Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary begins, celebs pay homage
Mumbai, May 2 (IANS) Saturday marks the beginning of the late Oscar-winning cinema titan Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary. The film fraternity commemorated the occasion on social media, thanking Ray for his priceless contribution to Indian cinema.
Bengali superstar Prosenjit tweeted in Bangla: “The name Satyajit Ray shines like a bright star in the hearts of culture-enthusiasts across the globe. Cinema lovers feel proud about the legendary filmmaker even today. I pay my humble respect and reverence on this invincible creator’s birth anniversary.”
“Piku” director” Shoojit Sircar shared a quote by Ray on Twitter and wrote: ” ‘If I were to name the six most important events of the 20th Century, the birth and the phenomenal growth of the cinema would certainly be one of them’ — The Master said in a seminar in May 1960. SATYAJIT RAY, born 2nd of May.”
Director Sujoy Ghosh, who shot his hit thriller “Kahaani” in Kolata, tweeted: “Happy birthday #SatyajitRay … keep teaching me how to make films.”
Actor Abir Chatterjee, popular as the new-age Feluda to fans, tweeted: “You have been the RAY of hope for all of us. Thank you sir for giving us dreams.. aspirations.. memories & what not. Happy birthday #SatyajitRay we are & will be indebted to you forever.. Please accept my pranaam.”
Actor Parambrata Chatterjee is known to Bollywood buffs for his roles in “Kahaani” and “Pari”, but Feluda fans would know him as the ace detective’s sidekick and cousin, Topshe. He tweeted: “Maestro, it’s that day again, when we thank you for being born,for giving us so much, & not just the films! The music, the literature, the ethos, the legacy… Happy Birthday, #SatyajitRay.”
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is co-producing a Bengali film titled “Abhijatrik” on the concluding part of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s epic novel “Aparajito” — on which Ray’s Apu trilogy was based — shared on Twitter: “Remembering the creative genius & Renaissance Man of India, #SatyajitRay, on his Birth Anniversary today, who has inspired generations of filmmakers across the world.”
Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji who is currently working on a web series based on Ray’s famous detective “Feluda”, expressed in a tweet: “Happy 100th year to the Greatest Ever. May the celebrations begin!”
In a separate tweet, he shared a list of his most favourite Ray movies. Srijit wrote: “If I was allowed to take 10 Ray films to a desert island they would be Nayak, Gupi Gyne Bagha Byne, Apur Sansar, Seemabadhdha, Sonar Kella, Aranyer Din Ratri, Charulata, Kapurush Mahapurush, Parash Pathor and Jana Aranya.
Meanwhile, Satyajit Ray’s son Sandip Ray has recently discovered a treasure trove while housecleaning during the lockdown at their residence in Kolkata’s Bishop Lefroy Road.
He found over a thousand undiscovered photo negatives clicked at the sets of various movies, at least a hundred negatives of yet unseen photos clicked by Ray, and a bunch of telegrams and letters written by personalities like fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, legendary filmmakers Frank Capra and Akira Kurosawa and actor Richard Attenborough among others.
–IANS
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