A DIFFERENT SIDE of Satyajit Ray
The daily ster
Honestly, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in this planet who doesn't know about Satyajit Ray. For those rare few who don't know, he was a bangali filmmaker, regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of world cinema. But, first and foremost, he was one of the most brilliant storytellers ever known, be it on paper or on the silver screen. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist 1948 film Bicycle Thieves during a visit to London. He directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, music composer, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents. Feluda, the sleuth, and Professor Shonku, the scientist in his science fiction stories, are popular fictional characters whose stories are read widely and loved around the world. He was awarded honorary doctorate by the Oxford University, the only other film personality to have received the honour after Charlie Chaplin. We know all about this great man through the works he had left behind, but the other side of his life, his personal life isn't something that many people know much about, much less see. But one woman managed to capture this other side of this creative genius. That woman is Sayeeda Khanum, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of Celebrating Life 2014. She had spent three decades of her life trying to capture a side of Satyajit Ray few had rarely seen and through an exclusive interview; she tells us all about it.
HOW WE MET
I met Satyajit Ray back in the year 1962. I used to work for Chitrali which was a weekly Bengali film magazine which was established a long time back and was immensely successful. It's something that not many people know about now but it was a very big thing back in its day and back then, it was considered incredibly out of place for a girl to work as a photojournalist. I have done other forms of creative photography as well and have received awards for those as well, but cine journalism was my primary interest and that's why I went to Calcutta. The editor for Chitrali sent me on an assignment to photograph Uttam Kumar and other famous actors and actresses. After I was done, I requested my editor to arrange a meeting with Satyajit Ray for pictures and a small interview. He told me that Mr. Ray was a very popular figure and from a Lord's family and he may not give me much importance or agree to meet. But, I was thinking that a man who could direct a film like Pother Panchali which centers on human values can't possibly be like that at all. So, I managed to gather the confidence to make the call and settled an appointment two days later. When I went to his house and entered his study, he told me to sit down without looking up to see me, and kept on writing something. After what felt like two hours, he suddenly asks “So what is it that you want to know about me?” I was immediately a bit taken aback because I was so young and he was this international figure and he's physique was also very intimidating as he was really tall and had this very firm and heavy voice. Honestly, I was so intimidated that I just wanted to say that I wasn't going to interview him, apologize and run away. I said I wasn't really expecting such a complex question and I didn't really prepare beforehand so if you don't mind I would like a moment to think what I may ask. So he very kindly said sure, take your time, but as he said that, I could see that he was observing me very carefully. After a while, we started speaking normally and I got more and more comfortable talking to him and finally, near the end, I asked if I could take his picture as I was first and foremost, a photographer. He agreed and as I was taking his picture, and the flash went off, his wife, Bijoya Ray came rushing in thinking there was a fire in the room (photography wasn't as common back then as it is now and flash certainly isn't something one sees every day). From then on, I became close to Bijoya and very soon I was accepted into their closely knit family. I never understood whether Satyajit Ray saw me as a friend or a sister, but one thing I can say for sure though, is that he genuinely cared about my wellbeing. This was the beginning of my 30 years of knowing Satyajit Ray. I wasn't being paid to take pictures of him mind you, I was doing it because I admired him for his genius and felt honored because he treated me like family.
CHARUTALA, MOHANAGAR AND KAPURUSH O MOHAPURUSH
Satyajit was very methodical, calculating and organized and he doesn't allow too many people around when he is working on a project. This is something that the whole of Calcutta, India and even the world knew. However, due to the way I had bonded with him and his family, I was able to be part of the making of three wonderful films. Despite the incredible hospitality, I would always be terrified because I didn't want to cross any boundaries and offend him in any manner. But happily, whenever I came to Calcutta, he would ask me whether I wanted to take pictures during the shoot or if I wanted to watch the shoot. Because of the fact that he had asked me himself, I understood that he obviously believes I wouldn't be a hindrance, so I accepted. I was sent there as part of my assignment from Chitrali and during my stay there, whenever I was on a shoot, Satyajit would send a car for me to take me from and drop me off at my residence during shoots. Other than me, there was also a British journalist allowed there as well during the shoot of Charulata, which in Satyajit's own words, is his best work ever. Charulata required such great focus from Ray that many thought that this film turned out in such a way that it almost felt that Rabindranath Tagore himself directed the film. I was present for the other two films as well and a little known fact: Under direct request from Satyajit himself, I did a small cameo scene in Kapurush O Mohapurush. However as luck would have it, my scene was discarded during the editing process because Bangladesh and India were two separate countries and Satyajit was concerned about the proper permissions required.
CAPTURING SATYAJIT RAY
Satyajit Ray had been my subject for almost 30 years. Late Nimai Ghosh was the official photographer for all of Satyajit's production stills and he also didn't work for money. He took pictures because of the same reason I did: admiration of a genius. Sure, sometimes Satyajit would pay him, but it's not like they had a binding contract or anything. You can understand that 30 years' worth of pictures amounts to an enormous collection of pictures, and each and every one of those pictures meant the world to me because no one else was allowed to snap pictures of Satyajit in his house and daily life. I was so welcome, that I didn't even need an appointment. I could visit his house like family. The freedom that Ray granted me allowed me to take pictures which were so wholesome that whenever I went through the pictures, I felt like I was looking at my own family album. I finally decided that I wanted to do an exhibit on Satyajit Ray mainly focusing on his life outside the world of media, in Calcutta. I was silently worried because critiques in Calcutta are known to be very open about their feelings: be it positive or negative. Thankfully, everyone appreciated it and even went on to say that through my pictures, they had a new way of looking at Satyajit Ray. For me, the ultimate goal was to show the world how a man like Satyajit Ray had accepted me in his inner circle and my appreciation for this gesture through the pictures I took, and I felt like I had succeeded.
AFTERTHOUGHT
Through my journey in photography, I had a privilege to meet wonderful new people and famous celebrity figures such as Ustad Allauddin Khan, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen etc. But to me, Satyajit Ray will always be special. I never once thought that I would be able to get so close to him and be considered a part of his family. One example of this bond is that when Satyajit was in hospital during the final days of his life, he had lost most of his memories and wasn't able to recognize even close friends and family. I went to visit him of course, but before I got in, Bijoya Ray stopped me and told me about his condition and memory loss and told me that he may not recognize me and I shouldn't get too upset about it. I walked into the room and waited for him to regain consciousness. When he did, he looked at me, called me by my nickname Badal and asked about my health and family. That just reaffirmed my faith in how well he accepted me in his life and how, even at that time, he didn't forget who I was. This goes to show how wonderful he was because, if you think about it, a man of his status and popularity wouldn't just accept anyone into his life because everyone wanted to, but if he didn't allow it, it wouldn't be possible. And that's precisely why I feel like I am blessed that I got the chance of a lifetime to meet one of the most creative, caring and inspirational human beings.
No comments:
Post a Comment