popular 119 00:07:41,368 --> 00:07:44,526 and shaped the childhood of millions. 120 00:07:44,527 --> 00:07:46,526 It contained detailed illustrations, 121 00:07:46,527 --> 00:07:50,186 literature and short stories with humor and science fiction, 122 00:07:50,187 --> 00:07:53,257 creating a legacy going back more than 100 years 123 00:07:55,070 --> 00:07:59,722 in 1915, Upendra Kishore wrote a story for "Sandesh" 124 00:07:59,723 --> 00:08:02,186 called "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne". 125 00:08:03,502 --> 00:08:08,472 In 1969, Satyajit Ray made that story into a movie. 126 00:08:08,473 --> 00:08:12,056 (traditional Indian music) 127 00:08:14,025 --> 00:08:16,608 (man laughing) 128 00:08:20,628 --> 00:08:24,461 (singing in foreign language) 129 00:08:41,445 --> 00:08:44,167 "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne" became a classic 130 00:08:44,168 --> 00:08:46,041 Bengali musical fantasy film 131 00:08:46,042 --> 00:08:48,521 that has remained popular in West Bengal and beyond 132 00:08:48,522 --> 00:08:50,312 for more than 50 years. 133 00:08:50,313 --> 00:08:52,652 In 2019, the film opened 134 00:08:52,653 --> 00:08:55,606 the Kolkata International Film Festival. 135 00:08:56,620 --> 00:08:59,642 In fact, a number of Satyajit Ray's stories and films 136 00:08:59,643 --> 00:09:01,802 took root in "Sandesh". 137 00:09:01,803 --> 00:09:03,774 - His work for "Sandesh" is very important, 138 00:09:03,775 --> 00:09:07,508 because if there was no "Sandesh", I mean, there... 139 00:09:08,603 --> 00:09:11,586 no "Peluda" or no "Shonku". 140 00:09:11,587 --> 00:09:14,541 - [Narrator] His father, Sukumar Ray, 141 00:09:14,542 --> 00:09:17,128 was also a writer and an artist. 142 00:09:17,129 --> 00:09:19,624 Upendra Kishone sent him to England 143 00:09:19,625 --> 00:09:21,737 to study printing technology, 144 00:09:21,738 --> 00:09:24,749 where he completed the course with distinction. 145 00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:26,659 Sukumar returned home to Kolkata 146 00:09:26,660 --> 00:09:28,477 and joined the family printing business. 147 00:09:28,478 --> 00:09:29,396 (printing press whirring) 148 00:09:29,397 --> 00:09:32,337 He also took over the publishing of "Sandesh" 149 00:09:32,338 --> 00:09:34,109 and created an amazing collection 150 00:09:34,110 --> 00:09:37,513 of stories, songs, poems and characters. 151 00:09:39,143 --> 00:09:42,976 (singing in foreign language) 152 00:09:56,314 --> 00:09:58,319 For the first part of his life, 153 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,297 Satyajit Ray lived at the premises 154 00:10:00,298 --> 00:10:01,826 of the families' printing business 155 00:10:01,827 --> 00:10:06,026 at 100 A Garpar Road in North Kolkata... 156 00:10:06,027 --> 00:10:07,732 which had been built in 1913 157 00:10:07,733 --> 00:10:10,026 in accordance with his grandfather's design. 158 00:10:11,435 --> 00:10:15,419 However, when Satyajit was just two years old, 159 00:10:15,420 --> 00:10:19,723 his father died of a then incurable tropical disease. 160 00:10:21,215 --> 00:10:24,001 Three years after his father's death, 161 00:10:24,002 --> 00:10:26,646 U. Ray & Sons changed hands, 162 00:10:26,647 --> 00:10:30,062 and Satyajit had to move with his mother, Suprabha, 163 00:10:30,063 --> 00:10:32,396 to an uncle's house in South Kolkata. 164 00:10:33,403 --> 00:10:36,863 He grew up in an atmosphere of Indian music... 165 00:10:36,864 --> 00:10:41,695 (singing in foreign language) 166 00:10:41,696 --> 00:10:45,193 particular the songs of the Nobel Prize-winning poet 167 00:10:45,194 --> 00:10:46,879 Rabindranath Tagore. 168 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,224 (singing in foreign language) 169 00:10:49,225 --> 00:10:51,694 And a number of family members on his mother's side 170 00:10:51,695 --> 00:10:53,795 had a natural singing voice. 171 00:10:53,796 --> 00:10:57,629 (singing in foreign language) 172 00:11:01,808 --> 00:11:03,671 However, as a small boy, 173 00:11:03,672 --> 00:11:06,756 Satyajit also listened to Western classical music 174 00:11:06,757 --> 00:11:09,858 on a toy gramophone that he received for his birthday. 175 00:11:09,859 --> 00:11:10,716 (classical piano music) 176 00:11:10,717 --> 00:11:14,232 For example, he listened to Dvorak's "New World Symphony", 177 00:11:14,233 --> 00:11:16,307 Tchaikovsky's piano concertos, 178 00:11:16,308 --> 00:11:18,445 and Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody". 179 00:11:19,452 --> 00:11:21,076 Satyajit used his pocket money 180 00:11:21,077 --> 00:11:23,540 to buy secondhand records from the flea market. 181 00:11:24,867 --> 00:11:28,254 At the time, he could only afford secondhand records 182 00:11:28,255 --> 00:11:30,578 and just one movement per month. 183 00:11:32,463 --> 00:11:35,169 - Listening to music, music was his first love. 184 00:11:35,170 --> 00:11:37,320 Western classical music was his first love. 185 00:11:38,650 --> 00:11:41,301 - [Narrator] He was also already a fan of the cinema, 186 00:11:41,302 --> 00:11:43,291 sometimes neglecting his schoolwork 187 00:11:43,292 --> 00:11:47,539 in order to read editions of "Picturegoer" and "Photoplay". 188 00:11:50,323 --> 00:11:52,157 At the age of 18, 189 00:11:52,158 --> 00:11:54,159 Satyajit wanted to give up further studies, 190 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,004 but his mother thought it was too soon for him to get a job. 191 00:11:58,005 --> 00:12:00,341 Instead, she wanted him to study painting 192 00:12:00,342 --> 00:12:04,685 at Tagore University, about 150 kilometers from Kolkata. 193 00:12:06,113 --> 00:12:09,452 Rabindranath Tagore had a huge impact 194 00:12:09,453 --> 00:12:11,426 on Bengali literature and culture. 195 00:12:12,493 --> 00:12:16,036 He wrote songs, short stories, novels, plays 196 00:12:16,037 --> 00:12:18,924 and more than 50 volumes of poetry. 197 00:12:18,925 --> 00:12:20,968 He was also an artist and a painter. 198 00:12:22,063 --> 00:12:24,101 His early writing success in Bengal 199 00:12:24,102 --> 00:12:25,954 led to some of his work being translated, 200 00:12:25,955 --> 00:12:27,688 and he became famous in the West. 201 00:12:28,557 --> 00:12:32,840 In 1913, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. 202 00:12:34,203 --> 00:12:37,326 Tagore's university was established on an area of land 203 00:12:37,327 --> 00:12:39,659 that was acquire by Rabindranath's father, 204 00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:42,822 Debendranath Tagore, in 1862. 205 00:12:42,823 --> 00:12:46,496 It expanded and became a utopian community 206 00:12:46,497 --> 00:12:50,414 known as Shantiniketan, or "the abode of peace". 207 00:12:51,330 --> 00:12:56,121 Rabindranath Tagore was a friend of Satyajit's grandfather 208 00:12:56,122 --> 00:12:59,075 and and admirer of Sukumar Ray's writings. 209 00:13:01,012 --> 00:13:04,926 Satyajit had previously admired Rembrandt and da Vinci. 210 00:13:04,927 --> 00:13:07,657 But at Tagore's university, he was exposed 211 00:13:07,658 --> 00:13:09,761 to a wide range of Oriental art, 212 00:13:09,762 --> 00:13:11,742 and his painting, drawing and calligraphy 213 00:13:11,743 --> 00:13:13,166 improved a great deal. 214 00:13:14,063 --> 00:13:16,167 He was also able to experience the charms 215 00:13:16,168 --> 00:13:18,461 of rural Bengal for the first time. 216 00:13:19,558 --> 00:13:22,759 However, Satyajit was a city boy. 217 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,054 He loved to mingle with the crowd, shop for symphonies, 218 00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:29,194 and hunt for secondhand books on College Street. 219 00:13:29,195 --> 00:13:32,758 As such, he felt somewhat cut off in Shantiniketan. 220 00:13:34,568 --> 00:13:39,189 While there, he also missed "Citizen Kane", 221 00:13:39,190 --> 00:13:42,723 which had played for three days only in Kolkata. 222 00:13:43,852 --> 00:13:47,554 - It was his mother who insisted... 223 00:13:47,555 --> 00:13:52,054 because he was a good painter in a way... 224 00:13:52,055 --> 00:13:54,797 So he needed training, and... 225 00:13:54,798 --> 00:13:59,747 she was connected with the whole Shantiniketan culture 226 00:13:59,748 --> 00:14:01,891 and wanted her son to be there. 227 00:14:02,870 --> 00:14:07,844 Ray said that he would skip classes, come down to Calcutta 228 00:14:07,845 --> 00:14:10,787 whenever he could to watch films, 229 00:14:10,788 --> 00:14:15,788 spent a lot of time listening to Western music on records. 230 00:14:16,057 --> 00:14:18,654 - He was listening to the music 231 00:14:18,655 --> 00:14:20,812 and watching the staff notations. 232 00:14:20,813 --> 00:14:23,430 And so that's why he learned... 233 00:14:24,435 --> 00:14:26,381 the Western notation. 234 00:14:26,382 --> 00:14:28,865 In the earlier films, he used Western rotation. 235 00:14:30,797 --> 00:14:34,467 So he was very interested in Western classical music. 236 00:14:34,468 --> 00:14:37,364 Later on, became interested in Indian classical music. 237 00:14:37,365 --> 00:14:39,927 But Western classical music was his first love. 238 00:14:39,928 --> 00:14:41,651 - He would often come down to Calcutta 239 00:14:41,652 --> 00:14:46,602 and get in touch with the army people, because a war was on. 240 00:14:46,603 --> 00:14:49,564 And the army was always provided 241 00:14:49,565 --> 00:14:53,659 with lot of Hollywood films and records. 242 00:14:53,660 --> 00:14:57,227 So he made friends with some American soldiers here, 243 00:14:57,228 --> 00:14:59,092 and they were good friends. 244 00:14:59,093 --> 00:15:01,559 - He was a Hollywood film buff, 245 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:05,027 and he saw every film, almost practically every film 246 00:15:05,028 --> 00:15:08,606 that was being released in in Calcutta in those days. 247 00:15:08,607 --> 00:15:11,191 He watched all kinds of films. 