If you love Indian cinema, one of these two things may have happened to you. You found out about Satyajit Ray and binged on all his movies. You watched a few of Satyajit Ray movies and then couldn’t figure out how to savor more of this genius work.
In both these cases, you’ll love what we have to tell you.
A Twitter account called CinemaRareIN shared a thread about where one could watch Ray’s films & we’re more than happy to share it with you. While some of these movies have English subtitles, a lot of them don’t, so you’ll have to find some jugaad to enjoy it.
1. Pather Panchali / A Song of the Little Road (1955)
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray (his directorial debut), the film was based on a novel of the same name and is the first part of the Apu trilogy. The film told the story of Apu and his family living a life of struggles in a village.
You can watch the film on Eros.
2. Aparajito / The Unvanquished (1956)
The second part of the Apu Trilogy, Aparajito chronicled the life of Apu from his childhood to adolescence as he moved to Varanasi.
You can watch the film on Eros and Prime Video.
3. Parash Pathar/The Philosopher’s Stone (1958)
Ray’s first venture into comedy and fantasy, this film was adapted from a short story of the same name by Parasuram. The film told the story of a middle-class clerk in Kolkata who discovered a stone that could turn things in gold.
You can watch the film here.
Check Out – Reasons Why Satyajit Ray Is An Extremely Underrated
4. Jalsaghar / The Music Room (1958)
Based on a short story by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, Satyajit Ray adapted and directed the story for the big screen where he chronicled the life of the downfall of a zamindar and his once-lavish lifestyle.
You can watch the film on Prime Video.
5. Apur Sansar / The World Of Apu (1959)
Third story in the Apu trilogy, this film focuses on Apu’s adult life in Kolkata. The film featured Sharmila Tagore and has been called one of the greatest films of all time by critics.
The film is available to watch on Youtube.
6. Devi / The Goddess (1960)
Featuring Sharmila Tagore yet again, Devi tells the story of Dayamoyee who starts being treated as Goddess Kali and then eventually starts believing that she, indeed, is a higher power.
The film is available to watch on Youtube.
Check Out – Satyajit Ray Became The 1st Indian To Win An Oscar
7. Teen Kanya / Three Daughters (1961)
Based on short stories by Rabindranath Tagore, this anthology film contained three stories: The Postmaster, Monihara, Samapti.
All three stories are available to watch here.
8. Rabindranath Tagore
This was an English film on the life and works of the literary icon, Rabindranath Tagore. Notably, Ray did not use any of Tagore’s poetry in the documentary.
The film can be watched here.
9. Kanchenjungha (1962)
This film narrates the story of an upper-class Bengali family on a vacation in Darjeeling.
The film is available to watch here.
10. Abhijan / The Expedition (1962)
The movies tells the story of a taxi driver whose short temper lands him in a car-race. Martin Scorsese’s protagonist in the famous movie Taxi Driver was influenced by the character in this film.
The film is available to watch here.
11. Mahanagar / The Big City (1963)
Based on the short story Abataranika by Narendranath Mitra, it tells the story of a housewife who shuns traditions of her family and gets a job as a saleswoman.
The film is available to watch here.
12. Charulata / The Lonely Wife (1964)
Based on the novella Nastanirh (“The Broken Nest”) by Rabindranath Tagore, this film chronicles the life of Charulata and her crippling solitude as a married, childless woman.
You can watch the film here.
13. Two: A Film Fable (1964)
A black and white silent film, this one shows an encounter between a street kid and a rich kid who display their toys to show off, engaging in a rivalry.
You can watch the film here.
14. Kapurush-O-Mahapurush / The Coward – The Holy Man (1965)
Kapurush: A scriptwriter meets with an old lover, he once abandoned and the film takes off from there. Once too afraid to commit to his love, the protagonist wants her back.
Mahapurush: Based on a short story Birinchibaba by Rajshekhar Basu, this film talks about a father and daughter who leave to become disciples of a baba who claims to be ageless and meeting Plato and teaching E=mc2 to Einstein.
You can watch both films here.
15. Nayak / The Hero (1966)
Both written and directed by Satyajit Ray, this film tells the story of a matinee idol whose on a train journey from Kolkata to Delhi to receive a National Award. There he reveals his true self to a journalist told to the audience through flashbacks and dreams.
You can watch the film here.
16. Chiriyakhana / The Zoo (1967)
A crime-thriller film features the famous fictional detective, Byomkesh Bakshi who meets a rich merchant for a case. He needs Byomkesh to find details of an old Bengali movie song and the actress who sang it.
You can watch the film here.
17. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne / The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha (1966)
Based on a story by Ray’s grandfather, this was his first fantasy adventure comedy film. This is the first film of the Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne series.
You can watch the film here.
18. Aranyer Din Ratri / Days and Nights In The Forest (1970)
An adventure film written and directed by Ray, it was nominated for the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival.
Four friends with different lives but the same urge to escape the daily grind of life escape to the land of tribes.
You can watch the film here.
19. Pratidwandi / The Adversary (1970)
Based on the novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay, this film tells the story of a middle-class man caught up in times of social unrest where corruption is rampant and unemployment at its peak.
You can watch the film here.
20. Seemabaddha / Company Limited (1971)
Based on the novel Seemabaddha by Mani Shankar Mukherjee, the film talks about the rising corporate culture in Calcutta and the need to be part of the ‘rat race’.
You can watch the film here.