Entertainment Desk: Discussants at a programme said that the Academy Awards-winning legendary Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray portrayed crises and conflicts of people in his films without the intention of generating income.
They made the remark at the programme organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy as part of its ongoing event titled ‘Smriti Satta Bhabishyat’ at the academy’s Studio Theatre Hall in the capital on Thursday.
Film critic and writer Bidhan Rebeiro presented the keynote while filmmaker Proshoon Rahman was present as discussant at the programme, which was presided over by film activist Lailun Nahar Shemi.
At the beginning, a documentary on the life and work of Satyajit Ray was screened at the programme.
Bidhan Rebeiro said that Satyajit Ray was just the opposite of his many contemporary filmmakers, who wanted to portray people through society, mentioning, ‘He craved to understand society and politics through individuals.’
For that reason, it may seem that politics is not directly present in his films, but is present in the form of allusions and metaphors, added Bidhan.
He also said that Ray was more interested in people of diverse characters than in any particular political ideology. ‘So the stories and characters of his films are completely different,’ he pointed out.
Proshoon Rahmaan made a film on Satyjit Ray marking his birth centenary. The film bagged several awards in film festivals, including in India, Nepal and Italy.
The filmmaker told New Age that Satyajit Ray was an influential filmmaker and for the past 50 years in the Indian subcontinent, he had been the role model for most of those who were interested in making life-affirming films.
‘I would like to thank the BSA for organising such an event,’ he said.
On the same day, the BSA also paid tribute to legendary Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen, folk bard Radharaman Dutta and poet-journalist Krishna Chandra Majumder organising three separate programmes.