248 00:15:11,192 --> 00:15:14,086 He watched all kinds of films, both good and bad. 249 00:15:14,087 --> 00:15:16,026 From good he learned what to do, 250 00:15:16,027 --> 00:15:18,769 and from the bad ones he learned what not to do. (chuckles) 251 00:15:18,770 --> 00:15:21,082 It was more or less like that 252 00:15:21,083 --> 00:15:24,559 - [Narrator] Satyajit left Shantiniketan in 1942, 253 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:27,952 having only completed half of the five-year course. 254 00:15:27,953 --> 00:15:30,459 Despite this, he looked back on his time there 255 00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:32,371 with fond memories. 256 00:15:32,372 --> 00:15:35,396 And in 1961, he made a documentary film 257 00:15:35,397 --> 00:15:36,850 to honor Rabindranath Tagore. 258 00:15:40,477 --> 00:15:44,947 Four months after returning Kolkata, in April 1943, 259 00:15:44,948 --> 00:15:47,424 he took up a position as a junior visualizer 260 00:15:47,425 --> 00:15:51,726 for a British-run advertising agency called D.J. Keymer, 261 00:15:51,727 --> 00:15:54,360 a position he held for 13 years. 262 00:15:56,183 --> 00:15:58,382 Whilst at D.J. Keymer, 263 00:15:58,383 --> 00:16:00,945 Ray designed some extraordinary artworks 264 00:16:00,946 --> 00:16:04,476 that made him famous within the advertising industry. 265 00:16:04,477 --> 00:16:07,166 Of note are a series of advertisements 266 00:16:07,167 --> 00:16:09,177 that he designed in 1949 267 00:16:09,178 --> 00:16:11,761 for the anti-malarial drug Paludrine. 268 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,544 Ray also designed various logos, 269 00:16:15,545 --> 00:16:18,648 and four type faces are patented under his name. 270 00:16:20,183 --> 00:16:23,316 Within the first year of joining D.J. Keymer, 271 00:16:23,317 --> 00:16:26,822 the manager of the Kolkata office, D.K. Gupta, 272 00:16:26,823 --> 00:16:28,890 started Signet Press 273 00:16:28,891 --> 00:16:31,916 and asked Satyajit had you to join that company also. 274 00:16:31,917 --> 00:16:34,599 So, now, he was in the unusual position 275 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,276 of working for two companies while sitting at the same desk. 276 00:16:38,277 --> 00:16:40,801 He was a visualizer for D.J. Keymer 277 00:16:40,802 --> 00:16:44,151 whilst designing and illustrating books for Signet Press 278 00:16:44,152 --> 00:16:45,297 - His cover drawings, 279 00:16:45,298 --> 00:16:48,126 his cover illustrations for Signet Press, 280 00:16:48,127 --> 00:16:51,076 when he was working in the advertising agency, 281 00:16:51,077 --> 00:16:55,324 there was this very prolific publisher 282 00:16:55,325 --> 00:16:59,519 and a very beautiful, beautiful publications. 283 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,036 And so he did most of the covers, 284 00:17:02,037 --> 00:17:03,841 did most of the covers for various people, 285 00:17:03,842 --> 00:17:06,565 various important novelists. 286 00:17:07,413 --> 00:17:09,312 - [Narrator] Shortly after starting Signet Press, 287 00:17:09,313 --> 00:17:12,552 D.K. Gupta decided to publish a shortened version 288 00:17:12,553 --> 00:17:16,892 of the classic Bengali novel "Pather Panchali"... 289 00:17:16,893 --> 00:17:19,732 a rites of passage tale of Apu, 290 00:17:19,733 --> 00:17:22,692 a small boy in an impoverished Brahmin family 291 00:17:22,693 --> 00:17:24,576 set in rural West Bengal. 292 00:17:25,973 --> 00:17:29,216 Satyajit had been too busy studying film and music 293 00:17:29,217 --> 00:17:32,037 to read a great deal of Bengali fiction, 294 00:17:32,038 --> 00:17:35,251 and he had not read "Pather Panchali". 295 00:17:35,252 --> 00:17:37,087 But he was not going to be designing the jacket 296 00:17:37,088 --> 00:17:38,707 and illustrating the book, 297 00:17:38,708 --> 00:17:42,477 so he read both the full version and the shortened version. 298 00:17:42,478 --> 00:17:45,116 The story had a significant impact on him, 299 00:17:45,117 --> 00:17:46,744 and he felt that the shortened version 300 00:17:46,745 --> 00:17:49,308 had preserved the most important parts of the book. 301 00:17:50,897 --> 00:17:54,662 Every Saturday afternoon, Satyajit went to the cinema, 302 00:17:54,663 --> 00:17:57,824 and he found like-minded people to accompany him, 303 00:17:57,825 --> 00:18:01,532 the most notable of his companions being Bansi Chandragupta. 304 00:18:02,515 --> 00:18:04,984 Bansi and Satyajit met at a library where Satyajit went 305 00:18:04,985 --> 00:18:08,187 to read the latest edition of "Theatre Arts". 306 00:18:08,188 --> 00:18:11,759 In 1947, Satyajit, Bansi and others 307 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:15,209 established the Calcutta Film Society. 308 00:18:15,210 --> 00:18:17,101 This society gave them more clout 309 00:18:17,102 --> 00:18:18,484 than they would have individually 310 00:18:18,485 --> 00:18:20,359 to get hold of international films 311 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:22,483 not available in India at the time. 312 00:18:23,502 --> 00:18:25,597 The society was also established 313 00:18:25,598 --> 00:18:28,137 in the hope of creating a domestic appetite 314 00:18:28,138 --> 00:18:30,161 for world cinema. 315 00:18:30,162 --> 00:18:32,900 The establishment of the Calcutta Film Society 316 00:18:32,901 --> 00:18:35,834 was a pivotal moment for Satyajit Ray, 317 00:18:35,835 --> 00:18:37,704 and the society was successful 318 00:18:37,705 --> 00:18:39,184 in initiating an alternative 319 00:18:39,185 --> 00:18:41,808 to the commercial cinema produced in Mumbai. 320 00:18:43,068 --> 00:18:45,661 This also took place against a dramatic backdrop 321 00:18:45,662 --> 00:18:47,815 of what was happening in India at the time. 322 00:18:48,815 --> 00:18:50,046 Just two months prior 323 00:18:50,047 --> 00:18:52,394 to the establishment of the film society, 324 00:18:52,395 --> 00:18:54,544 India became independent. 325 00:18:54,545 --> 00:18:57,421 And three months after the society was established, 326 00:18:57,422 --> 00:18:59,045 Gandhi was assassinated. 327 00:19:00,284 --> 00:19:01,150 (typewriter clacking) 328 00:19:01,151 --> 00:19:02,262 During the next couple of years, 329 00:19:02,263 --> 00:19:04,709 Satyajit Ray shifted his attention 330 00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:06,867 from the stars of the films he watched 331 00:19:06,868 --> 00:19:08,941 to the actual filmmaking process. 332 00:19:10,257 --> 00:19:12,279 He started writing his own practice scripts 333 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,912 for stories that he had heard were being made into films. 334 00:19:15,913 --> 00:19:17,734 He would then compare his treatment 335 00:19:17,735 --> 00:19:19,716 with the one that ended up on screen. 336 00:19:19,717 --> 00:19:21,961 - He was fascinated by Hollywood, 337 00:19:21,962 --> 00:19:26,962 and later on he became interested in the directors. 338 00:19:27,058 --> 00:19:30,822 Earlier on, it used to be the actors and the stars. 339 00:19:30,823 --> 00:19:32,611 So later on, it became directors. 340 00:19:32,612 --> 00:19:34,532 And you could... 341 00:19:34,533 --> 00:19:39,110 He could feel that it's a Wilder film, it's a Ford film. 342 00:19:39,111 --> 00:19:43,257 So every director, they had their own touches. 343 00:19:43,258 --> 00:19:46,619 - Well, you know, he himself has said 344 00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:50,914 that he really learned his filmmaking from Hollywood. 345 00:19:50,915 --> 00:19:52,226 That's what he said. 346 00:19:52,227 --> 00:19:56,222 He admired John Ford and so on, 347 00:19:56,223 --> 00:19:58,504 William Wyler, Billy Wilder, their films. 348 00:19:58,505 --> 00:19:59,589 - He had his favorites. 349 00:19:59,590 --> 00:20:04,406 Of course, John Ford was the most favourite. 350 00:20:04,407 --> 00:20:09,332 And Renoir in his Hollywood-period films, 351 00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:12,169 like "The Southerner" and other films. 352 00:20:12,170 --> 00:20:16,049 So, even as he got fascinated with these films, 353 00:20:16,050 --> 00:20:18,197 he was aware of the fact 354 00:20:18,198 --> 00:20:21,899 that all these were Hollywood products 355 00:20:21,900 --> 00:20:26,849 and the Hollywood industry, the sheer size of it, 356 00:20:26,850 --> 00:20:31,850 the organization of it, the controls exercised there 357 00:20:31,913 --> 00:20:34,151 at so many levels, in so many ways, 358 00:20:34,152 --> 00:20:37,182 and the enormous amount of money involved in it. 359 00:20:37,183 --> 00:20:40,081 So he felt for a long time 360 00:20:40,082 --> 00:20:45,082 that he would love to watch films, love to study films. 361 00:20:47,486 --> 00:20:51,776 And as part of the studying of films, 362 00:20:51,777 --> 00:20:56,777 he would love to write film scripts from literary texts 363 00:20:57,747 --> 00:21:00,587 as a kind of an exercise, as a kind of training 364 00:21:00,588 --> 00:21:04,821 in watching films rather than making films. 365 00:21:05,877 --> 00:21:10,139 - [Narrator] In 1949, Satyajit Ray married Bijoya, 366 00:21:10,140 --> 00:21:12,627 a gifted singer with acting experience 367 00:21:12,628 --> 00:21:14,691 who also shared his love for music. 368 00:21:15,995 --> 00:21:19,668 In the same year, he met Jean Renoir. 369 00:21:21,053 --> 00:21:23,494 Renoir was in Kolkata to scout locations 370 00:21:23,495 --> 00:21:26,145 and interview actors for his film, "The River". 371 00:21:27,495 --> 00:21:30,866 - Renoir came down to Kolkata for "The River", 372 00:21:30,867 --> 00:21:32,659 and he met him a couple of times. 373 00:21:32,660 --> 00:21:34,312 And his... 374 00:21:34,313 --> 00:21:36,644 art director, Bansi Chandragupta, 375 00:21:36,645 --> 00:21:38,552 who became his art director later, 376 00:21:38,553 --> 00:21:43,535 he was working with Renoir during "River". 377 00:21:43,536 --> 00:21:48,536 And Bansi and my father were great friends. 378 00:21:48,597 --> 00:21:51,722 And Bansi invited my father to do the shoots, 379 00:21:51,723 --> 00:21:53,401 and he got to meet Renoir. 380 00:21:53,402 --> 00:21:56,762 And it was a very exhilarating experience 381 00:21:56,763 --> 00:21:59,476 of talking to him and watching him shoot. 