Satyajit Ray
9 quotes
Biography
"I never imagined that any of my films, especially Pather Panchali, would be seen throughout this country or in other countries. The fact that they have is an indication that, if you're able to portray universal feelings, universal relations, emotions, and characters, you can cross certain barriers and reach out to others, even non-Bengalis."
"Manikda was always different from the others. He did everything — from writing the script to choosing the location, finalizing the cast to designing sets and costumes, supervising make-up to framing the shots to editing. He was involved with each and every part of his film and was always very clear about what he wanted. His films were Indian but the production process was western. He also proved that silence can say a million words if used properly and was very economical with dialogues. He used barking of dogs, birdcalls, mechanical clatter or other natural sounds to brilliant effect. It was because of this detailing that every scene of his films became powerful and meaningful. And though he played so many roles behind the scenes, he accepted remuneration from the producer only for direction."
"He never treated his child artistes like kids. That's why they were always comfortable in front of the camera. Manikda became their friend after a few days of shooting"
"He always played the role of a story-teller — something that can be considered his most important contribution to the world of film making."
"At the age when Bengali youth almost inevitably writes poetry, I was listening to European classical music."
"I think they quite like me when I work because I'm one of the safer directors to back, because even if my films don't bring their costs in back home, once they're shown outside of India they manage to cover the costs."
"Most of the top actors and actresses may be working in ten or twelve films at the same time, so they will give one director two hours and maybe shoot in Bombay in the morning and Madras in the evening. It happens."
"At the age when Bengali youth almost inevitably writes poetry, I was listening to European classical music."
"At the age when Bengali youth almost inevitably writes poetry, I was listening to European classical music."