He was not a radical artist who shocked or startled audiences into his world. Satyajit Ray’s greatest achievement was his celebration of the commonplace with lyricism and humanity. The pioneer of a new wave of realistic cinema in India, he is the most recognized Indian director in the world. In 1981, film-maker Shyam Benegal, an ardent fan of Ray, directed a memorable, now rare, documentary on the Oscar-winning director. In an extended interview, Ray talked in detail about his relationship with his mother, how he became a film-maker, and why he didn’t believe in gimmicks. To commemorate the auteur’s 88th birth anniversary, we reproduce excerpts from the interview:
Man of firsts: Ray was honoured with the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1992, weeks before his death. Courtesy: The Kobal Collection
What are some of the most vivid memories of growing up in Calcutta?
I was born in a place called Garpar Road in a huge building that housed a printing and block-making press, which my grandfather had started. I was born there in 1921 and I spent the first six years of my life in that place. I think the most favourite memory from that time is spending my afternoons at the press.
There used to be a compositing department where I used to walk in. They had a process camera which used to fascinate me a great deal. I would take little drawings with me, and doodles, and tell the block-making chaps to make a block of them for Sandesh, a children’s magazine which my grandfather edited. Another memory is the smell of turpentine in the press. Once, when I was in advertising, I had to go to a press, which also smelled just the same. Immediately, all the memories of Garpar came rushing back.
Were you born into a large family? You have said that you shared a very close relationship with your mother. What were her influences?
I didn’t have brothers or cousins, but there was the son of a servant. He used to fly kites every afternoon from the roof of the house. And during Vishwakarma Puja, the sky would be full of kites. I never saw my grandfather because he died five or six years before I was born. And my father (Sukumar Ray) died in 1923. He was an extraordinary writer and illustrator. He was not a professional, like my grandfather. He had an absolutely unique style of doing comic illustrations.
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