382 00:22:01,243 --> 00:22:02,664 - [Narrator] Satyajit impressed Renoir 383 00:22:02,665 --> 00:22:04,064 with his knowledge of film, 384 00:22:04,065 --> 00:22:06,807 and Renoir invited him to join the scouting trips 385 00:22:06,808 --> 00:22:07,981 around Kolkata. 386 00:22:09,380 --> 00:22:12,057 But due to Satyajit being employed D.J. Keymer 387 00:22:12,058 --> 00:22:14,839 during the week, he could only accompany Renoir 388 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:15,863 at the weekends. 389 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,811 At this point, Ray started to think 390 00:22:19,812 --> 00:22:22,352 about becoming a filmmaker himself, 391 00:22:22,353 --> 00:22:23,851 and the idea of making a film 392 00:22:23,852 --> 00:22:27,197 from the shortened version of the novel "Pather Panchali" 393 00:22:27,198 --> 00:22:28,286 started to develop. 394 00:22:28,287 --> 00:22:30,304 - I already had... 395 00:22:30,305 --> 00:22:34,931 I had read the book on which... 396 00:22:34,932 --> 00:22:37,517 my first friend was based, "Pather Panchali". 397 00:22:37,518 --> 00:22:42,399 In fact, I had illustrated a special edition of the book. 398 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,879 And while doing it, the thought struck me 399 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,709 that that would make an interesting film. 400 00:22:48,710 --> 00:22:50,446 And I told Renoir. 401 00:22:50,447 --> 00:22:51,561 Renoir told me, "Why don't you make a film 402 00:22:51,562 --> 00:22:53,644 if you're so interested? 403 00:22:53,645 --> 00:22:54,932 Why don't you give up what you're doing 404 00:22:54,933 --> 00:22:55,791 and go into filmmaking?" 405 00:22:55,792 --> 00:22:58,137 I said, "Well I have an idea 406 00:22:58,138 --> 00:22:59,986 to make this kind of a film," 407 00:22:59,987 --> 00:23:01,297 and I described the story. 408 00:23:01,298 --> 00:23:03,904 He said, "Do it. It sounds marvelous." 409 00:23:03,905 --> 00:23:06,088 This was on his first visit. 410 00:23:07,545 --> 00:23:09,999 Well, I... 411 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,434 at that point, of course, 412 00:23:11,435 --> 00:23:14,928 I couldn't think of giving up a very good job. 413 00:23:16,283 --> 00:23:18,866 (bell tolling) 414 00:23:20,122 --> 00:23:23,082 - [Narrator] In 1950, Satyajit was sent to work 415 00:23:23,083 --> 00:23:26,093 at D.J. Keymer's headquarters in London. 416 00:23:26,094 --> 00:23:27,444 Bijoya accompanied him. 417 00:23:28,692 --> 00:23:30,846 The couple spent five months in London 418 00:23:30,847 --> 00:23:33,567 and one month in other parts of Europe. 419 00:23:33,568 --> 00:23:36,854 During that time, they watched around 100 films. 420 00:23:36,855 --> 00:23:38,879 But one film in particular, 421 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,536 Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves", 422 00:23:41,537 --> 00:23:42,960 had a huge impact. 423 00:23:44,483 --> 00:23:46,279 - He saw "Bicycle Thieves", 424 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,701 and the entire thing changed. 425 00:23:48,702 --> 00:23:51,274 "Bicycle Thieves", it was in a double bill, 426 00:23:51,275 --> 00:23:54,856 "Bicycle Thieves" and, a weird double bill, 427 00:23:54,857 --> 00:23:57,250 Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera". 428 00:23:57,251 --> 00:23:58,337 (laughing) 429 00:23:58,338 --> 00:24:00,902 It's an unthinkable double bill. 430 00:24:00,903 --> 00:24:04,516 But he was absolutely... 431 00:24:04,517 --> 00:24:09,517 blown away after seeing De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves". 432 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:12,697 - [Narrator] Satyajit wanted to shoot "Pather Panchali" 433 00:24:12,698 --> 00:24:15,552 on location, using mostly amateur actors. 434 00:24:15,553 --> 00:24:18,169 People thought this was a bad idea. 435 00:24:18,170 --> 00:24:21,647 However, "Bicycle Thieves" was shot on location, 436 00:24:21,648 --> 00:24:25,177 and none of the cast had any previous acting experience. 437 00:24:25,178 --> 00:24:26,947 In addition, watching the film, 438 00:24:26,948 --> 00:24:30,867 it was obvious that it is possible to shoot in bad weather, 439 00:24:30,868 --> 00:24:33,676 something else that Ray had been advised against. 440 00:24:33,677 --> 00:24:35,192 - He went to different producers, 441 00:24:35,193 --> 00:24:37,061 and they said that, "You can't shoot outdoors." 442 00:24:37,062 --> 00:24:40,016 It's impossible. You have to... 443 00:24:40,017 --> 00:24:41,539 Don't go out with your camera. 444 00:24:41,540 --> 00:24:43,516 You shoot it indoors, 445 00:24:43,517 --> 00:24:45,914 "where you can you can control the light." 446 00:24:47,272 --> 00:24:49,986 But after De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves", 447 00:24:49,987 --> 00:24:52,051 entire thing changed, you know? 448 00:24:52,052 --> 00:24:53,512 He said that, "I'll... 449 00:24:54,919 --> 00:24:57,077 One can do it if one wants to." 450 00:24:58,388 --> 00:25:00,049 Shoot in the original... 451 00:25:00,050 --> 00:25:03,204 Shoot outdoors and shoot with non-professionals 452 00:25:03,205 --> 00:25:06,125 - For a long while, he was convinced that 453 00:25:06,126 --> 00:25:11,126 he was never going to make a film, because it meant... 454 00:25:11,635 --> 00:25:13,764 being controlled... 455 00:25:13,765 --> 00:25:15,628 being dependent. 456 00:25:16,605 --> 00:25:19,121 So that was not his area. 457 00:25:19,122 --> 00:25:24,122 He wanted to be a serious, private spectator of films. 458 00:25:25,645 --> 00:25:29,681 It was only when he saw "Bicycle Thieves" in London 459 00:25:29,682 --> 00:25:31,921 on his first visit abroad 460 00:25:31,922 --> 00:25:35,644 that he suddenly realised that, well, 461 00:25:35,645 --> 00:25:37,942 here was another possibility 462 00:25:37,943 --> 00:25:41,137 of a different kind of filmmaking 463 00:25:41,138 --> 00:25:46,138 where you can make films beyond industrial control... 464 00:25:47,085 --> 00:25:49,708 beyond the controls of different kinds. 465 00:25:51,038 --> 00:25:56,038 So it was "Bicycle Thieves" that prodded him, prompted him 466 00:25:56,723 --> 00:25:59,566 to come to filmmaking directly. 467 00:26:02,300 --> 00:26:04,154 - [Narrator] During the journey back from Europe, 468 00:26:04,155 --> 00:26:07,552 he started work on the film treatment for "Pather Panchali", 469 00:26:07,553 --> 00:26:11,491 and he arrived back in India, determined to make the film. 470 00:26:11,492 --> 00:26:15,181 - He was returning to the country by ship. 471 00:26:15,182 --> 00:26:16,376 So there was time. 472 00:26:16,377 --> 00:26:21,377 And he was illustrating a children's version 473 00:26:21,678 --> 00:26:23,607 of the "Pather Panchali" novel. 474 00:26:23,608 --> 00:26:27,872 He didn't write the regular kind of script 475 00:26:27,873 --> 00:26:30,736 that he would be writing later. 476 00:26:30,737 --> 00:26:33,120 It was more a sketchbook. 477 00:26:34,632 --> 00:26:38,176 - [Narrator] He was also resolute in becoming his own boss. 478 00:26:38,177 --> 00:26:41,351 He felt that he had served as an employee long enough. 479 00:26:41,352 --> 00:26:43,925 Both his father and grandfather never had jobs. 480 00:26:45,267 --> 00:26:47,509 In addition, Ray had been frustrated 481 00:26:47,510 --> 00:26:50,229 by clients rejecting advertising campaigns 482 00:26:50,230 --> 00:26:51,880 that he felt were perfectly good. 483 00:26:53,478 --> 00:26:55,481 He also wanted to be in a position 484 00:26:55,482 --> 00:26:57,567 where he could make "Pather Panchali" 485 00:26:57,568 --> 00:27:00,654 on his own terms, with creative freedom. 486 00:27:00,655 --> 00:27:03,459 This is something that he fought hard to maintain 487 00:27:03,460 --> 00:27:05,293 throughout his filmmaking career. 488 00:27:06,730 --> 00:27:09,814 However, it was sometime before he could quit his job 489 00:27:09,815 --> 00:27:11,534 at D.J. Keymer. 490 00:27:11,535 --> 00:27:13,971 And there were many obstacles to overcome 491 00:27:13,972 --> 00:27:16,375 in bringing "Pather Panchali" to life. 492 00:27:18,403 --> 00:27:21,964 Ray's film treatment for "Pather Panchali" was a storyboard 493 00:27:21,965 --> 00:27:24,681 consisting of sketches organized into sequences 494 00:27:24,682 --> 00:27:26,375 as they would appear on screen. 495 00:27:27,465 --> 00:27:29,284 He took this to producers 496 00:27:29,285 --> 00:27:31,997 and used it as the basis for explaining the film, 497 00:27:31,998 --> 00:27:34,164 but none of them were interested. 498 00:27:34,165 --> 00:27:36,112 Ray had already been given a verbal agreement 499 00:27:36,113 --> 00:27:37,997 for the rights to the novel, 500 00:27:37,998 --> 00:27:40,274 but one of the producers he approached for funding 501 00:27:40,275 --> 00:27:42,313 actually went behind his back 502 00:27:42,314 --> 00:27:45,014 to try to get the film rights to the book for himself. 503 00:27:47,317 --> 00:27:50,159 Undeterred by these initial setbacks, 504 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:52,254 Ray decided to start casting for the film 505 00:27:52,255 --> 00:27:54,528 while waiting for a sponsor to materialize. 506 00:27:56,232 --> 00:27:58,294 The main character, Apu, 507 00:27:58,295 --> 00:28:01,519 required a boy around six or seven years old. 508 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,172 Ray placed a casting advertisement in the newspaper 509 00:28:04,173 --> 00:28:06,477 and received a huge response. 510 00:28:06,478 --> 00:28:08,326 However, none of the boys who came 511 00:28:08,327 --> 00:28:09,850 for an audition were suitable. 512 00:28:11,255 --> 00:28:13,948 Then Bijoya and Suprabha 513 00:28:13,949 --> 00:28:16,368 both spotted a boy named Subir Banerjee 514 00:28:16,369 --> 00:28:18,319 in the playground of a neighbor's flat. 515 00:28:19,483 --> 00:28:22,747 When Ray saw the boy, he agreed that he looked the part, 516 00:28:22,748 --> 00:28:26,185 and Subir was cast as Apu in "Pather Panchali". 