Satyajit Ray is rightly recognised as one of the world's greatest directors. He made an immediate impact with his directorial debut, Pather Panchali (1955), winning Awards and acclaim at film festivals the world over. Pather Panchali was the first instalment of the celebrated Apu Trilogy, charting the life of a young boy in a Bengal village, from childhood through to adulthood and marriage.

Ray created his next masterpiece, Charulata, in 1964. Charulata has been cited by many as Ray's finest film. Ray, a Bengali, made most of his films in his mother tongue. His first film in Urdu/Hindi, the language used in Bollywood films, was the brilliant Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977), which is also known as The Chess Players. During the 1980s, Ray was forced to give up films for about 5 years due to ill-health. Ray's last major film was Agantuk (1991). In 1992, Satyajit Ray was awarded an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, a month before his passing.