Pather Panchali – English – UGC NET – Notes

Introduction

• Often regarded as one of the landmarks in world cinema, Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) was released in 1955 to international acclaim and is considered a pioneering film in the parallel cinema movement in India.
• Even though by the 1950s India was producing a substantial number of films to rival those made in Hollywood, Indian films repetitiously conformed to a standard formula. The Indian film industry operated on the strong conviction that audiences desired an escape from reality, and that people would only pay to see excessively long films filled with popular elements.
• These assumptions led film distributors and exhibitors to pressure directors into including melodrama, action, romance, comedy, songs and dances in their films. However, with Pather Panchali, Satyajit Ray broke away from these dominant conventions. He challenged the prevailing formula and pioneered a new cinematic style that allowed Indian cinema to stand alongside the best of international cinema.

Pather Panchali

• The film Pather Panchali eventually went on to win many accolades and awards such as the President’s Gold Medal for the All-India Best Film (1955); the Best Human Document at Cannes (1956); the Vatican Award at Rome (1956); and the Golden Carabao at Manila (1956). Satyajit Ray also won Best Film and Direction at San Francisco (1957); Best Film at Vancouver (1958); the Critics’ Award at Stratford (1958); Best Foreign Film at Tokyo (1966); and Best Non-European Film at Denmark (1966).
• Satyajit Ray made many significant films. The Apu Trilogy comprises Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), and Apur Sansar (1959), presenting the life of Apurba Roy, portrayed by different actors across the three films. Parash Pathar (1958) revolved around a magical stone that turns metal into gold. Jalsaghar (1958) depicted an ageing zamindar obsessed with preserving aristocratic prestige. Devi (1960), starring Sharmila Tagore, explored religious faith and superstition through the story of a daughter-in-law believed to be a goddess incarnate.
• Other important films followed: Abhijan (1962), Mahanagar (1963), and Charulata (1964), the latter based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore and set in colonial India. Nayak (1966) starred Uttam Kumar and examined the inner life of a film star. Chiriyakhana (1967) was a crime thriller, while Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969) marked Ray’s venture into the fantasy genre.
• Films such as Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) and Pratidwandi (1970) were based on novels by Sunil Gangopadhyay. They were followed by Seemabaddha (1971), Ashani Sanket (1973), Sonar Kella (1974), and Jana Aranya (1975).
• With Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977), based on a story by Munshi Premchand, Ray entered Hindi cinema. The film starred Amjad Khan as Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler of Awadh. Later works included Joi Baba Felunath (1979), Hirak Raja Deshe (1980), Ghare Baire (1984), Ganashatru (1990), Shaka Proshakha (1990), and Aguntuk (1991).
• Apart from feature films, Ray directed notable documentaries such as Rabindranath Tagore (1961), Sikkim (1971), and The Inner Eye (1972). Over his lifetime, he received numerous honours, including the Padma Shri (1958), Padma Bhushan (1965), Padma Vibhushan (1976), an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oxford (1978), the Golden Lion Honorary Award at the Venice Film Festival (1982), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1984), the Legion of Honour (France, 1987), the Academy Honorary Award (1991), and India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna (1992).
• To better appreciate Pather Panchali, it is essential to understand the parallel cinema movement in India — its principles, objectives and stylistic features. To comprehend the parallel cinema movement both in India and internationally, one must also understand the development of cinema as a medium and its dominant forms of storytelling conventions.