Co-author: Aritra Chakrabarti
Most people associate the Indian filmmaking industry with commercial rom-coms, vibrant songs, dance, fictional dramas, etc. Still, India has a rich history of documentary filmmaking, which was started well before India’s independence in 1947. In 1888 a short film of wrestlers ‘Pundalik Dada’ by H.S. Bhatwadekar became the first recorded Indian documentary. Bhatwadekar became the one who started exploring the non-fiction genre of cinema. Later on, many popular filmmakers like P.V. Pathy, D.G. Tendulkar, and K.S Hirlekar started working on documentaries based on Indian themes. Indian documentaries set themselves apart from the rest with their unique topics ranging from social issues and political dramas to natural and biographical documentaries, based on India’s cultural heritage. The Indian government in 1948 officially formulated the Films Division of India which became the tool to distribute and propagate documentaries to Indian audiences. It was a desperate attempt from the Films Division of India to provide proper exposure of India’s heritage to its audience.
Satyajit Ray, the man who brought a renaissance in tradition-bound Indian cinema, made five documentaries, in his entire career (Rabindranath Tagore, Bala, Inner Eye, Sikkim, and Sukumar Ray) apart from masterpieces in the field of feature films. His documentaries, not only focused on the placement of factual information but also on eliciting human emotions by highlighting the subject’s worth or importance. Still, the least talked about area is his documentaries- the non-fictional work.
Looking at the Literature
Robinson in his book ‘The Inner Eye’, attempts to highlight Satyajit Ray’s great respect towards some of India’s leading personalities. Among his five documentaries, four are biographical. His deep admiration for these figures eventually led him to make some of the finest biographical documentaries. Robinson, who was Ray’s biographer, also carefully enunciated the fact that his documentaries are not just a detailed factual representation of the subjects but were also instrumental in upholding their wisdom, intellect, and persona. He devised his unique style where the core of the subject was highlighted to the audience in the first few minutes of the documentary, for example- the funeral procession of Rabindranath Tagore, the natural beauty of the then-small kingdom of Sikkim, etc. The things that remained constant with his documentary films are the beautiful presentation of the footage, the reenactments of the subject’s lifestyles, their field of knowledge, and expertise in each of their respective fields which provided a slice of life of that person or that place. The omnipresent narration is also noteworthy which in most cases is done by Ray himself. The book also translated the role of India’s first documentary film production unit i.e., the role of the Films Division in financing Ray’s documentaries, the contribution of the first Indian Premier Jawaharlal Nehru in choosing Ray to document the life of India’s national poet Rabindranath Tagore. Satyajit Ray also wanted to make a documentary of Jawaharlal Nehru which he tried to convey during his encounter with Nehru in Shantiniketan but the idea never reached Nehru because Ray was hesitant to explain the project due to Nehru’s state of mind which was highly bothered by the 1962 Indo-China war. Ray also finds himself amidst multiple controversies, particularly after making Sikkim where the film was banned by the Indian Government because the film portrayed Sikkim as a small feudal monarchy and many government officials find this documentary as a desperate attempt of Sikkim’s ruler (Chogyal) as the film was commissioned by him. Ray clearly understood the importance of his subjects and accordingly chose a narrative structure that introduced the audience to their eminence which kept them occupied every time (Robinson, 1989).
Sharif mentioned in his paper ‘Postcolonial Indian Nonfiction Cinema: The Documentaries of Satyajit Ray’, that Satyajit Ray was the key pillar in the Indian non-fictional cinema in the post-independence era. Previously in the colonial period, Indian films were based on melodramatic and romantic stories. British political, economic, and cultural systems were generally portrayed through Indian films even after India’s independence in 1947. Here, government-sponsored documentaries played a crucial role by projecting India’s national identity to the Indian masses. Although Ray was primarily involved in making fictional films, his documentary films were also considered some of the finest portrayals of leading figures whom he admired on a personal level. His documentaries fully resembled his cinematic standards, his aesthetic sensibilities, his innovative ideas, presentation styles even the music composition. Through his documentaries, Ray carved out a new genre where he focussed on prominent personalities which other Indian documentarians followed later. Each one was analytical, well-written, focussed, and masterly articulated (Sharif, 2018)
After studying some of the literature, descriptive analysis of Satyajit Ray documentaries namely- Rabindranath (1961) and Sukumar Ray (1987) were conducted.
Descriptive Analysis
Sukumar Ray
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Produced by Government of West Bengal
Edited by Dulal Dutta
Cinematography by Barun Raha
Music by Satyajit Ray
Duration 30 mins
Satyajit Ray’s Sukumar Ray was released in 1987. It was a 30-minute short documentary film produced by the West Bengal Government to commemorate the centenary birth anniversary of the great Bengali poet, essayist, illustrator, and writer Sukumar Ray who also happens to be Ray’s father. The documentary attempted to highlight his field of expertise and his versatile areas of work. The film started by displaying a list of popular drawings drawn by Sukumar Ray and then slowly revealed his enormous family, their educational prowess, social status, position in society, and the legacy that they’ve left. The documentary also covered his formation of the Nonsense Group and the publication of his handwritten humorous magazine Sare Botris Vaja.
