Pather Panchali: Rs.3,000 and the world for Ray

Kolkata, Aug 27 (IANS): Satyajit Ray received only Rs.3,000 as honorarium for directing his debut film "Pather Panchali" that came to be the face of new Indian cinema.

He struggled hard to put together the cast and when he did so, he didn't have the money to shoot. He sold his music collection that was so dear to him and also sold his wife's jewellery.

A few scenes were shot, but with no money around, the shooting came to a grinding halt. Help came from the West Bengal government and "Pather Panchali" was released in Kolkata in August 26, 1955.

From Aug 26 to Sep 13, 1955, "Pather Panchali" grossed Rs.380,000. Within the first 19 days, the state government had made Rs.165,917.50 in profits from the film.

Ray, an advertisement professional, was given Rs.3,000 as honorarium for his services as director of the film.

But "Pather Panchali" brought global recognition to young Ray, who, buoyed by the success, began planning two more sequels to the film that came to be known as the Apu trilogy.

The remaining two films of the trilogy, "Aparajito" and "Apur Sansar" follow Apu - the young boy of Pather Panchali - as the son, the man and finally the father.

"Pather Panchali" won numerous awards in Cannes, London, Edinburgh, Manila, Rome, Berlin, San Francisco, Vancouver, Tokyo and New York among others. It won the Indian President's Gold Medal in 1955.