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1955, A huge success
A few months later, on August 26, 1955, Pather
Panchali was finally released in Calcutta. Using his advertising
experience, ray had designed five billboards including a full-sized
8ftX20ft. one. It had Apu and Durga running in vast landscape of dark
monsoon clouds with Pather Panchali being the only legend. The film
did only moderately well in the first two weeks. By third week however,
the word spread and it was running packed at three cinema houses.
The cinema house, however, had only booked for six weeks. It was then
shown in another chain for seven more weeks. It was a box-office success.
Ray and his crew were feted at numerous functions. Dr. B.C. Roy, who
had seen the film earlier, organised a screening for Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, the Prime Minister of India who was on a visit to Calcutta.
Nehru was moved by the film and ensured that Pather Panchali was entered
in the Cannes Films festival, 1956, despite a move by some to oppose
the entry.
The screening at Cannes took place on one of the festival holidays
at midnight. As result, most of the jury members did not turn up.
On the insistence of a few film critics and Ray's friends, Lindsay
Anderson and Andre Bazin among them, another screening was held with
the full jury. The film won the special jury prize for "the Best
Human Document". Pather Panchali went on to win a dozen odd prizes
at home and film festivals abroad, including Best Actress for Chunibala
for her role as Indir Thakrun at Manila.
The recognition persuaded him to take the plunge. He decided to give
up advertising and turn to film making as a full time career. And
thus began a long and illustrious career. His first film, Pather Panchali
had established Satyajit Ray as a world-class director.
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Sarbajaya, Durga & Apu, Pather Panchali, 1955. ©Teknica
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