517 00:28:27,645 --> 00:28:31,884 Finding Apu's sister, Durga, was a similar story. 518 00:28:31,885 --> 00:28:34,335 The auditions did not provide a suitable actress. 519 00:28:35,270 --> 00:28:37,832 However, a friend of Satyajit's 520 00:28:37,833 --> 00:28:41,124 spotted Uma Dasgupta at a school, 521 00:28:41,125 --> 00:28:43,475 and he thought she was a good fit for the role. 522 00:28:44,468 --> 00:28:45,801 Ray agreed. 523 00:28:48,257 --> 00:28:51,009 Some of the scenes required a younger Durga, 524 00:28:51,010 --> 00:28:54,069 and those scenes were played by Runki Banerjee, 525 00:28:54,070 --> 00:28:56,413 Karuna Banerjee's real-life daughter. 526 00:28:57,250 --> 00:29:01,891 Karuna Banerjee plays the long-suffering mother, Sarbajaya. 527 00:29:01,892 --> 00:29:06,309 In both "Pather Panchali" and the second film, "Aparajito". 528 00:29:07,903 --> 00:29:11,096 Further attempts to obtain funding were also unsuccessful. 529 00:29:12,270 --> 00:29:14,259 Ray wondered if the problem could be the fact 530 00:29:14,260 --> 00:29:17,204 that none of the crew had any filmmaking experience 531 00:29:17,205 --> 00:29:18,808 to show to a potential sponsor. 532 00:29:19,998 --> 00:29:22,661 So he scraped up the initial funds to start filming. 533 00:29:23,510 --> 00:29:26,312 He was able to get some money against an insurance policy 534 00:29:26,313 --> 00:29:28,316 and borrow money from a few friends. 535 00:29:29,168 --> 00:29:31,587 In all, this was sufficient to buy enough Kodak 536 00:29:31,588 --> 00:29:34,888 black-and-white negative to shoot for seven days 537 00:29:36,502 --> 00:29:39,426 on the 27th of October, 1952, 538 00:29:39,427 --> 00:29:42,566 the crew and the cast went to the location, 539 00:29:42,567 --> 00:29:45,380 had a quick lunch, and started filming. 540 00:29:47,213 --> 00:29:50,319 There wasn't any money available for sound recorders, 541 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,994 so they started with scenes that did not have much dialogue. 542 00:29:53,995 --> 00:29:56,581 The very first setup involved Apu 543 00:29:56,582 --> 00:29:58,547 walking through the field of Kash flowers, 544 00:29:58,548 --> 00:29:59,698 looking for his sister. 545 00:30:05,395 --> 00:30:07,929 In theory, this scene should be easy to capture; 546 00:30:07,930 --> 00:30:11,001 it just involves a boy walking through a field. 547 00:30:11,002 --> 00:30:13,004 But the performance looked wooded, 548 00:30:13,005 --> 00:30:15,707 not at all what Ray had imagined. 549 00:30:15,708 --> 00:30:17,524 He was disappointed. 550 00:30:17,525 --> 00:30:19,574 He wondered how all of his preparations 551 00:30:19,575 --> 00:30:21,988 could have resulted in such a lifeless scene. 552 00:30:22,978 --> 00:30:26,497 However, he didn't waste any time in rectifying it. 553 00:30:26,498 --> 00:30:30,409 (film reel whirring) 554 00:30:30,410 --> 00:30:33,636 He strategically hid members of the crew in the field 555 00:30:33,637 --> 00:30:35,366 and instructed them to call out to Apu 556 00:30:35,367 --> 00:30:37,352 at the appropriate time. 557 00:30:37,353 --> 00:30:39,667 This encouraged the boy to look round 558 00:30:39,668 --> 00:30:41,874 as if looking for his sister. 559 00:30:41,875 --> 00:30:43,859 The performance became more dynamic 560 00:30:43,860 --> 00:30:45,960 and in line with what Ray was looking for. 561 00:30:58,705 --> 00:31:02,622 (shouting in foreign language) 562 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:08,826 He and the crew continued filming. 563 00:31:08,827 --> 00:31:10,734 And at the end of their first day, 564 00:31:10,735 --> 00:31:13,378 they were pretty happy with what they had accomplished. 565 00:31:14,648 --> 00:31:16,694 Enough funds and film stock were available 566 00:31:16,695 --> 00:31:19,086 for the next two Sundays filming. 567 00:31:19,087 --> 00:31:21,591 But when they returned to the field on the following Sunday, 568 00:31:21,592 --> 00:31:23,015 disaster struck. 569 00:31:24,090 --> 00:31:25,796 The beautiful sea of Kash flowers 570 00:31:25,797 --> 00:31:28,556 had now become dark-colored grass, 571 00:31:28,557 --> 00:31:32,030 since, during the week, capital had eaten the flowers. 572 00:31:34,272 --> 00:31:35,422 This was a big setback. 573 00:31:36,672 --> 00:31:38,801 Ray had imagined these scenes taking place 574 00:31:38,802 --> 00:31:40,817 in a field of white, fluffy Kash flowers 575 00:31:40,818 --> 00:31:43,996 to contrast with the black smoke from the train. 576 00:31:43,997 --> 00:31:45,559 Since this is one of the most important 577 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,414 visual aspects of the film, 578 00:31:47,415 --> 00:31:49,501 they would have to postpone production 579 00:31:49,502 --> 00:31:51,887 until the Kash bloomed again. 580 00:31:51,888 --> 00:31:55,526 Kash is a flower that only blooms in autumn, 581 00:31:55,527 --> 00:31:57,342 so the crew had to wait a whole year 582 00:31:57,343 --> 00:31:58,693 before they could continue. 583 00:32:00,227 --> 00:32:02,381 In the meantime, they decided to focus 584 00:32:02,382 --> 00:32:04,585 on finding the other cast and crew members. 585 00:32:05,718 --> 00:32:10,531 Ray chose Chunibala Devi to play the role of Indir Thakrun, 586 00:32:10,532 --> 00:32:11,465 the elderly aunt. 587 00:32:12,523 --> 00:32:14,309 Chunibala was a professional actress 588 00:32:14,310 --> 00:32:16,519 but had been retired for many years. 589 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:18,089 Producers had cast her aside 590 00:32:18,090 --> 00:32:20,223 when she became too old to play a heroine. 591 00:32:21,195 --> 00:32:22,982 When she met Ray for the first time, 592 00:32:22,983 --> 00:32:27,719 she asked him, "What part can I play the age of 80?" 593 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:32,206 And Ray replied, "That of an 80-year-old woman," 594 00:32:32,207 --> 00:32:33,740 which made Chunibala laugh. 595 00:32:34,898 --> 00:32:38,224 When shooting started again in 1953, 596 00:32:38,225 --> 00:32:41,498 Ray had already become adept at on-set improvisations. 597 00:32:42,765 --> 00:32:46,479 One of the scenes involves Auntie and little Durga. 598 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:48,727 (traditional Indian music) 599 00:32:48,728 --> 00:32:51,661 Auntie is having her breakfast of rice and milk, 600 00:32:51,662 --> 00:32:53,791 and little Durga is watching her, 601 00:32:53,792 --> 00:32:56,451 seemingly hoping to be given some of the food. 602 00:32:56,452 --> 00:32:59,412 Ray decided to give Durga a length of silver ribbon 603 00:33:00,657 --> 00:33:03,522 and asked her to wind and unwind it slowly 604 00:33:03,523 --> 00:33:04,936 around her left forefinger. 605 00:33:05,882 --> 00:33:07,504 She could then divide her attention 606 00:33:07,505 --> 00:33:09,686 between this movement and Auntie eating 607 00:33:09,687 --> 00:33:12,490 rather than simply staring continuously at her. 608 00:33:13,562 --> 00:33:16,006 This subtle change somehow makes the scene 609 00:33:16,007 --> 00:33:17,470 much more engaging. 610 00:33:25,535 --> 00:33:28,101 Meanwhile, Ray was still looking for funding 611 00:33:28,102 --> 00:33:30,585 to continue filming beyond the initial scenes. 612 00:33:31,502 --> 00:33:33,994 He managed to secure another 40,000 rupees 613 00:33:33,995 --> 00:33:36,468 and took one month unpaid leave from his job. 614 00:33:37,523 --> 00:33:41,276 However, as work progressed, the money naturally diminished, 615 00:33:41,277 --> 00:33:42,521 and after a few weeks, 616 00:33:42,522 --> 00:33:45,085 Ray and his crew were out of resources again. 617 00:33:46,543 --> 00:33:48,554 At this point, Ray's wife, Bijoya, 618 00:33:48,555 --> 00:33:50,302 pawned some of her jewellery 619 00:33:50,303 --> 00:33:52,667 in order to keep production going. 620 00:33:52,668 --> 00:33:55,597 She managed to get 1,200 rupees, 621 00:33:55,598 --> 00:33:59,291 which kept things going for three or four days. 622 00:34:00,553 --> 00:34:02,553 Then they reached their financial limit. 623 00:34:03,478 --> 00:34:06,047 Everyone went back to their usual routine, 624 00:34:06,048 --> 00:34:09,731 and Ray found himself back at his desk at D.J. Keymer. 625 00:34:11,675 --> 00:34:14,612 About a third of the film had been completed. 626 00:34:14,613 --> 00:34:15,742 It looked professional, 627 00:34:15,743 --> 00:34:18,906 albeit so different from other films produced in Bengal. 628 00:34:20,295 --> 00:34:22,512 Still hoping to find a producer, 629 00:34:22,513 --> 00:34:24,246 Ray and the crew showed the footage 630 00:34:24,247 --> 00:34:25,571 to everyone they could think of 631 00:34:25,572 --> 00:34:27,687 who had ever supported a film project, 632 00:34:27,688 --> 00:34:29,937 but no one was interested. 633 00:34:29,938 --> 00:34:32,874 The feedback was also sometimes negative, 634 00:34:32,875 --> 00:34:34,118 with comments such as, 635 00:34:34,119 --> 00:34:37,009 "Who'd come to watch an old bag like that? 636 00:34:37,010 --> 00:34:40,672 Where was the love interest? Why are there no songs?" 637 00:34:40,673 --> 00:34:43,123 Therefore, the film was shelved for eight months. 638 00:34:45,547 --> 00:34:47,902 Then, the crew thought about contacting 639 00:34:47,903 --> 00:34:49,942 Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, 640 00:34:49,943 --> 00:34:51,561 who was a leading physician in India 641 00:34:51,562 --> 00:34:53,435 and Chief Minister of West Bengal. 642 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:55,852 Through a family friend, 643 00:34:55,853 --> 00:34:58,272 Ray managed to get a message to Dr. Roy 644 00:34:58,273 --> 00:35:00,192 about the film project. 645 00:35:00,193 --> 00:35:02,754 And a few days later, he was called in to see him 646 00:35:02,755 --> 00:35:04,155 at his office to discuss it. 647 00:35:05,463 --> 00:35:08,867 Dr. Roy was an extraordinary person. 