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Ray vs Ethics — Part I
A deep-dive into Satyajit Ray’s filmography, in an attempt to confront his arch-nemesis — the ethics question.
A Reputation that Precedes
Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.
— Akira Kurosawa
পায়ে পড়ি বাঘ মামা কোরনাকো রাগ, মামা। ( I beg you tiger uncle, don’t get angry)
As this melody lulled through the big CRT television set, a five-year-old me lay curled up on the bed, peering incessantly with big wide eyes at the two men, who were trapped in a room with a dangerous tiger. However, these were no ordinary men, for they were favoured by the king of the ghosts, and when they sang, no living creature could move a muscle. In fact, the power of their song was such that even this mighty creature was awestruck, and couldn’t lift a paw. And that’s not all. The potency of their melody could even penetrate the phosphorescent fourth wall, mesmerising that five-year-old, leaving him transfixed.
However, even their powers of animal magnetism, pales in comparison to that of the man who had penned them. Why?
