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Satyajit Ray Biography (1921-1992)

Given name is pronounced "sat-ya-jit"; born May 2, 1921, in Calcutta,Bengal, India; died of heart failure, April 23, 1992, in Calcutta, India; sonof Sukamar (a merchant, writer, and illustrator) and Suprabha (Das) Ray; married Bijoya Das (a schoolteacher), 1949; children: Sandpip (son).

Nationality

Indian

Gender

Male

Occupation

film director, producer, screenwriter, musical composer

Birth Details

May 2, 1921

Calcutta, India

Death Details

April 23, 1992

Calcutta, India

Famous Works

• Credits; Film Director
• (And producer) Pather Panchali (title means "Song of the Road"; also see below), Edward Harrison, 1955.
• (And producer) Aparajito (also see below), Aurora, 1959.
• (And producer) The World of Apu (also see below), Edward Harrison,1959.
• (And producer) Devi (also see below), Edward Harrison, 1960, released as The Goddess, Edward Harrison, 1962.
• (And producer) Two Daughters (also see below), Janus, 1961.
• (And producer) The Music Room (also see below), Edward Harrison, 1963.
• The Big City (also see below), Bansal, 1963.
• The Lonely Wife, Trans-World, 1964.
• (And producer) Kanchenjungha (also known as The Expedition;also see below), Edward Harrison, 1966.
• Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (title means "The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha"), Pumima Pictures, 1968.
• Days and Nights in the Forest, Pathe Contemporary, 1970.
• Pratidwandi (also see below), 1971, released as The Adversary, Priya, 1973.
• Ashani Sanket (also see below), 1973, released as The Middleman, Bauer International, 1976.
• Distant Thunder, Cinema Five, 1973.
• The Chess Players (also see below), Creative, 1978.
• The Elephant God, R. D. Bansal and Co., 1979.
• (And producer and music director) The Home and the World (also seebelow), European Classics, 1984.
• Ghanashatru (title means "Public Enemy"; also see below), NationalFilm Development Corp. of India, 1989.
• Shakha Proshaka (title means "The Branches of a Tree"; also see below), Sopro Films, 1991.
• Agantuk (title means "The Visitor"; also see below), National FilmDevelopment Corp. of India, 1991.
• Other films include Parash Pather (title means "The Philosopher'sStone"), 1957; Apur Sansar, 1959; Rabindranath Tagore, 1961; Abhijan, 1962; Mahanagar, 1963; Charulata, 1964; Kapurush-o-Mahapurush (title means "The Coward and the Holy Man"), 1966; Nayak (title means "The Hero"), 1966; Chiriakhana, 1967; Sikkim, 1971; Company Limited, 1971; The Target, 1972; The InnerEye, 1972; Simbaddha (also see below), 1972; The Golden Fortress, 1974; Sonar Kella, 1974; Bala, 1976; Jana- Aranya, 1976; Shatranj ke Khilari (also see below), 1977; Joi Baba Felunath (also see below), 1979; Heerak Rajar Deshe, 1979; Pikoo(also known as Deliverance), 1981; Sadgati (also see below), 1982; and The Unvanquished.
• Credits; Film Appearances
• Appeared in the documentary films Satyajit Ray, 1982, and Satyajit Ray: Introspections, 1991.
• Credits; Television Director; Movies
• Directed The Kingdom of Diamonds, broadcast in India, 1980.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Specials
• The 64th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1992.
• Credits; Film Scores
• Shakespeare Wallah, Continental Distributing, 1966.
• Pratidwandi (also see below), 1971, released as The Adversary, Priya, 1973.
• Ganashatru (title means "Public Enemy"; also see below), NationalFilm Development Corp. of India, 1989.
• Composed scores for other films, including Simbaddha (also see below), 1972; Shatranj ke Khilari (also see below), 1977; Joi Baba Felunath (also see below), 1979; and Sadgati (also see below), 1982.
• Credits; Screenplays
• Pather Panchali (title means "Song of the Road"; based on the novel by Bibhutibhusan Bandopadhaya), Edward Harrison, 1955.
• Aparajito (based on the novel Pather Panchali by Bandopadhaya), Aurora, 1959.
• The World of Apu (based on the novel Aparajito by Bandopadhaya), Edward Harrison, 1959.
• Devi (based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Prabhatkumar Mukherjee), Edward Harrison, 1960, released as The Goddess, Edward Harrison, 1962.
• (Also provided music) Two Daughters (based on the short stories "The Postmaster" and "The Conclusion" by Tagore), Janus, 1961.
• The Music Room (based on a novel by Tarashankar Banerjee), EdwardHarrison, 1963.
• The Big City (based on the novel by Narendra Nath), Bansal, 1963.
• (Also provided music) Kanchenjungha (also known as The Expedition), Edward Harrison, 1966.
• Pratidwandi (based on a story by Sunil Ganguly), 1971, released asThe Adversary, Priya, 1973.
• (Also provided music) Ashani Sanket, 1973, released as The Middleman, Bauer International, 1976.
• (Also provided music) The Chess Player, Creative, 1978.
• (Also provided music) The Home and the World (based on the novel by Tagore), European Classics, 1984.
• Ganashatru (title means "Public Enemy"; based on the play An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen), National Film Development Corp. of India, 1989.
• (Also provided music) Shakha Proshaka (title means "Branches of aTree"), Sopro Films, 1991.
• (Also provided music) Agantuk (title means "The Visitor"), National Film Development Corp. of India, 1991.
• Screenwriter of other films, including Simbaddha, 1972; Shatranj ke Khilari, 1977; Joi Baba Felunath, 1979; and Sadgati, 1982.
• Credits; Other
• Author of the books Our Films, Their Films, 1976; Stories,1987; The Unicorn Expedition and Other Fantastic Tales of India, 1987;and The Chess Players and Other Screenplays, 1989. Author of thirteenscreenplays for Indian television. Contributor to periodicals, including Sight and Sound and Sequence. Contributing editor of the children's magazine Sandesh.

Further Reference

Periodicals

• American Film, October, 1985, p. 32.
• Chicago Tribune, April 24, 1992, Section 1, p. 10.
• Detroit Free Press, April 24, 1992, p. 4B.
• Los Angeles Times, April 24, 1992, p. A25.
• New York Times, April 24, 1992, p. A25.
• Times (London), April 24, 1992, p. 13.
• Washington Post, April 24, 1992, p. B6.