Revisiting Ray

I have been revisiting some of the films directed by Satyajit Ray lately, and have been wondering why they make as much or even more sense to me, the viewer, on a repeat viewing. The answer possibly lies in the very nature and scope of classics, in any medium, to address themes and issues, or feelings and emotions, trials and tribulations, joys and ecstasies, that do not become redundant or irrelevant with the passage of time. In fact, one is able to come up with fresh appraisals, one may discover hitherto undiscovered nuances and resonances that make one pulsate with the magic of cinema.

Aranyer Din Ratri

Charulata

Jalsaghar

In all, Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts.
A multifaceted genius, he wrote fiction, screenplays, and essays, scored music for his films ('Apur Sansar' onwards), made brilliant sketches and designs on print, and more. Whatever he dabbled in, he did with a certain genuineness, and had his stamp of originality. He was a treasure-house of knowledge.
As a kid, I never felt more thrilled than gorging on a Ray novel or a short story or even watching a film which might not have been age appropriate for me.
Today being Satyajit Ray's 92nd birthday, Google has honored the late filmmaker's memory by dedicating a doodle on the search engine's page for the day. It is a sketch inspired a scene from Ray's 1955 cult film 'Pather Panchali' ('Song of the Little Road'). It just makes me think that even in this age and time, Ray lives, essentially because cinema lives. Cinema may have evolved, may have come through lots of ups and downs, yet cinema as an art form has its own place, own idiom, own narrative too. Long live cinema! Long live the maestro!

Satyajit_Ray-Google_doodle