Satyajit Ray: 1970–1991

The Academy Museum concludes its two-part centennial tribute to writer, director, and composer Satyajit Ray (1921–1992), which we launched in 2021. The second part of this tribute finds Ray boldly grappling with India’s caste system, India’s colonial legacy, and the tumult of everyday life. He also manages another magical musical plus a pair of delightful whodunnits.  

Ray was born in Calcutta on May 2, 1921, into a family steeped in art and literature. His grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray, wrote children’s books and founded the first Bengali children's magazine, Sandesh, which his grandson would later edit and turn to for source material for several films in this series. Ray’s father died when he was 3, and Satyajit was raised in the home of a maternal uncle. While working as an advertising art director, Ray viewed Vittorio de Sica’s neorealist masterpiece Bicycle Thieves (1948) and became determined to pursue filmmaking. Launching his cinematic career with the immortal Pather Panchali in 1955, Ray went on to make 36 films over three decades. These films span genres, periods, and styles, all while retaining their firm roots in the realities and histories of West Bengal.