Satyajit Ray Birth Anniversary: Watch These Five Films Of The Maverick On OTT

As May 2 marks Satyajit Ray's 103rd birth anniversary, we revisit his five films which are streaming on OTT. 

A legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator, graphic designer, and music composer, Satyajit Ray was born on May 2, 1921, in Kolkata.

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New Delhi: A legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator, graphic designer, and music composer, Satyajit Ray was born on May 2, 1921, in Kolkata. Hailed as the maverick, Ray started his career as a graphic artist in the advertising industry. Ray then travelled to London, where his meeting with French director Jean Renoir and famous Italian neo-realist film 'Bicycle Thieves' by Vittoria De Sica made him realise his passion for film creation. Ray debuted in film direction with ‘Pather Panchali’ in 1955 and went on to direct 36 films, including feature films, documentaries, and telly films. Ray’s films stand unique because of the subject of universal interest. His movie plots deal with human emotions, inner conflicts, day-to-day struggles, and relationships, etc. At 70, Satyajit Ray breathed his last in Kolkata on April 23. 

As May 2 marks his 102nd birth anniversary, we revisit his five films which are streaming on OTT. 

Pather Panchali  
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, Hoichoi, Klikk 
Pather Panchali is a story of a young boy, Apu, and life in his small Indian village. His parents are quite poor – his father Harihar, gave away the family’s fruit orchard to settle his brother’s debts while his mother Sarbojaya bears the brunt of the family’s situation. The film revolves around the ray of hope Apu's family survives through despite hundreds of hurdles.  

Aparajito  
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, Hoichoi 
Aparajito is the second part of The Apu Trilogy, adapted from Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel Aparajito. It starts off where Pather Panchali ended, with Apu's family moving to Varanasi, and chronicles Apu's life from childhood to adolescence in college. The film was another maverick artwork of Ray where he explored the relationship between a widowed mother and her adolescent son. It crystalises the thoughts that go through every parent’s mind. 

Apur Sansar 
Streaming on: HBO Max, Apple TV, YouTube 

The third part of the Apu Trilogy after Pather Panchali and Aparajito, Apur Sansar stars Soumitra Chatterjee (as Apu) and Sharmila Tagore. The film focuses on Apu’s adult life, his marriage to Aparna (Sharmila Tagore). The film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. 

Sonar Kella 
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Klikk 
Sonar Kella is the adaptation of one of his detective stories by the same name, which revolves around the story of a 6-year-old boy Mukul and his visions of a fort made up of gold. Sonar Kella was one of Ray’s most commercially successful films, winning Ray two National Awards.  

Nayak 
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, MUBI  
Nayak is a 1966 Bengali film that revolves around a matinee idol on a 24-hour train journey from Kolkata to Delhi. Not many would call it their favourite Ray film but the portrayal of an unapologetic star by Uttam Kumar who likes to project an image to his fans, mercilessly shot down by a gritty reporter played by Sharmila Tagore, made Nayak get the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali and also a national award for the screenplay.