648 00:35:08,868 --> 00:35:11,341 As a physician, he established a great number 649 00:35:11,342 --> 00:35:13,349 of medical institutions across India, 650 00:35:13,350 --> 00:35:16,231 and three Indian prime ministers, including Mahatma Gandhi, 651 00:35:16,232 --> 00:35:17,325 sought his advice. 652 00:35:18,343 --> 00:35:21,077 As a politician, he promoted free education, 653 00:35:21,078 --> 00:35:23,742 free medical care, and better road, light 654 00:35:23,743 --> 00:35:26,036 and water facilities for Kolkata. 655 00:35:27,345 --> 00:35:30,231 Presumably, Ray and the crew saw Dr. Roy 656 00:35:30,232 --> 00:35:33,682 as a man with a remarkable ability to get things done 657 00:35:33,683 --> 00:35:36,069 and decided to contact him as a last-ditch attempt 658 00:35:36,070 --> 00:35:37,833 to secure funding for their film. 659 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:41,499 After some discussion, Dr. Roy said 660 00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:44,201 there might be a possibility of financing the film 661 00:35:44,202 --> 00:35:47,517 through the government's community development project, 662 00:35:47,518 --> 00:35:49,869 which deals with road improvements, 663 00:35:49,870 --> 00:35:54,267 since "Pather Panchali" in English means "song of the road". 664 00:35:55,547 --> 00:35:58,802 The final budget estimate for "Pather Panchali" 665 00:35:58,803 --> 00:36:00,496 was 70,000 rupees. 666 00:36:00,497 --> 00:36:03,534 This included the payment for the book rights. 667 00:36:03,535 --> 00:36:06,107 Bijoya was also able to retrieve her jewellery 668 00:36:06,108 --> 00:36:07,081 from the pawn shop. 669 00:36:08,367 --> 00:36:11,849 However, around the same time that the jewellery was pawned, 670 00:36:11,850 --> 00:36:14,576 Ray pawned some records and rare books, 671 00:36:14,577 --> 00:36:16,960 and these were no longer available to buy back. 672 00:36:18,510 --> 00:36:21,609 The money from the government came in installments. 673 00:36:21,610 --> 00:36:23,712 Ray had to work on the film periodically 674 00:36:23,713 --> 00:36:25,913 in accordance with the release of the funds. 675 00:36:26,768 --> 00:36:30,181 His boss at D.J. Keymer, Mr. Nicholson, 676 00:36:30,182 --> 00:36:32,232 was very sympathetic to his situation 677 00:36:32,233 --> 00:36:35,216 and very fond of Ray's artistic work within the company. 678 00:36:36,290 --> 00:36:38,676 So, Mr. Nicholson allowed him to take time off 679 00:36:38,677 --> 00:36:42,172 when he needed without deducting from his salary. 680 00:36:42,173 --> 00:36:46,077 Later, Ray would cite both Dr. Roy and Mr. Nicholson 681 00:36:46,078 --> 00:36:47,797 as being instrumental 682 00:36:47,798 --> 00:36:51,151 in helping to bring "Pather Panchali" into existence. 683 00:36:52,613 --> 00:36:54,524 Filming progressed. 684 00:36:54,525 --> 00:36:56,072 And Ray continued to be impressed 685 00:36:56,073 --> 00:36:58,047 with both his cast and crew. 686 00:36:58,048 --> 00:37:01,062 He felt the most outstanding performance was from Chunibala 687 00:37:01,063 --> 00:37:03,547 in her role as the elderly aunt. 688 00:37:03,548 --> 00:37:05,421 He described her performance 689 00:37:05,422 --> 00:37:08,249 as "coming straight out of the pages of a novel". 690 00:37:09,808 --> 00:37:11,744 Chunibala was very happy to be back at work 691 00:37:11,745 --> 00:37:13,686 after years in retirement. 692 00:37:13,687 --> 00:37:16,437 She also had a very positive attitude towards her work. 693 00:37:17,383 --> 00:37:19,696 There is a scene in "Pather Panchali" 694 00:37:19,697 --> 00:37:22,647 where her dead body is tied to a bamboo stretcher 695 00:37:22,648 --> 00:37:23,631 and carried away. 696 00:37:24,565 --> 00:37:27,752 Ray was hesitant about explaining this scene to Chunibala, 697 00:37:27,753 --> 00:37:30,860 which he thought she might be uncomfortable performing. 698 00:37:30,861 --> 00:37:32,074 (singing in foreign language) 699 00:37:32,075 --> 00:37:33,971 However, when Chunibala realised what the scene 700 00:37:33,972 --> 00:37:37,001 was going to be about, she became intrigued 701 00:37:37,002 --> 00:37:41,044 and said, "You mean you're gonna take me to be cremated? 702 00:37:41,045 --> 00:37:44,109 Which living person has had this experience? 703 00:37:44,110 --> 00:37:45,787 Come on. Tie me up." 704 00:37:46,721 --> 00:37:48,452 And at the end of the scene, she appeared to be 705 00:37:48,453 --> 00:37:50,956 in a calm, meditative state. 706 00:37:52,708 --> 00:37:55,276 Chunibala would eventually win an award for best actress. 707 00:37:55,277 --> 00:37:57,534 At the Manila Film Festival 708 00:37:57,535 --> 00:38:02,294 for her performances Indir Thakrun in "Pather Panchali". 709 00:38:02,295 --> 00:38:05,471 In fact, Chunibala Devi was the first Indian actress 710 00:38:05,472 --> 00:38:08,907 or actor ever to win an international award. 711 00:38:08,908 --> 00:38:11,854 Not bad for an old bag, as some of the producers 712 00:38:11,855 --> 00:38:14,205 who Ray approached for funding referred to her. 713 00:38:16,587 --> 00:38:20,397 - I was there with my mother and grandmother... 714 00:38:22,437 --> 00:38:26,348 in a village which is very near Calcutta. 715 00:38:27,527 --> 00:38:28,839 Boral. 716 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:32,742 And I was there. I didn't know what was happening. 717 00:38:32,743 --> 00:38:35,389 But I was surrounded friends and family 718 00:38:35,390 --> 00:38:38,192 and all the unit members were my friends. 719 00:38:38,193 --> 00:38:39,787 So I had a great time. 720 00:38:39,788 --> 00:38:41,396 It was more or less like a picnic. 721 00:38:41,397 --> 00:38:43,300 I didn't know what was going on. 722 00:38:43,301 --> 00:38:44,265 (laughing) 723 00:38:44,266 --> 00:38:47,046 There were a lot of equipments, a lot of... 724 00:38:47,047 --> 00:38:48,292 weird stuff going on, 725 00:38:48,293 --> 00:38:51,429 but I couldn't make out what was happening. 726 00:38:51,430 --> 00:38:53,006 But... 727 00:38:53,007 --> 00:38:54,547 I still remember... 728 00:38:55,652 --> 00:38:57,542 the main doorway. 729 00:38:57,543 --> 00:38:59,903 From the doorway you could see the rail lines 730 00:39:00,905 --> 00:39:04,479 and the trains passing, and the steam trains. 731 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:05,587 It fascinated me. 732 00:39:05,588 --> 00:39:10,588 So I spent hours and hours looking out of... 733 00:39:10,630 --> 00:39:12,014 And I had a great time. 734 00:39:12,015 --> 00:39:17,015 It was sheer fun and more or less like a picnic. 735 00:39:18,585 --> 00:39:20,684 - [Narrator] The rough cut of "Pather Panchali" 736 00:39:20,685 --> 00:39:23,098 was more than 9,000 feet in length. 737 00:39:24,025 --> 00:39:26,051 When Ray and the rest of the crew looked at the footage, 738 00:39:26,052 --> 00:39:28,006 they were pleased with what they saw. 739 00:39:28,007 --> 00:39:30,577 Ray felt it was like no other film made in India 740 00:39:30,578 --> 00:39:32,841 or anywhere else in the world. 741 00:39:32,842 --> 00:39:35,116 And despite his personal Western influences 742 00:39:35,117 --> 00:39:38,814 from watching Hollywood movies, Renoir and Asika, 743 00:39:38,815 --> 00:39:41,048 the film looked Indian to the core. 744 00:39:42,297 --> 00:39:45,652 The music for the film was done by sitar maestro 745 00:39:45,653 --> 00:39:47,732 and composer Ravi Shankar 746 00:39:47,733 --> 00:39:50,597 during an 11-hour marathon session. 747 00:39:50,598 --> 00:39:52,959 Ravi Shankar was not yet internationally known, 748 00:39:52,960 --> 00:39:54,865 but he went on to influence a great number 749 00:39:54,866 --> 00:39:57,399 of musicians around the world. 750 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,007 For example, he was very close friends with George Harrison, 751 00:40:00,008 --> 00:40:01,857 the lead guitarist of The Beatles, 752 00:40:01,858 --> 00:40:03,733 whom he taught how to play the sitar. 753 00:40:03,734 --> 00:40:07,151 (passionate sitar music) 754 00:40:37,762 --> 00:40:40,746 "Pather Panchali" premiered at New York's 755 00:40:40,747 --> 00:40:44,811 Museum of Modern Art on the 3rd of May, 1955, 756 00:40:44,812 --> 00:40:46,836 one day after Ray's birthday. 757 00:40:46,837 --> 00:40:49,282 - [Announcer] The Museum of Modern Art exhibits displays 758 00:40:49,283 --> 00:40:52,002 of modern painting, sculpture and photography 759 00:40:52,003 --> 00:40:54,044 and is the repository of a unique 760 00:40:54,045 --> 00:40:56,128 and valuable motion picture collection. 761 00:40:59,003 --> 00:41:00,341 - [Narrator] This came about 762 00:41:00,342 --> 00:41:02,836 because he had met a representative of MoMA 763 00:41:02,837 --> 00:41:03,877 who was in Kolkata, 764 00:41:03,878 --> 00:41:06,231 putting together an exhibition of Indian art. 765 00:41:07,430 --> 00:41:09,214 After seeing some of the work in progress 766 00:41:09,215 --> 00:41:11,059 for "Pather Panchali", 767 00:41:11,060 --> 00:41:14,502 the museum suggested having the world premiere of the film 768 00:41:14,503 --> 00:41:16,146 as part of their exhibition. 769 00:41:17,078 --> 00:41:18,949 However, the deadline was very tight, 770 00:41:18,950 --> 00:41:21,412 and there was not enough time or money available 771 00:41:21,413 --> 00:41:22,756 to produce subtitles. 772 00:41:24,422 --> 00:41:25,784 There was no immediate feedback 773 00:41:25,785 --> 00:41:28,311 from the world premier at MoMA. 774 00:41:28,312 --> 00:41:30,646 Ray assumed the film had not gone down well, 775 00:41:30,647 --> 00:41:32,426 and he became... 776 00:41:32,427 --> 00:41:34,048 pensive. 777 00:41:34,049 --> 00:41:36,819 "How can a film without subtitles 778 00:41:36,820 --> 00:41:38,486 and about peasants in India 779 00:41:38,487 --> 00:41:41,040 "impress an elite American audience?" he thought. 780 00:41:42,545 --> 00:41:45,798 Soon after this, the film was released. 781 00:41:45,799 --> 00:41:49,045 At the Basusree Cinema Hall in Kalighat, South Kolkata 782 00:41:50,375 --> 00:41:53,161 A test screening was arranged first. 