Sukumar Ray’s father Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury came from a Zamindar family of Mymensingh (present Bangladesh). He was one of the eldest among his five brothers. He was a popular publisher, printer, painter, and musician and even though he was gifted with such unique qualities he was mostly renowned as a writer specializing in his child-centric fictional writings and folktales. ‘Sandesh’ magazine started by him in 1913 is considered one of the most popular Children’s Magazines that is still running. Some of his other popular works included the translation of the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, and the publishing of a compilation of Bengali folk tales named ‘Tuntunir boi’. Apart from his literary heritage, Satyajit Ray, in his documentary, also explored his family’s relationship with printing. It was Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury who established a printing press at Calcutta after his name in 1895, and later was renamed as U. Ray and Sons. He insisted his son Sukumar learn printing and photography from abroad and obeying his father’s desire went to London’s County Council School of Photoengraving and Lithography and then went to Manchester for further studies in Chromolithography and litho-drawing. Sukumar Ray, after finishing his studies came to Calcutta and was fully committed to the monthly magazine ‘Sandesh’ started by his father. Sukumar Ray started to popularize Sandesh magazine with riddles, cartoons, sketches, pictures, illustrations, essays, and poems written by him and renowned personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Satyendranath Dutta. Even the quality of print in Sandesh magazine was so flawless that it distinguished itself from the rest of the magazines at that time. His popular works included ‘Abol Tabol’, ‘Ho jo bo ro lo’, ‘Chalachittachanchari’, etc. Sukumar’s curiosities, rough sketches, half-cooked ideas, notes, riddles, descriptions of his characters, and his poems found their place in his ‘Kheror khata’, an old red notebook.
Sukumar Ray was a key member of Brahmo Samaj, India’s most progressive reformist organisation. He was also the founder of Monday Club where he and other renowned members discussed multiple topics such as politics, art, literature, culture, religion, etc. Sukumar Ray used U. Ray and Sons as a tool for his creative expression, whether it is for his poems, essays, or invitations for his Monday Club.
As a child, Satyajit Ray never got the opportunity to spend time with his father following his demise at the early age of 36 when Ray was only 2.5 years old. Satyajit Ray was brought up by his Mother Suprabha Devi and relatives. For Ray this film was a careful exploration of his father’s personality, discovering his father as a popular child author, an introspection on the emotional depth of his riddles, their inner meanings, iconic use of his illustrations, underlying humor of his compositions, and many more. He carefully brings out his family’s lineage and their immense contribution as writers, social thinkers, and towards Bengali literature. In this documentary, Ray was very much particular about putting forward the subtle humour which his father propagated in his writings. He, through this documentary, also tried to bring the sudden feeling of jubilation that every Bengali would get after reading his poems as a kid. That was the prime reason behind making this documentary in Bengali language. Moreover, he also tried to bring forth his father’s role as a reformist of the Hindu religion particularly during his time spent in Brahmo Samaj (Ray, Sukumar Ray, 1987)
Rabindranath Tagore
Director- Satyajit Ray
Producer- Films Division of India
Edited by- Dulal Dutta
Music by- Jyotirindra Moitra
Cinematography- Soumendu Roy
Duration- 54 mins
Rabindranath released in 1961 was the first ever documentary made by Satyajit Ray. It was also a commissioned project from the Government of India to celebrate the centenary birth anniversary of Iconic Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The documentary begins with the funeral procession of Rabindranath Tagore. Ray intentionally placed this portion at the commencement of the film. The logic and reason for that would be, that he wanted the audience to know the sentimental magnitude associated with His name, the legacy which he carried, and his immense contribution to this nation. It was a fairly detailed documentary as compared to the rest of the works made on the great poet. The documentary portrayed Old Calcutta’s charm while depicting Tagore’s forefathers. Rabindranath’s Grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore was a successful businessman. His business was diversified into numerous enterprises such as real estate, indigo, coal, sugar, exports, banking, and newspapers. Dwarkanath was against the religious orthodoxy of the Brahmin-dominated society. This principle was later transmitted to the next generations. His son Debendranath was leading an unpredictable life but the death of his grandmother shook young Debendranath. He wanted to explore the existence of life and read many philosophies of both East and West. He eventually found his answer in a torn page of Isha Upanishad edited by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, for whom the boy had the deepest respect from childhood.
The house of Tagore was always kept alive by creative practices such as painting, singing, writing, etc. Rabindranath Tagore also grew up in that kind of atmosphere. From the beginning, he never liked the formal education system. Rather young Rabi wanted to observe nature deeply and see the world outside beyond his conventional lifestyle. His brother Hemenedranath ensured Rabi’s education at home and exposed him to all sorts of creative exertions. In an attempt to properly educate the boy, Rabi was sent to England but he never completed his full course at London University. There, he felt attracted to Western classical music which later influenced dramas, and operas composed by himself, such as Valmiki Pratibha. He skillfully corresponds Indian ragas with Western Operas.
