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No takers for Ray's films?

Zakia Maryam in Calcutta

If the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) officials are to be believed, there appears to be very few takers for legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's movies today. Of the 30 movies that Ray directed, videos for only four are available at NFDC.

According to U N Krishnan, NFDC's regional manager in Calcutta, poor demand and lack of marketing facilities have prevented them from reproducing Ray's movies. It may do well to remember the latter was awarded the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement just before his death in the early 1990s.

"People are no longer interested in watching his movies, thereby forcing us to stop making the videos. The NFDC had, indeed, made some efforts to market Ray's movies in the past, but was disappointed by the lukewarm responses of the audience. What surprised us most was the disinterest shown by video retailers even in West Bengal. We were ready to establish our own outlets and spend money on advertising, but considering the poor demand, we thought monetarily, it was just not viable," says Krishnan.

All the NFDC has in its stocks today are Pather Panchali, Ghare Baire, Agantuk and Jalsaghar. Krishnan says the videos for Ray's other movies such as Aparajito, Apur Sansar and Charulata are just not traceable.

Does it mean that Ray's movies, which won him an Oscar, a rare distinction, especially for an Indian, have now failed to enthuse even the culturally fanatic Bengali audience? Says Aparna Sen, well-known director, editor of the Bengali women's magazine, Sananda, and a Ray dicovery, "there is no denying the fact that Ray's movies are not being received well nowadays. But it's not because his films have proved irrelevant in today's world. Thanks to the influence of masala Hindi movies, Bengali cinema as a whole has undergone a complete metamorphosis. Things have come to such a pass that even a so-called hit film finds a very small audience in West Bengal."

Also, she adds, it's the general degradation in values which have made the Bengalis forget how to appreciate good films, including those made by Ray.

Soumitro Chatterjee, who was Ray's favourite leading man, however, does not believe that his movies have lost their relevance to today's audiences, even in his homeland. "Ray's Apu Trilogy, along with many other films, are still considered to be among the greatest works in world cinema. He was no ordinary director whose work could be understood by everybody

"If you say there are no markets for his films in places like Delhi, Bombay or Madras, I will agree since you don't expect them to appreciate Bengali movies. But the same theory can't be applied to the Bengali audience who continue to throng the theatres in droves whenever Ray's movies are shown," the veteran actor concludes.

Chatterjee's statements are echoed by others as well. Swati Roy, an entrepreneur, feels there must be something wrong with the functioning of NFDC if it is not able to market Ray's movies.

She suggests that the Satyajit Ray Film Training Institute in Calcutta should take up the responsibility of recovering the lost videos of the legendary filmmaker. She is optimistic that any such move will surely receive the overwhelming support of Bengalis.

When contacted, the officials at SRFTI refused to comment on the matter, saying that their "institute had no role to play in the controversy."