783 00:41:53,162 --> 00:41:55,249 There were a few boys in the cinema halls, 784 00:41:55,250 --> 00:41:57,306 sitting behind Ray. 785 00:41:57,307 --> 00:41:59,324 At the start, the boys sniggered 786 00:41:59,325 --> 00:42:01,702 disrespectfully at the film. 787 00:42:01,703 --> 00:42:04,021 But at the end, the same boys approached Ray, 788 00:42:04,022 --> 00:42:06,284 wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs, 789 00:42:06,285 --> 00:42:09,098 saying that they had never seen any film like it before. 790 00:42:10,557 --> 00:42:12,567 During the first public screening the next day, 791 00:42:12,568 --> 00:42:15,651 the cinema hall was completely empty, 792 00:42:15,652 --> 00:42:17,305 adding to Ray's anxieties. 793 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:20,337 - It was very interesting, 794 00:42:20,338 --> 00:42:24,452 because it was a film completely... 795 00:42:24,453 --> 00:42:25,497 unusual. 796 00:42:25,498 --> 00:42:27,909 People were not expecting a film like that. 797 00:42:27,910 --> 00:42:32,279 There was nothing of the kind before in Bengali cinema 798 00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:36,467 or in popular cinema in any way whatsoever. 799 00:42:36,468 --> 00:42:40,821 So for the first few days, for the first three or four days, 800 00:42:42,528 --> 00:42:47,528 there was a kind of strangeness more than anything else. 801 00:42:48,815 --> 00:42:52,097 People didn't know whether to like it or not like it, 802 00:42:52,098 --> 00:42:54,691 whether to accept it as a film or not, 803 00:42:55,537 --> 00:42:59,352 whether to read... 804 00:42:59,353 --> 00:43:03,464 a well-known writer in a different manner 805 00:43:03,465 --> 00:43:05,446 while watching the film, 806 00:43:05,447 --> 00:43:10,447 or looking at it as a film independently. 807 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:11,570 People were not sure. 808 00:43:12,493 --> 00:43:17,493 But the first reviews, the first one or two reviews, 809 00:43:17,562 --> 00:43:21,865 particularly one by a critic called Pankaj Dakta, 810 00:43:23,309 --> 00:43:28,309 that made a kind of a swing in the attitude of the people, 811 00:43:29,443 --> 00:43:31,904 because he was analyzing the film as a film 812 00:43:31,905 --> 00:43:36,264 and discovering various qualities, various features 813 00:43:36,265 --> 00:43:40,551 which were not common in the cinema of the time. 814 00:43:40,552 --> 00:43:42,057 The other thing that happened immediately 815 00:43:42,058 --> 00:43:47,058 was that the community of young writers and painters, 816 00:43:48,575 --> 00:43:50,258 they rallied around the film. 817 00:43:51,569 --> 00:43:54,746 And of course, the film society was there. 818 00:43:54,747 --> 00:43:57,341 The Calcutta Film Society had come into being before that, 819 00:43:57,342 --> 00:44:02,026 in 1947, and Ray and his friends, 820 00:44:02,027 --> 00:44:05,289 they were closely involved in it. 821 00:44:05,290 --> 00:44:07,351 So for members of the film society 822 00:44:07,352 --> 00:44:11,037 and people associated with the film society, 823 00:44:11,038 --> 00:44:15,211 it was something that they lapped up immediately. 824 00:44:15,212 --> 00:44:19,414 And it was a kind of a validation 825 00:44:19,415 --> 00:44:23,368 of what was being considered as a film society movement. 826 00:44:24,528 --> 00:44:27,976 And something extraordinary happened 827 00:44:27,977 --> 00:44:32,977 when about 50 major young writers and artists, 828 00:44:33,043 --> 00:44:37,271 they came together and gave a reception 829 00:44:37,272 --> 00:44:42,272 to Ray and the complete crew and the actors 830 00:44:42,317 --> 00:44:46,251 at the Senate Hall of the Calcutta University, 831 00:44:46,252 --> 00:44:49,396 which was quite a historical monument, 832 00:44:49,397 --> 00:44:51,441 which no longer exists. 833 00:44:51,442 --> 00:44:53,606 In the process of modernization, 834 00:44:53,607 --> 00:44:56,632 that whole structure has been demolished. 835 00:44:56,633 --> 00:44:59,704 But it did represent at that time 836 00:44:59,705 --> 00:45:04,705 a kind of a symbol of education, enlightenment. 837 00:45:05,548 --> 00:45:10,548 It was at the heart of the city's book district, 838 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:14,611 and it represented the university. 839 00:45:14,612 --> 00:45:17,142 So there was a reception at the Senate Hall 840 00:45:17,143 --> 00:45:21,216 which had never happened in the history of the university, 841 00:45:21,217 --> 00:45:25,420 a filmmaker and a film being featured like that. 842 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:32,360 So as all these things started getting together 843 00:45:33,198 --> 00:45:38,057 and coming together, there was a tremendous impact, 844 00:45:38,058 --> 00:45:40,256 a recognition 845 00:45:40,257 --> 00:45:41,322 (soft string music) 846 00:45:41,323 --> 00:45:44,121 - [Narrator] News also finally arrived from New York 847 00:45:44,122 --> 00:45:46,711 to say that it had been a triumph 848 00:45:46,712 --> 00:45:49,025 and the audience of MoMA had been moved. 849 00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:54,404 Soon after this, Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" 850 00:45:54,405 --> 00:45:57,980 was screened at public venues across Kolkata. 851 00:45:57,981 --> 00:45:59,719 And the theatrical release was extended 852 00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:02,057 to other cities within India. 853 00:46:02,058 --> 00:46:04,861 But the film still had no subtitles, 854 00:46:04,862 --> 00:46:07,075 and Ray was still the D.J. Keymer. 855 00:46:08,733 --> 00:46:10,962 Chief Minister Dr. Roy 856 00:46:10,963 --> 00:46:13,839 arranged a special screening in Kolkata 857 00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:17,011 for Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. 858 00:46:17,012 --> 00:46:19,414 And shortly after this, "Pather Panchali" 859 00:46:19,415 --> 00:46:22,411 was sent to the 1956 Cannes Film Festival 860 00:46:22,412 --> 00:46:24,565 with Nehru's personal approval. 861 00:46:25,752 --> 00:46:29,957 At Cannes, the film was initially screened at midnight, 862 00:46:29,958 --> 00:46:33,172 but it was then called for a second screening the next day 863 00:46:33,173 --> 00:46:36,056 and won a special award for Best Human Document. 864 00:46:38,237 --> 00:46:41,486 It has been said that "Pather Panchali" 865 00:46:41,487 --> 00:46:44,204 depicts human nature so well 866 00:46:44,205 --> 00:46:48,017 that it cannot be compared with any other work of fiction. 867 00:46:48,018 --> 00:46:50,534 Comparisons have been made with documentary films 868 00:46:50,535 --> 00:46:53,559 such as Robert J. Flaherty's "Nanook of the North", 869 00:46:53,560 --> 00:46:55,762 which is a real-life depiction of the lives 870 00:46:55,763 --> 00:46:58,476 of the indigenous Inuit people of Northern Canada. 871 00:46:59,612 --> 00:47:02,751 "Pather Panchali" went on to win 12 national 872 00:47:02,752 --> 00:47:04,265 and international awards. 873 00:47:05,377 --> 00:47:07,529 For the last 65 years, 874 00:47:07,530 --> 00:47:10,127 it has been consistently praised by filmmakers, 875 00:47:10,128 --> 00:47:13,132 critics and audiences around the world. 876 00:47:13,133 --> 00:47:17,494 In 2013, Google created a doodle to commemorate the film 877 00:47:17,495 --> 00:47:20,132 on Ray's 93rd birthday, 878 00:47:20,133 --> 00:47:22,316 taking inspiration from the iconic scenes 879 00:47:22,317 --> 00:47:25,587 of the two children in the field of Kash flowers. 880 00:47:25,588 --> 00:47:29,441 Even now, "Pather Panchali" receives high scores 881 00:47:29,442 --> 00:47:31,565 from contemporary review websites. 882 00:47:33,430 --> 00:47:36,746 - So, that's how "Pather Panchali" was made. 883 00:47:36,747 --> 00:47:38,464 A very difficult period. 884 00:47:38,465 --> 00:47:41,776 But it was made, eventually it was made. 885 00:47:41,777 --> 00:47:43,667 But he had a very, very... 886 00:47:45,542 --> 00:47:47,972 just distressing, disturbing period 887 00:47:47,973 --> 00:47:50,066 while making "Pather Panchali" 888 00:47:51,055 --> 00:47:53,948 - [Narrator] Sadly, the author of the novel, 889 00:47:54,940 --> 00:47:59,457 Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, died in 1950, 890 00:47:59,458 --> 00:48:01,383 before work started on the film. 891 00:48:02,555 --> 00:48:04,455 The novel is largely autobiographical. 892 00:48:05,492 --> 00:48:08,206 Like Apu, the early part of the author's life 893 00:48:08,207 --> 00:48:10,772 was spent in extreme poverty. 894 00:48:10,773 --> 00:48:13,114 His father was a priest, he married early, 895 00:48:13,115 --> 00:48:16,652 and his wife died within one year of their marriage. 896 00:48:16,653 --> 00:48:20,723 - My father was always indebted to Bibhutibhushan because... 897 00:48:22,078 --> 00:48:23,787 his stories are so remarkable, 898 00:48:23,788 --> 00:48:25,568 and his dialogues are so... 899 00:48:27,007 --> 00:48:30,394 realistic, not bookish, not flowery, 900 00:48:30,395 --> 00:48:32,357 very simple, very colloquial. 901 00:48:32,358 --> 00:48:36,273 And my father, I think, learned dialogue writing 902 00:48:36,274 --> 00:48:40,673 from Bibhutibhushan, because he was so natural, so normal. 903 00:48:41,583 --> 00:48:44,191 He always said that. 904 00:48:44,192 --> 00:48:48,434 As his first film, he was indebted 905 00:48:48,435 --> 00:48:50,308 to Bibhutibhushan very much. 906 00:48:51,592 --> 00:48:53,466 - [Narrator] The success of the film 907 00:48:53,467 --> 00:48:55,199 meant that Ray could secure funding 908 00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:59,599 for the second part of the Apu trilogy, "Aparajito", 909 00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:00,673 relatively easily. 910 00:49:01,583 --> 00:49:05,136 He was also able finally to leave his job at D.J. Keymer. 911 00:49:06,529 --> 00:49:09,962 In "Aparajito", the family moves away 912 00:49:09,963 --> 00:49:12,076 from the village to Varanasi. 913 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:15,502 We see Apu become a teenager 914 00:49:15,503 --> 00:49:18,496 and eventually move to Kolkata to study at university. 