When Satyajit Ray accepted his Oscar award from a hospital mattress in Kolkata: ‘Best achievement of my moviemaking career’

Very few Indians have been honoured by what is often thought-about the best honour in cinema across the globe – the Oscar awards. One of essentially the most proclaimed Indian filmmakers Satyajit Ray was honoured by the Academy on the sixty fourth Academy Awards in 1992 with the Honorary Award however Ray couldn’t be there in individual to gather his award in individual owing to his in poor health well being.

At the time, Ray was hospitalised in Kolkata and couldn’t fly to Los Angeles however a video message from the auteur was proven on the ceremony in Dolby Theatre. Ray’s award was introduced by actor Audrey Hepburn who described his work as a “rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and his profound humanism which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.”

Ray’s video has him mendacity in a hospital mattress together with his Oscar statuette in his hand as he offers his speech. “It’s an extraordinary experience for me to be here tonight to receive this magnificent award, certainly the best achievement of my moviemaking career,” he mentioned.

Ray spoke in regards to the affect that American cinema had on his filmmaking journey. He mentioned, “I have learnt everything about the craft of cinema from the making of American films. I’ve been watching American films very carefully over the years and I love them for how they entertain and then later, loved them for what they taught so I express my gratitude to the American cinema, towards the Motion Picture Association who has given me this award and who made me feel so proud.”

The ceremony in 1992 was held on March 30 and fewer than a month later, on April 23, Ray handed away on the age of 70 in Kolkata. To date, Ray is the one Indian to have been honoured with an Honorary Award.

Ray is named one of many most interesting filmmakers on the earth and is remembered for his movies like Pather Panchali, Charulata, Mahanagar, Sonar Kella, Shatranj Ke Khiladi amongst others.