In the time of looking after his family estates, Rabindranath explored much of rural Bengal where he developed his passion for rural lifestyle, values, and natural beauty. In his literary works, nature and pure simplistic life forms were reflected several times, influenced by his countless expeditions to rural Bengal. He was also a strong critique of social evils, preconceived ideas of society particularly prevalent in Hinduism.
It was very fascinating to see the way Tagore’s opera compositions, and plays were used by Ray through re-enactments. Tagore’s wide range of literary achievements, works, poems, songs, plays, dramas, and short stories were put together in this documentary with an exceedingly solicitous observation. Rabindranath’s childhood was indeed an interesting area of his life where he was imparted with a new holistic way of providing education irrespective of the previous school education. A juvenile’s sensitive state of mind was beautifully portrayed in a way where he can emphasize the conventional imposition of education, and Western-based ideas of development to enlighten the youth in areas where they are truly lacking behind.
Satyajit Ray was not just a filmmaker he was truly a jack of all trades. Apart from his understanding of art direction, lighting, cinematography, etc, he loved music from his core and was a staunch follower of Rabindra Sangeet from his childhood. His love for Rabindra Sangeet prevented him from using any other music apart from Guru’s original creations. The cutthroat use of original compositions stood out the most and beautifully blended itself with the narration.
Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury grandfather of Satyajit Ray was a friend of Rabindranath Tagore and was close to his family as well. Ray’s mother Suprabha always wanted Ray to learn art in Rabindranath’s Visa Bharati, Kala Bhawan. Naturally, Tagore and his ideas tend to have a deep impact on Ray’s outlook and influence him thoroughly. ‘Charulata’ one of his iconic works, highly praised for effortless storytelling, camera movements, and visual representation of the subject was a big example of his approbation towards the poet. The film was released in 1964, three years after the release of the documentary, based on Tagore’s popular novel ‘Nastanirh’ or ‘The Broken Nest’. ‘Ghara baire’ (1984), a successful romantic drama with a compilation of intricate depictions of several issues, such as nationalism, women's liberation, the spiritual and materialistic perspectives on life, and tradition vs modernism, was another film that was adapted from Tagore’s ‘Ghare Baire’ novel (Ray, Rabindranath, 1961)
Comparative analysis
The personality genre documentaries directed by Satyajit Ray have few common traits. First of all, the stories in these movies depict the biographies of the characters sublimely, without the main figures ever taking centre stage in the overall presentation of the movie. Second, Ray primarily discussed the works, accomplishments, contributions, and enduring influence of the individuals he portrayed. Thirdly, Ray ensured the movies were insightful, precise, critical, and expertly written with pertinent commentary.
In the 1960s, Rabindranath Tagore's documentary established a benchmark for personality genre films in India. It was a distinctively researched work with a broader perspective. Ray used every cinematic device at his disposal to make Tagore's life story credible, noteworthy, distinct, and aesthetically engaging. Owing to the historical significance of Tagore's period, existence, and accomplishments, Ray was forced to search records and videos from various archives across the globe. In addition, he recreated the eras of Tagore, his forefathers, and their peers. In addition to telling the story of Tagore's development as a poet and Renaissance man, Rabindranath Tagore's film featured cinematic elements from across the Indian subcontinent.
It also chronicled India's slow transition from a well-controlled country to a nation striving for independence. Ray's task as a filmmaker in Rabindranath Tagore was to retell history in a way that would clearly and consistently connect with the audience of a bygone era.
Rather than approaching the film's content or overall composition from a journalistic standpoint, he used a cinematic style, gathering anecdotes for a visual representation. As a result, Tagore's film evolved from a biography with numerous cross-references to a comprehensive cinematic work. A similar strategy was used in the movie Sukumar Ray, albeit it had a smaller budget and fewer visual effects.
‘Sukumar Ray’ started with a successive display of his unique sketches and on the other hand ‘Rabindranath’ started with mournful, melancholic, and desolate footage of Rabindranath’s death. Ray in these two scenes tried to imply two separate emotions in a juxtaposed way. For him, it was always important to evoke human emotion to clearly understand the essence of his documentaries.
For a film enthusiast like us, Satyajit Ray is a source pool to learn multiple aspects of filmmaking, storytelling, and execution. Many contemporary filmmakers themselves accepted that in case of cessation of ideas or when they get caught up in a puzzled state of mind, watching their films is a perfect remedy for them to get inspired. His fictional films in most cases were the centre of attention whereas his documentaries were severely marginalized. Most of his documentaries were also commissioned projects. So, it would be rather a fair evaluation to say that he made documentary films out of social commitment to highlight the subject’s importance for whom he had personal regard. ‘Rabindranath’ and ‘Sukumar Ray’ were the two documentaries that were personally very close to Ray. Both of the films were commissioned projects but the way he projected them and entailed their contribution, speaks volumes of his aesthetic sensibilities in the genre of non-fiction also. In Ray's documentaries, another important trait is the projection of humanity. Humanism is reconstructed from a post-World War II viewpoint, and a postcolonial message is conveyed to global audiences through his documentaries. In his documentaries, as in his fiction films, Ray continued to interpret modernism, humanism, and most importantly, the orientalism he had come to associate with Tagore and the Tagorian lineage. There may lie the success of Ray as a documentarian.
Bibliography