915 00:49:19,685 --> 00:49:21,501 "Aparajito" is not only a continuation 916 00:49:21,502 --> 00:49:23,199 of the story of Apu, 917 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:25,641 but also a deepening of his character. 918 00:49:25,642 --> 00:49:27,859 His complex relationship with his mother 919 00:49:27,860 --> 00:49:29,510 is an important part of the film. 920 00:49:30,535 --> 00:49:34,846 - The relationship between the mother and the son 921 00:49:34,847 --> 00:49:37,196 in "Aparajito"... 922 00:49:37,197 --> 00:49:40,580 which I consider one of his greatest films, really, 923 00:49:42,541 --> 00:49:47,541 it's just an accumulation, a very sensitive accumulation 924 00:49:47,718 --> 00:49:52,718 of carefully selected details... 925 00:49:52,763 --> 00:49:57,763 moments, situations which would last for a flash maybe, 926 00:50:00,210 --> 00:50:02,396 but they slowly add up 927 00:50:02,397 --> 00:50:06,241 to create the tension of that relationship, 928 00:50:06,242 --> 00:50:11,242 the inevitability of the split between the mother and child, 929 00:50:11,690 --> 00:50:15,152 which is human, which is universal, 930 00:50:15,153 --> 00:50:17,587 which is a large thing. 931 00:50:17,588 --> 00:50:22,588 But you're not aware of it at any point... 932 00:50:23,567 --> 00:50:27,876 that this is a feature, this is a fact of life 933 00:50:27,877 --> 00:50:30,356 that Ray is trying to project. 934 00:50:30,357 --> 00:50:35,357 But almost subconsciously, you realise it at one point, 935 00:50:36,733 --> 00:50:39,977 what is happening and why it is happening, 936 00:50:39,978 --> 00:50:41,178 and now it is happening. 937 00:50:42,432 --> 00:50:45,785 But only through this accumulation of details. 938 00:50:47,528 --> 00:50:50,939 - And perhaps like all great artists, 939 00:50:50,940 --> 00:50:53,543 he used elements from his own life. 940 00:50:54,500 --> 00:50:58,402 Because he was also the child of a widowed mother, 941 00:50:58,403 --> 00:51:00,097 and they lived with his uncle. 942 00:51:00,098 --> 00:51:01,318 - A lot of things... 943 00:51:02,577 --> 00:51:05,037 happen to him also in his... 944 00:51:06,490 --> 00:51:07,413 in his family. 945 00:51:08,798 --> 00:51:10,118 His father, Sukumar, died 946 00:51:11,479 --> 00:51:13,595 when he was two and a half years old, 947 00:51:13,596 --> 00:51:17,294 and my grandmother brought him up.. 948 00:51:17,295 --> 00:51:21,845 So a lot of things... 949 00:51:22,803 --> 00:51:23,836 are related. 950 00:51:26,477 --> 00:51:28,034 - [Narrator] Since the crew had sufficient funding 951 00:51:28,035 --> 00:51:30,710 at the outset, the making of "Aparajito" 952 00:51:30,711 --> 00:51:33,308 went more smoothly than "Pather Panchali", 953 00:51:33,309 --> 00:51:35,764 and the film was finished in eight months. 954 00:51:35,765 --> 00:51:37,541 A special screening was again arranged 955 00:51:37,542 --> 00:51:41,381 for the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, 956 00:51:41,382 --> 00:51:44,563 and the President of India, Rajendra Prasad. 957 00:51:44,564 --> 00:51:45,977 (film projector whirs) 958 00:51:45,978 --> 00:51:48,869 The feedback from this first screening was positive, 959 00:51:48,870 --> 00:51:51,539 and the press screening also went well. 960 00:51:51,540 --> 00:51:54,994 At the box office, "Aparajito" was initially popular. 961 00:51:54,995 --> 00:51:57,147 However, sales began to drop, 962 00:51:57,148 --> 00:51:59,431 and the film was taken off after seven weeks. 963 00:52:00,507 --> 00:52:01,481 Ray, the rest of the crew 964 00:52:01,482 --> 00:52:03,194 and all of the crew's family members 965 00:52:03,195 --> 00:52:05,452 were deeply affected by this. 966 00:52:05,453 --> 00:52:07,506 Ray again became pensive. 967 00:52:08,642 --> 00:52:11,496 He tried to work out what went wrong with the film, 968 00:52:11,497 --> 00:52:13,597 what it was that the audience didn't like. 969 00:52:14,573 --> 00:52:18,764 However, in 1957, he was invited to submit "Aparajito" 970 00:52:18,765 --> 00:52:21,298 to the 18th Venice International Film Festival. 971 00:52:22,427 --> 00:52:25,507 Akira Kurosawa's classic masterpiece "Throne of Blood" 972 00:52:25,508 --> 00:52:27,979 was also being shown that year. 973 00:52:27,980 --> 00:52:31,002 "Aparajito" won the Golden Lion plus the Critic's Award 974 00:52:31,003 --> 00:52:32,596 and the New Cinema Award. 975 00:52:33,488 --> 00:52:36,481 In fact, Ray won so many awards 976 00:52:36,482 --> 00:52:39,282 that he had to pay extra baggage charges at the airport. 977 00:52:40,487 --> 00:52:43,976 "Aparajito" went on to receive a further nine awards 978 00:52:43,977 --> 00:52:48,269 from San Francisco, Berlin, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. 979 00:52:48,270 --> 00:52:49,574 And like "Pather Panchali", 980 00:52:49,575 --> 00:52:52,928 "Aparajito" still receives positive reviews today. 981 00:52:56,578 --> 00:52:58,328 - In a sense, he was a close family 982 00:53:00,842 --> 00:53:04,233 And I had seen him visiting us quite often. 983 00:53:05,413 --> 00:53:08,267 My sister-in-law, Karuna Banerjee, 984 00:53:08,268 --> 00:53:11,256 she did the role of Sarbajaya 985 00:53:11,257 --> 00:53:14,564 in both "Pather Panchali" and "Aparajito". 986 00:53:14,565 --> 00:53:19,565 So we were witnesses in a way to the making of the film. 987 00:53:20,615 --> 00:53:24,641 And also the fact that... 988 00:53:24,642 --> 00:53:28,956 both my sister-in-law Karna and Ray, 989 00:53:28,957 --> 00:53:31,121 they were not particularly encouraging 990 00:53:31,122 --> 00:53:36,122 when it came to outsiders watching the making of the films. 991 00:53:37,443 --> 00:53:42,443 So I never, never, never watched Satyajit Ray shoot. 992 00:53:44,503 --> 00:53:47,556 And I was not curious either. 993 00:53:49,427 --> 00:53:52,932 I would rather like to see the end product. 994 00:53:52,933 --> 00:53:55,642 So that's that. 995 00:53:55,643 --> 00:53:58,991 - [Narrator] Ray had not set out to make a trilogy, 996 00:53:58,992 --> 00:54:00,182 but at the president's screening, 997 00:54:00,183 --> 00:54:03,560 Nehru asked him, "What happens to Apu now?" 998 00:54:04,487 --> 00:54:06,681 And during a press conference at Venice, 999 00:54:06,682 --> 00:54:09,489 Ray was asked if he was going to make a trilogy, 1000 00:54:09,490 --> 00:54:11,553 and he found himself saying yes. 1001 00:54:13,472 --> 00:54:16,229 The third field, "Apur Sansar", 1002 00:54:16,230 --> 00:54:18,734 was a success at home and overseas. 1003 00:54:18,735 --> 00:54:20,761 It won the president's gold metal in India 1004 00:54:20,762 --> 00:54:22,947 and the British Film Institute's Sutherland Trophy 1005 00:54:22,948 --> 00:54:25,459 for the most original film of the year, 1006 00:54:25,460 --> 00:54:26,534 along with other awards 1007 00:54:26,535 --> 00:54:29,581 in the United Kingdom and the United States. 1008 00:54:29,582 --> 00:54:33,035 It was also a huge box office success. 1009 00:54:34,164 --> 00:54:37,256 "Apur Sansar" introduced two important people 1010 00:54:37,257 --> 00:54:38,407 to the world of cinema. 1011 00:54:39,500 --> 00:54:41,907 Soumitra Chatterjee, who played Apu 1012 00:54:41,908 --> 00:54:44,044 and went on to become the most sought-after actor 1013 00:54:44,045 --> 00:54:45,657 in Bengal; 1014 00:54:45,658 --> 00:54:49,546 and Sharmila Tagore, who played Aparna, Apu's wife, 1015 00:54:49,547 --> 00:54:51,827 and went on to make an extremely successful career 1016 00:54:51,828 --> 00:54:52,928 for herself in Mumbai. 1017 00:54:53,975 --> 00:54:57,338 Both also went on to feature in a number of Ray's films. 1018 00:54:59,458 --> 00:55:01,424 During the making of "Apur Sansar", 1019 00:55:01,425 --> 00:55:03,397 because of Indian censorship rules, 1020 00:55:03,398 --> 00:55:06,754 Ray was challenged to show intimacy between Apu and his wife 1021 00:55:06,755 --> 00:55:09,529 without showing an actual embrace. 1022 00:55:09,530 --> 00:55:11,774 This was done with creativity, 1023 00:55:11,775 --> 00:55:13,852 for example, in this well-known scene, 1024 00:55:13,853 --> 00:55:16,173 where Apu finds his wife's hair clip... 1025 00:55:17,070 --> 00:55:18,780 underneath the pillow. 1026 00:55:18,781 --> 00:55:21,448 (bird chirping) 1027 00:55:30,555 --> 00:55:32,555 (yawns) 1028 00:55:52,490 --> 00:55:55,399 - He didn't want to show, at least in his earlier films, 1029 00:55:55,400 --> 00:55:57,322 he never showed explicit sex, 1030 00:55:57,323 --> 00:55:59,502 because he knew that it would be very difficult 1031 00:55:59,503 --> 00:56:00,716 for the actors to perform, 1032 00:56:00,717 --> 00:56:03,699 and it would never be passed by the censors and so on. 1033 00:56:03,700 --> 00:56:08,700 So he used things like Apu discovering a hairpin 1034 00:56:08,730 --> 00:56:11,634 and smiling to himself, 1035 00:56:11,635 --> 00:56:13,601 remembering the night that they had just spent, 1036 00:56:13,602 --> 00:56:15,638 he and his wife. 1037 00:56:15,639 --> 00:56:18,800 - He loved subtle things. He loved subtlety. 1038 00:56:20,382 --> 00:56:22,679 It's there in most of his films. 1039 00:56:24,300 --> 00:56:26,756 You have to watch it twice or thrice, 1040 00:56:26,757 --> 00:56:30,100 but it's so deep and so subtle. 1041 00:56:31,268 --> 00:56:33,927 You have to watch his films carefully. 1042 00:56:33,928 --> 00:56:38,928 So that's why the films still remain fresh. 1043 00:56:39,053 --> 00:56:42,991 And with extra viewings... 1044 00:56:42,992 --> 00:56:45,339 you can discover a lot of things, 1045 00:56:45,340 --> 00:56:46,643 which you didn't... 1046 00:56:48,619 --> 00:56:50,562 When you watched it for the first time. 1047 00:56:50,563 --> 00:56:53,654 If you watch it a second or third time, 1048 00:56:53,655 --> 00:56:56,018 you discover a lot of things, a lot of things. 1049 00:56:57,046 --> 00:56:59,446 That made the films timeless, 1050 00:56:59,447 --> 00:57:02,311 and it also felt that important parts of the film 1051 00:57:02,312 --> 00:57:03,575 should be wordless. 