Satyajit Ray’s work evokes initiatives from Big Bazaar, Roadshow at Cannes

By IANS

LOS ANGELES: A restored model of Indian maestro Satyajit Ray’s ‘The Adversary’ is enjoying at Cannes Classics this yr and movies impressed by his works are being deliberate.

Kolkata-based Indian producer-director Aritra Sen’s Roadshow Films and Los Angeles-based British writer-director Alex Harvey’s Big Bazaar Films are producing two movies this yr, which take their inspiration from Ray’s life and work, studies ‘Variety’.

First up is function documentary ‘Forest of Humans’, which appears at Ray’s inventive relationship with Kolkata, town the place he lived and labored all his life.

Directed by Harvey and produced by Sen, the documentary explores the numerous methods by which Ray used Kolkata’s various humanity to create a complete cinematic world. Filming virtually fully on location in Kolkata, ‘Forest of Humans’ goals to indicate how Ray’s poetic world continues to be mysterious and alive within the metropolis at the moment.

“Kolkata endlessly fed Ray’s imagination,” says Sen.

“In return Ray gave the city its sense of self.”

“His films never try to idealise Kolkata but constantly transform how it is perceived,” says Harvey.

“Look at ‘The Adversary’s’ disaffected anti-hero who is seen apart from his city, unable to find solace in its casual pleasures.”

‘The Adversary’ additionally partly offers the inspiration for ‘Prantik’, a recent drama set in Kolkata and London.

It takes as its start line the same premise – the story of a younger man who, when his father dies, is pressured to make his personal method within the metropolis. ‘Prantik’, which can be directed by Sen, with Harvey serving as inventive producer is slated to shoot this fall.

“In addition to ‘Prantik’ and ‘Forest of Humans’ we’re also planning a period film called ‘Niru,’ set in the Calcutta (as the city was called then) of the 1880s, at the height of the Raj, and based on Ibsen’s play, ‘A Doll’s House.’ Ray’s extraordinary film, ‘Charulata’, is proving to be a great creative inspiration for that project,” Harvey and Sen mentioned.

Both filmmakers mentioned they’re dedicated to exploring the wealthy legacy provided by Ray.

“Ray was the reason I wanted to work in film, the reason I feel in love with cinema,” says Sen.

“Ray is the most complete auteur in the history of cinema. He wrote, designed, directed, edited and even composed the musical score for his films. You can learn everything from Ray.”

Sen beforehand produced collection ‘Feluda’ based mostly on tales by Ray. Harvey’s final movie was combined martial arts documentary ‘Enter the Jungle’