Remembering The Legendary Filmmaker Satyajit Ray on His Death Anniversary

By javedkhanui7 Apr 23, 2026 0

April 23, 1992, marks the death anniversary of the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Passed away at the age of 70 due to heart complications. Ray’s exceptional storytelling skills helped Indian cinema to receive international acclaim, as he paved the way for future filmmakers.

Following this, the Editor of Filmfare, Jitesh Pillaai, wrote, “Legend has it that Ray started shooting Pather Panchali (1955) with personal funds in 1952 and continued the process for three years, based on when he or his production manager Anil Chowdhury could raise funds. The film rose to dizzying international acclaim, winning the Best Human Document prize at Cannes. No less a person than Akira Kurosawa described it thus, “I can never forget the excitement in my mind after seeing it. I have had several more opportunities to see the film since then and each time I feel more overwhelmed. It is the kind of cinema that flows with the serenity and nobility of a big river…”

Indeed, Ray became our window to international cinema. His next, Aparajito (1956), won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. Apur Sansar (1959) won the Best Foreign Film Award at the BAFTAs and the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival. The list of awards and trophies that he won are too numerous to be listed here.

What comes to mind is the Lifetime Achievement Oscar, which he received in 1992, at his hospital bed in Kolkata, when he was ill and almost breathing his last. He didn’t lose his wit even then, as seen in his acceptance speech, “Well, it’s an extraordinary experience for me to be here tonight to receive this magnificent award.When I was a small, small school boy, I was terribly interested in cinema. Became a film fan, wrote to Deanna Durbin. Got a reply, was delighted. Wrote to Ginger Rogers, didn’t get a reply. Then of course, I got interested in cinema as an art form, and I wrote a twelve-page letter to Billy Wilder after seeing Double Indemnity. He didn’t reply either. Well, there you are,…I’ve been watching American films very carefully over the years and I loved them for what they entertain, and then later loved them for what they taught.”

Apart from his numerous films like Pather Panchali, Apu Trilogy, Devi, Charulata, Mahanagar, Nayak and many more gems, which taught us about life and about hope and about many facets of truth – his other contribution is introducing a great set of actors. People like Soumitra Chatterjee and Sharmila Tagore, like Jaya Bhaduri, like Aparna Sen… and so many known and unknown actors who scaled new heights because they worked in a Ray film. He wasn’t just a noted filmmaker but was a poet, novelist – his Feluda novels are still read today – a composer, editor, painter, illustrator he’s designed the covers of many books, including Jim Corbett’s Maneaters of Kumaon, and Jawaharlal Nehru’s Discovery of India. In short, he was a true Renaissance Man, the likes of him we sorely miss today.”

Also read : Satyajit Ray’s Restored Classic Aranyer Din Ratri to Release Across India This November