10 Best Satyajit Ray Films Every Indian Film Fan Should Watch

The best Satyajit Ray films to watch are the Apu Trilogy (Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Apur Sansar), Charulata, Jalsaghar, Mahanagar, Nayak, Aranyer Din Ratri, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and Sonar Kella. Together they cover drama, comedy, fantasy and detective stories, and show why Ray is India’s most celebrated filmmaker.

Born in Calcutta on 2 May 1921, Ray directed his first film in 1955 and worked until his death on 23 April 1992. He received an honorary Academy Award and the Bharat Ratna in 1992, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1984. Most of his films are in Bengali and are easy to find with English subtitles. Here is where to begin.

1. Pather Panchali (1955)

Ray’s first film follows Apu, a young boy, and his elder sister Durga in a poor Brahmin family in rural Bengal. It was made on a tight budget with mostly new actors, and it took years to finish.

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The film won the Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival and put Indian cinema on the world map. Pandit Ravi Shankar composed the music.

Watch for the famous train sequence, in which Apu and Durga run through a field of kaash flowers to see a steam engine pass. It is one of the most discussed scenes in Indian cinema.

2. Aparajito (1956)

The second part of the Apu Trilogy follows Apu as he grows up in Benaras and later moves to Calcutta to study. The film focuses on his relationship with his mother as he slowly drifts away from her.

3. Apur Sansar (1959)

The final part shows Apu as a young man trying to become a writer. It marked the screen debut of Soumitra Chatterjee as Apu and of Sharmila Tagore as his wife, Aparna. Soumitra went on to act in 14 of Ray’s films.

4. Jalsaghar (1958)

Known in English as The Music Room, this film is about a zamindar who spends his last money on music concerts in his crumbling mansion. Chhabi Biswas plays the lead, and the film features performances by classical musicians, including Begum Akhtar.

5. Mahanagar (1963)

Madhabi Mukherjee plays Arati, a housewife in Calcutta who takes up a job as a saleswoman when her family needs money. The film looks at how a working woman changes the balance of a middle-class home, a subject that still feels current.

6. Charulata (1964)

Based on a Rabindranath Tagore novella, Charulata follows a lonely, educated wife in 1870s Calcutta who grows close to her husband’s cousin. Ray often called it his own favourite. It won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival.

7. Nayak (1966)

Uttam Kumar, the biggest Bengali star of his time, plays a matinee idol travelling by train from Calcutta to Delhi to receive an award. Over the journey, a young journalist, played by Sharmila Tagore, draws out his doubts and fears. Ray wrote the screenplay himself.

8. Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969)

Based on a story by his grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, this musical fantasy follows two hopeless musicians who receive magical gifts from a king of ghosts. Ray wrote and composed the songs. It is the best Ray film to show children.

9. Aranyer Din Ratri (1970)

Days and Nights in the Forest follows four young men from Calcutta on a holiday in the forests of Palamau, in present-day Jharkhand. Their city habits clash with the people they meet. Sharmila Tagore and Kaberi Bose star alongside Soumitra Chatterjee.

10. Sonar Kella (1974)

Ray also wrote the Feluda detective stories, and Sonar Kella is the first Feluda film. Soumitra Chatterjee plays the detective, who travels to Rajasthan to protect a boy who claims to remember a past life in a golden fort. The film made Jaisalmer Fort a popular stop for Bengali tourists.

Quick guide to Ray’s essential films

Film	Year	Type	Lead actor
Pather Panchali	1955	Rural drama	Subir Banerjee
Apur Sansar	1959	Drama	Soumitra Chatterjee
Charulata	1964	Period drama	Madhabi Mukherjee
Nayak	1966	Character study	Uttam Kumar
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne	1969	Musical fantasy	Tapen Chatterjee
Sonar Kella	1974	Detective	Soumitra Chatterjee

Two more worth knowing

Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) was Ray’s only feature in Hindustani. Set in Lucknow in 1856, it stars Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey as two noblemen obsessed with chess while the British take over Awadh. It is the easiest entry point for Hindi-speaking viewers.

Agantuk (1991) was his last film. A stranger claiming to be a long-lost uncle visits a Calcutta family, who are not sure whether to trust him. It is a calm, thoughtful film about what it means to be civilised. Utpal Dutt plays the stranger.

Ray also directed documentaries, including one on Rabindranath Tagore made in 1961 for the poet’s birth centenary. These are harder to find but worth seeking out once you have seen the main features.

Where to watch Satyajit Ray films

Many of Ray’s films were restored by the Academy Film Archive in the United States, including the Apu Trilogy, Charulata, Jalsaghar, Mahanagar, Nayak and Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. Availability on Indian streaming platforms changes often, so search the title in your OTT apps before buying a copy. Film societies and festivals also screen Ray retrospectives regularly.

For more on the filmmakers and actors who shaped Indian cinema, see our people section, and for more film guides, visit entertainment.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Satyajit Ray, Wikipedia: The Apu Trilogy, Wikipedia: Pather Panchali.