Satyajit Ray could act well and would often act out scenes to his cast. Contrary to perceptions, he did not have any distinctive method in directing his actors.
Sharing such nuggets of information on the maestro, collected through his over three-decade association with Ray, actor Soumitra Chatterjee says that though the man was feted the world over for his films, he was much, much more.
Mr. Chatterjee was delivering the Ray Memorial Lecture at an event titled “Master and I”, organised by the Society for Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives to mark the auteur’s 94th birth anniversary on Saturday.
“He often use his actors as puppets, he would often act out a scene so that the actor can just copy it … during those moments, I saw how well he could act,” Mr. Chatterjee said while pointing out that Ray never liked doing it in this manner, though.
“Many wonder, and discuss, whether Ray had any distinct manner of directing his actors,” Mr. Chatterjee said adding that the truth was that Ray had no particular template that he employed during direction. “He just knew how to get the best out of his actors,” he said.
Mr. Chatterjee held the audience in thrall with recollections of Ray’s handling of children who dominated many of his movies. Ray would answer all the questions children asked, despite a gruelling day at the location, Mr. Chatterjee said.
