KOCHI: "Never having seen a Satyajit Ray film is like never having seen the sun or the moon.” - Akira Kurosawa. Durbar Hall in Kochi has turned magnificent with the life of auteur Satyajit Ray. The air is heavily laden with vintage charm. From his letters to friends, filmmakers and young fan Debjani, costumes of his film Shatranj Ke Khilari, handcrafted posters of his movies, illustrations and artworks, many aspects of the filmmaker and his meticulous craft appear at the expo.
Organised jointly by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kolkata Centre For Creativity, the Ray Centenary Show is a must-visit for anyone with creative leanings. The numerous letters displayed would leave one in awe of the listener and the letter writer that Ray was. Halls on the ground floor are filled with costumes used in Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Player), courtesy of Suresh Jindal, the producer of Ray’s first Hindi film.
The pyjamas worn by people in the princely state of Avadh, the detailings that take into account even the width of the original bottoms worn at that time, the kurtas with colourful embroidery, and the beautiful red crown all are displayed.
Letters reveal the intricacies of pre-production to post-production work in that era. And the walls are filled with thoughts that went into the making of the films. Upstairs, a hall is dedicated to rare photographs of the auteur. Another one gives a peek into the writer and illustrator in Ray. Handcrafted posters and lobby cards something between a poster and photograph are on display.
Ray was an amazing artist. However, he once said, “Since I consider myself primarily to be a filmmaker and, secondarily to be a writer of stories for young people, I have never taken my graphic work seriously... I must insist that I do not make any larger claims for them.”
Ray started his artistic career as an illustrator. His eye for colour and space is evident through the posters on display. Marvelling at the large collection, one wishes for the revival of handmade posters. It is hard to imagine how Ray managed time to fit in all films, art, writing and the numerous letters, of course. He certainly was quite a phenomenal communicator.
Express film critic Sajin Shrijith says Ray was a great humanist. “A multi-talented storyteller with a remarkable grasp on nearly every area of filmmaking,” he adds. “His films still feel as though he made them yesterday. There is something to relate to for all age groups, regardless of gender. Take his ‘Apu’ trilogy or ‘Calcutta’ trilogy, for instance, they are insightful, deeply observed portraits of the human condition, and on par with some of the best in world cinema.”
Filmmaker Vignesh P Sasidharan believes Ray was more dramatic in his movies than in real life. “His movies had an element of drama. They were gripping,” says the director of Uddharani. “However, my favourite is the subtle charm of Charulata. Ray himself once said that if got an opportunity to rework his films, he would leave Charulata alone as it is. It was his favourite, too.”
Vignesh adds he is a fan of cinematography in Ray’s films. “They are more atmospheric. The wind, the trees and the passing train... all are treated with equal importance as the characters,” he notes. “These elements and the surroundings transform into characters of his films.”
Filmmaker and cinematographer Uma Kumarapuram is another ardent Ray fan. “I don’t think there will be any Indian filmmaker who has not been inspired by Ray,” she says. Her first tryst with Ray was with Pather Panchali, adds Uma. The opening film in the Apu Trilogy marked the debut of Ray as a director.
“I think I was in Class 7,” she recalls. “We had a chapter on how the film’s casting was done, especially for the characters Apu and Durga. However, I could watch the film only during my graduation years.”
Subsequently she “found Ray, the writer”. “I am, in fact, an ardent fan of the writer more than the director,” Uma says. “His stories involved supernatural elements, horror and science fiction. For instance, during those times, who could write about subjects like aliens in such a way?”
Ray, she adds, was born at the wrong time. “Time and technology were limited back then. He could have done much more had there been avenues,” says Uma. “Hollywood would have fallen at his feet for his ideas, the films, everything.”
The month-long centenary exhibition concludes on October 25.