Satyajit Ray Centenary Show inaugurated at Durbar Hall Art Centre in Kochi

Minister for Industries and Law P. Rajeeve said Satyajit Ray marked India’s place in the world cinema as his movies were expressions of persistent transformation and creativity.

He was inaugurating the one-month-long Satyajit Ray Centenary Show jointly organised by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) on the occasion of the birth centenary of the world-renowned filmmaker, at the Durbar Hall Art Centre in Kochi on Sunday.

“He had created a syntax and language not only for Indian cinema, but for world cinema as well, Mr. Rajeeve said.

Mayor M. Anilkumar, presided over the function.

Delivering the keynote address, cinematographer Shaji N. Karun said that Ray was lonely and thus a good listener. As he was a great artist, he never resorted to cynicism, he added. Ray’s movies deeply depicted characters, especially women, who were under various pressures in life. He also recalled his convocation in 1974 at the Pune Film Institute when Ray was the chief guest and wanted to see his diploma movie.

Artist Surendran Nair was honoured on the occasion. KCC Visual Arts Head Sidharth Sivakumar spoke on the unique features of the exhibition that brings together the lesser-known aspects of Ray’s works from Gallery Rasa’s collection such as his lobby cards, original storyboards, posters, book covers, and rare photographs of the maestro by Nemai Ghosh and Tarapada Banerjee.

Kolkata-based documentary maker Joshy Joseph, Mini S. Menon, Kendra Sahitya Akademi award-winning Bengali translator Sunil Naliyath, Akademi Chairman Murali Cheeroth, and secretary N. Balamuralikrishnan also spoke on the occasion.

The show also displays enthralling additions to the previous volumes including costumes from the film Shatranj ke Khilari – courtesy Suresh Jindal, producer of the movie – and never-seen-before letters written by Ray to Debjani Ray, thus presenting the most-comprehensive exhibition of Ray.

On September 27 at 5 p.m., a presentation will be held by Pinaki De on ‘A Fine Balance: Sense of form in Ray’s graphic design’ while on September 28 at 5 p.m. Drithiman Chatterjee and Tinnu Anand will take part in an online debate on the topic ‘Post Ray’.

On October 2, 12, and 16, three Ray classics will be screened at 5.30 p.m. On October 6 at 5 p.m., a book on Ray’s films titled Prapanjam Prathiphalikkunna Jalakanam written by renowned film critic C.S. Venkiteswaran and published by SPCS will be released as part of the festival. A discussion will also be held involving Girish Kasaravally, Gautam Ghosh, and Shaji N. Karun that will be moderated by Samik Bandyopadhyay on October 23, 2022.