1052 00:57:04,492 --> 00:57:06,346 There are a lot of silent moments, 1053 00:57:06,347 --> 00:57:09,394 silent passages in his films 1054 00:57:09,395 --> 00:57:11,145 and especially in his earlier films 1055 00:57:12,561 --> 00:57:14,131 - He didn't write dialogue. 1056 00:57:14,132 --> 00:57:16,444 If it wasn't absolutely necessary. 1057 00:57:16,445 --> 00:57:20,416 He used to do an exercise of going over his script 1058 00:57:20,417 --> 00:57:23,787 with a toothed comb, and a whatever dialogue... 1059 00:57:24,860 --> 00:57:25,919 was deemed unnecessary, 1060 00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:28,614 which could be any part of the film 1061 00:57:28,615 --> 00:57:32,580 that could be communicated to the audience without dialogue, 1062 00:57:32,581 --> 00:57:34,451 he did it visually. 1063 00:57:34,452 --> 00:57:36,984 And that's wonderful, because it's a visual art form. 1064 00:57:36,985 --> 00:57:40,545 - I think he was somebody who went for the details 1065 00:57:41,445 --> 00:57:45,438 and allowed the details to build up to something. 1066 00:57:45,439 --> 00:57:48,507 - One of the things that prompted this, that drove this, 1067 00:57:48,508 --> 00:57:51,609 I think was also the lack of funds. 1068 00:57:51,610 --> 00:57:54,386 Ray was exceptionally intelligent, 1069 00:57:54,387 --> 00:57:57,636 and he's written in "Our Films Their Films", 1070 00:57:57,637 --> 00:58:00,576 he's written in that book that we have to make films our way 1071 00:58:00,577 --> 00:58:02,744 because we don't have the kind of resources 1072 00:58:02,745 --> 00:58:04,107 that Hollywood has. 1073 00:58:04,108 --> 00:58:07,056 Therefore, it is possible to do that, 1074 00:58:07,057 --> 00:58:10,804 and I think he was deeply influenced by "Bicycle Thieves". 1075 00:58:11,928 --> 00:58:14,456 He said, "That's the way we should be making our films." 1076 00:58:14,457 --> 00:58:19,457 And he edited his films on an ancient Moviola machine. 1077 00:58:20,585 --> 00:58:24,239 But he made masterpieces out of that nevertheless. 1078 00:58:24,240 --> 00:58:29,126 And he used, for instance, when Apu in "Pather Panchali" 1079 00:58:29,127 --> 00:58:32,134 when there is a tear in the sheet 1080 00:58:32,135 --> 00:58:34,389 in the quilt that discovering him 1081 00:58:34,390 --> 00:58:39,390 and Durga comes and opens his eyes through that. 1082 00:58:39,395 --> 00:58:42,978 (traditional Indian music) 1083 00:58:56,577 --> 00:58:57,724 It's a very human moment. 1084 00:58:57,725 --> 00:59:00,717 At the same time, the tear in the quilt is very much there. 1085 00:59:00,718 --> 00:59:03,602 So you realise what their economic condition is. 1086 00:59:03,603 --> 00:59:05,916 In that one shot, you immediately know. 1087 00:59:06,837 --> 00:59:10,041 Also in the way Apu, in "The World of Apu", 1088 00:59:10,042 --> 00:59:14,296 the way he shaves in front of the little mirror, 1089 00:59:14,297 --> 00:59:16,624 and the room is reflected through the mirror. 1090 00:59:16,625 --> 00:59:21,625 And it's very apparent what kind of economic condition, 1091 00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:23,690 what kind of... 1092 00:59:25,053 --> 00:59:28,441 what kind of mental space he inhabits. 1093 00:59:28,442 --> 00:59:31,567 Because that's just one shot 1094 00:59:31,568 --> 00:59:35,082 of his playing the flute sitting near the window. 1095 00:59:35,083 --> 00:59:38,899 And then when the girl who lived in the opposite house, 1096 00:59:38,900 --> 00:59:41,752 she comes, he quietly closes the window 1097 00:59:41,753 --> 00:59:43,292 without wanting to hurt her. 1098 00:59:43,293 --> 00:59:45,777 At the same time not really wanting any woman 1099 00:59:45,778 --> 00:59:47,161 in his life at that point. 1100 00:59:51,595 --> 00:59:53,142 - [Narrator] Many people around the world 1101 00:59:53,143 --> 00:59:55,506 were introduced to Indian culture for the first time 1102 00:59:55,507 --> 00:59:56,762 through the Apu trilogy. 1103 00:59:56,763 --> 00:59:57,939 (bird whistling) 1104 00:59:57,940 --> 01:00:00,774 Despite being set in rural Bengal, 1105 01:00:00,775 --> 01:00:02,437 the films have an uncanny ability 1106 01:00:02,438 --> 01:00:04,941 to resonate with anyone, anywhere. 1107 01:00:06,012 --> 01:00:08,446 In the words of Martin Scorsese, 1108 01:00:08,447 --> 01:00:11,002 "Satyajit Ray's ability to turn the particular 1109 01:00:11,003 --> 01:00:14,540 into the universal was a revelation for me." 1110 01:00:15,965 --> 01:00:18,987 The historical and cultural significance of the Apu trilogy 1111 01:00:18,988 --> 01:00:20,949 is also reflected in the lengths 1112 01:00:20,950 --> 01:00:23,450 that have been undertaken to preserve these works. 1113 01:00:24,843 --> 01:00:27,397 In March 1992, 1114 01:00:27,398 --> 01:00:30,062 less than four weeks before his death, 1115 01:00:30,063 --> 01:00:32,597 Satyajit Ray was honored with an Academy Award 1116 01:00:32,598 --> 01:00:34,011 for Lifetime Achievement. 1117 01:00:35,027 --> 01:00:36,709 It was around one year after this 1118 01:00:36,710 --> 01:00:38,249 that the massive nitrate fire 1119 01:00:38,250 --> 01:00:40,426 at Henderson's Film Laboratories in London 1120 01:00:40,427 --> 01:00:43,140 severely damaged the negatives to the Apu Trilogy. 1121 01:00:44,122 --> 01:00:46,621 At that time, the technology did not exist 1122 01:00:46,622 --> 01:00:48,565 to repair the damage that was caused. 1123 01:00:49,557 --> 01:00:51,508 The negatives were torn, melted, 1124 01:00:51,509 --> 01:00:53,980 and sections were fused together. 1125 01:00:53,981 --> 01:00:56,434 For all intents and purposes, they were lost. 1126 01:00:57,558 --> 01:01:01,534 However, the director of the Academy Film Archive 1127 01:01:01,535 --> 01:01:03,481 insisted on having all of the negatives 1128 01:01:03,482 --> 01:01:06,509 sent to Los Angeles for preservation, 1129 01:01:06,510 --> 01:01:10,663 where they sat on the academy archive shelves for 20 years. 1130 01:01:12,363 --> 01:01:13,731 Then the opportunity came along 1131 01:01:13,732 --> 01:01:15,389 to perform a digital restoration 1132 01:01:15,390 --> 01:01:17,211 with the Criterion Collection 1133 01:01:17,212 --> 01:01:18,681 and the L'Immagine Ritrovata 1134 01:01:18,682 --> 01:01:21,846 at the Cineteca di Bologna, Italy. 1135 01:01:21,847 --> 01:01:24,566 The result was a beautiful 4K restoration 1136 01:01:24,567 --> 01:01:25,830 of all three films. 1137 01:01:28,228 --> 01:01:30,242 The final draft of Ray's memoirs 1138 01:01:30,243 --> 01:01:33,062 covering his years with Apu was stolen 1139 01:01:33,063 --> 01:01:35,813 while he was in the nursing home fighting for his life. 1140 01:01:37,010 --> 01:01:39,334 An earlier draft was found, 1141 01:01:39,335 --> 01:01:41,868 but the family felt this was indecipherable. 1142 01:01:42,793 --> 01:01:46,634 It consisted of half sentences, thoughts, ideas and events 1143 01:01:46,635 --> 01:01:48,748 that could only make sense to Ray himself. 1144 01:01:49,792 --> 01:01:53,497 However, Bijoya looked at the rough manuscript again, 1145 01:01:53,498 --> 01:01:57,311 and to her own amazement, it suddenly started to make sense. 1146 01:01:58,192 --> 01:02:00,745 An unusually strong feeling of determination 1147 01:02:00,746 --> 01:02:02,411 took hold of her. 1148 01:02:02,412 --> 01:02:05,612 And 20 months later, she had reconstructed 1149 01:02:05,613 --> 01:02:07,146 her husband's memoirs. 1150 01:02:08,587 --> 01:02:12,021 Ray donated the storyboard "Pather Panchali" 1151 01:02:12,022 --> 01:02:14,685 to a La Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. 1152 01:02:15,985 --> 01:02:17,531 Although the sketchbook was missing 1153 01:02:17,532 --> 01:02:21,004 when Ray requested to see it during his final days, 1154 01:02:21,005 --> 01:02:23,949 23 years later, a scanned copy of the storyboard 1155 01:02:23,950 --> 01:02:27,794 materialized from the offices of the Criterion Collection. 1156 01:02:27,795 --> 01:02:30,576 And Sandip was able painstakingly to resurrect it, 1157 01:02:30,577 --> 01:02:33,400 along with many supporting documents from that time. 1158 01:02:34,923 --> 01:02:37,486 However, the mystique of "Pather Panchali" 1159 01:02:37,487 --> 01:02:40,560 is perhaps best described by the story of Apu himself. 1160 01:02:41,560 --> 01:02:43,762 Ray had already seen 200 boys 1161 01:02:43,763 --> 01:02:45,607 before Subir Banerjee was discovered 1162 01:02:45,608 --> 01:02:47,558 in the playground of a neighbor's flat. 1163 01:02:48,656 --> 01:02:50,511 Ray's mother said at the time, 1164 01:02:50,512 --> 01:02:54,236 "Manik, you've be looking for Apu all over Kolkata. 1165 01:02:54,237 --> 01:02:57,224 And here he is, next door. You never noticed." 1166 01:02:58,545 --> 01:03:01,109 Subir Banerjee parents did not initially agree 1167 01:03:01,110 --> 01:03:02,893 to their son acting in a film. 1168 01:03:03,990 --> 01:03:06,982 His mother in particular was dead set against the idea. 1169 01:03:06,983 --> 01:03:10,506 They felt that the boys' education should come first. 1170 01:03:10,507 --> 01:03:12,726 However, Ray explained that the film 1171 01:03:12,727 --> 01:03:14,937 could not be made without Subir, 1172 01:03:14,938 --> 01:03:17,811 and he told Subir's parents that he would make a film 1173 01:03:17,812 --> 01:03:21,039 to alter the course of Bengali filmmaking. 1174 01:03:21,040 --> 01:03:25,184 "Today, no one knows your son or me. 1175 01:03:25,185 --> 01:03:28,262 But a day will come when the whole world will know us." 1176 01:03:29,178 --> 01:03:31,520 After "Pather Panchali", 1177 01:03:31,521 --> 01:03:34,830 Subir had numerous offers to act in other films, 1178 01:03:34,831 --> 01:03:37,274 but his parents did not agree to any of these. 1179 01:03:38,230 --> 01:03:40,422 And Subir himself has said 1180 01:03:40,423 --> 01:03:43,443 that he never felt like acting in another film ever 1181 01:03:44,860 --> 01:03:48,011 and just wanted to live with the identity 1182 01:03:48,012 --> 01:03:49,639 of that eternal Apu. 1183 01:03:53,005 --> 01:03:56,505 (film projector whirring) 1184 01:03:59,414 --> 01:04:02,997 (traditional Indian music)