'Satyajit Ray's films gave faces to the rural poor and dignified them', says Aparna Sen

Aparna Sen is a popular actor-director. At the age of 16, Aparna Sen had the honour of being a part of Satyajit Ray's film. In 1961, she played one of the three protagonists in Satyajit Ray's omnibus Teen Kanya. During an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Aparna Sen shared that Satyajit Ray's relevance has not dimmed and that 'He is the most relevant filmmaker even today'. 

Aparna shares thoughts over Satyajit Ray's movies

Aparna Sen feels that apart from Satyajit Ray, there are several other filmmakers who have made an impact. Adding a few she said,  Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Aravindan from Kerala, Mrinal Sen, Ritwick Ghatak, and Buddhadeb Dasgupta from Bengal,  Girish Kasaravally and Girish Karnad from Karnataka are some significant filmmakers, but they do not match up to Ray's stature. She also said that the difference perhaps lies in the fact that some of these directors were so culture-specific, so ethno-specific that their films did not appeal as much to western audiences

Aparna Sen, whose films like 36 Chowringhee Lane, Paroma, Sati and Yugant bear a direct kinship to the great school of Satyajit Ray's filmmaking feels that he was deeply rooted in the soil of Bengal, yet his films still had a humane universal appeal, especially his earlier films. She also said that Satyajit Ray's films came a lot earlier and so in an atmosphere vitiated with formula mainstream cinema that was coming out of India, Ray’s realism came like a breath of fresh air.

Incidentally, actor and parliamentarian Nargis Dutt had dragged Satyajit Ray in the parliament for showing India in poor light to foreign nations. To this, Aparna replied that everyone knows India is a poor country and it was stupid to pretend otherwise. Satyajit Ray's films gave faces to the rural poor and dignified them. He made them with their joys and sorrows relatable globally, she added. Aparna Sen and Satyajit Ray’s other collaborations include Aranyer Din Ratri, Jana Aranya, and Baksa Badal amongst others.

IMAGE: KONKANA SEN SHARMA'S INSTAGRAM