Remembering iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray on his 24th death anniversary, superstar Amitabh Bachchan said it was a “privilege” for him to work with one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema.
The 73-year-old actor had lent his baritone voice for the narration of Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi in 1977.
“Satyajit Ray death anniversary... Had the great privilege of giving my voice in one of his films... ‘ Shatranj Ke Khiladi ’,” Big B tweeted on Saturday.
The award-winning filmmaker’s first film Pather Panchali , won eleven international prizes, including the inaugural Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. He received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He was also honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
In 1992, Ray’s health deteriorated due to heart complications. He was admitted to a hospital, but he did not recover. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded him an Honorary Academy Award. Ray is the first and the only Indian, yet, to receive the honour.
Twenty four days before his death, Ray accepted the award in a gravely ill condition, calling it the “Best achievement of his movie-making career”. He died at the age of 71. —IANS
Amitabh Bachchan was the narrator in Satyajit Ray’s film Shatranj Ke khiladi
