5 Hollywood Celebrities Who Are a Huge Fan of Legendary Indian Filmmaker Satyajit Ray

The Kolkata-born filmmaker and screenwriter Satyajit Ray had a massive fan following not just in India, but also across the world. If there ever was a one-man army in the industry, capable of handling everything at once, it was Ray. With movies like Aparijito, Charulata, and Devi, Ray weaved magic on screen with his words, the way each character was presented, and the overall flow of the story.

Ray landed in Hollywood back in 1967, with big dreams and a hope to make The Alien for the screen. Columbia Pictures agreed to fund the projects and thus began Ray’s quest to make his vision come to life. The legendary filmmaker received an Academy Honorary Award merely a month before he died, for which he gave the acceptance speech from his bed.

Thus, his incredible fan following in Hollywood is explained as the Western industry also witnessed his grandiosity and got inspired by the same. Here’s a list of Hollywood celebrities who have confessed to being fans of Satyajit Ray.

Martin Scorsese

Much like Satyajit Ray’s realistic and gritty portrayals of real life, Martin Scorsese’s projects have a similar quality that makes his movies believable. Both filmmakers tend to present a valid view of the current world with a focus on character building and their overall trajectory in life.

Scorsese wrote an article for The Indian Express, sharing his views on Ray’s projects as he mentioned,

We all need to see the films of Satyajit Ray and re-see them, again and again. Taken all together, they’re one of our greatest treasures.

While nominating Ray for an Academy Award, Scorsese said praised Ray by saying,

We would like to bring to your attention, and to the attention of the distinguished board of directors of the Academy, a master filmmaker, Satyajit Ray… Though somewhat unwell, during the past few years he has completed two additional films, centered around his deeply humanitarian vision. His work is in the company of that of living contemporaries like Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini.

Scorsese has often hailed Ray as his inspiration as he fell in love with how the Indian filmmaker captured and presented human emotions.

Julia Roberts

The brilliant Hollywood actress Julia Roberts is not untouched by Ray’s work and authentic storytelling. When she saw his movies, she was moved by the incredibly realistic portrayal of life and all the characters. When Ray passed away in 1992, she said the following in an effort to honor his memory,

Not even in Hollywood do we have a director of Ray’s calibre today. When special effects and technical superiority was unknown to cinema, he created master pieces in the simplest of form. I still wonder how fabulously he used Madhabi Mukherjee’s eyes in mid and tight close ups in Charulata.

Ray truly revolutionized the way people consumed cinema. Away from the highly commercialized projects, Ray focused on stories that mattered, even if he had to struggle to get the funding he needed. The filmmaker stuck to his guns and only worked on what brought his vision to life.

Alden Ehrenreich

The Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich has also expressed his admiration for Ray. He was a teenager when he watched the movies but still couldn’t help being enamored by the world-building and character trajectory he crafted for the movie. Ehrenreich expressed,

I was a teenager at that time, and I remember being so struck by how personal those films felt and the world that you are introduced to. At least from someone who is from the region, those films seemed so dynamic, which showed his mastery over the medium, and it was just from a cinematography standpoint. They were really touching and really moving. So, it was really exciting for me as a teenager to see those films.

It’s heartening to see Ray’s influence seep through the masses across the world as people watch the way he brought fiction to life on the screen. His vast filmography is as versatile and diverse as it is heartwarming. Every story brings a unique aspect to the forefront.

Meryl Streep

Other than being an awe-inspiring actress, Meryl Streep is also an activist for women’s rights as she works with women in underprivileged areas. She was pleasantly surprised by how Ray managed to portray women and their stories with such sensitivity in his movies.

Streep said,

His handling of actress Madhabi Mukherjee in Charulata shows how much respect and dignity Ray gave to his actresses. That itself is the hallmark of a true director. I have not an iota of doubt that if Ray worked in Hollywood, he would have proved a tough competition for the likes of Sir David Lean, Francis Ford Coppola, and Sir Alan Parker.

Ray was way ahead of his time as people failed to understand and appreciate his work back in the day. Now, as the digital world makes every past project available at the click of a button, everyone is finally giving Ray the credit he deserves for his forward-thinking attitude and innovative filmmaking.

George Lucas

The man behind the expansive Star Wars universe has been another admirer of Satyajit Ray. George Lucas claimed that as a film student, he studied the art and style of Ray as a filmmaker. The Indian director and writer has had such a strong impact on the world of cinema that he is the subject of entire modules and class courses in the film sphere. Lucas also said,

Satyajit Ray is an extraordinary filmmaker with a long and illustrious career who has had a profound influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world. By honoring Satyajit Ray, the Academy will help bring his work to the attention of a larger public, particularly to young filmmakers, on whom his work will certainly have a positive effect.

With his impressive contributions, Ray has made his country proud and given the cinema industry something to mold itself around. Lucas’s Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises certainly contain references and some inspiration from Ray’s work.