Not All Of Ray's Films Are Equally Great

Having a conversation with Girish Kasaravalli at his home in Bengaluru is not easy as his replies often get drowned out in the din of the traffic outside. The globally acclaimed director has a clear opinion about the evolution of Indian cinema and the contributions by eminent directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Kasaravalli says although Ray’s cinema language was unique, it was missing in his final few films.

- Rabi Banerjee

INTERVIEW / Girish Kasaravalli, director

Edited excerpts:

Q/ How do you assess Ray’s movies?

A/ Movies like Charulata, Pather Panchali, Mahanagar and Kapurush are masterpieces. Not all of Ray’s films, however, are equally great. He was unique in using the cinema language. It was his brand. But that was missing in his last three or four films which I call chamber films. Those films, like Shakha Prosakha, Ganashatru and Agantuk did not have that touch.

Q/ There is absolute realism in Pather Panchali.

A/ I list Pather Panchali very high not because of realism. Ray’s greatness lies in how he characterises the unbeatable spirit of human nature against all odds. He could capture what was known as the old world, and in that world, Ray was able to touch the hearts of many.

Q/ But what could be the reason for bringing the old world into reality?

A/ He never made films with a certain agenda. In his films, the story is not told, but it unfolds. When the story is told, you know the presence of the narrator. When it unfolds, you do not know the narrator, but only the inner voice. A lot of people tried such a form of presentation after Ray. But what he did was simply the best.

Q/ What is your opinion about the political position he took in the film?

A/ He never took any radical position. He looked at issues from all possible directions, unlike those who had a fixed agenda. The purity of Ray was that he could look from different directions. He got the holistic perspective of the situation.

Q/ He was known as a left liberal.