Satyajit Ray (2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was a Bengali Indian filmmaker, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century. Ray was born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into independent filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a visit to London. Ray directed 36 films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. He was also a fiction writer, publisher, illustrator, calligrapher, music composer, graphic designer and film critic. He authored several short stories and novels, primarily aimed at children and adolescents. Feluda, the sleuth, and Professor Shonku, the scientist in his science fiction stories, are popular fictional characters created by him. He was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford University. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven international prizes, including the inaugural Best Human Document award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. This film, along with Aparajito (1956), and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) (1959) form The Apu Trilogy. Ray did the scripting, casting, scoring, and editing, and designed his own credit titles and publicity material. Ray received many major awards in his career, including 32 Indian National Film Awards, a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies, and an Academy Honorary Award in 1992. The Government of India honored him with the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- May 2, 1921
- April 23, 1992 (aged 70)
- Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India [now India]
- Writer, composer, director and producer, also editor
- 15 on MovieCove · 86 credits in all
What are Satyajit Ray's films like?
Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 12
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 7
Grounded 10 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 2
Steady 10 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet9
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Satyajit Ray's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (9).
- The Hero (1966) · director, writer, composer, editor
- The Big City (1963) · director, writer, composer
- The World of Apu (1959) · director, writer, producer
- Aparajito (1956) · director, writer, producer
- Charulata (1964) · director, writer, composer
- Pather Panchali (1955) · director, writer, producer
- The Goddess (1960) · director, writer, producer
- The Music Room (1958) · director, writer, producer
- The River (1951) · assistant director
Subscription and free streaming for Satyajit Ray's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
86 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Feluda Pherot - Jawto Kando Kathmandute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Nayan Rahasya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Jigarthanda Double X(2023)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Master Anshuman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Puroskar - The Prize (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Hatyapuri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
The Storyteller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Feludar Goyendagiri: Darjeeling Jawmjawmaat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Class Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Ray(2021)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows
Chonchu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
The Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Anukul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
A Unicorn Adventure(2017)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Double Feluda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Ahalya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Badshahi Angti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Chaar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Bombay Talkies(2013)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Royal Bengal Rahasya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Gorosthane Sabdhan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Tintorettor Jishu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Kailashey Kelenkari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Bombaiyer Bombete (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Dr. Munshir Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Golapi Mukta Rahasya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Ambar Sen Antordhan Rahasyo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Ray: Life and Work of Satyajit Ray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Ghurghutiar Ghotona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Bipin Choudhurir Smritibhram (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Jahangirer Swarnamudra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Sheyal Debota Rahasya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Bosepukure Khunkharapi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Baksho Rahashya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Feluda 30 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Jato Kando Kathmandute (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Gosainpur Sargaram (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Uttoran (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Golokdham Rahasya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Goopy Bagha Feere Elo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
The Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Branches of the Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
An Enemy of the People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Sukumar Ray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Home and the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Phatik Chand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Pikoo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Sadgati (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Kingdom of Diamonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Elephant God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Chess Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Middleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Bala (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Golden Fortress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Distant Thunder(1973)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Inner Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Company Limited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Sikkim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
The Adversary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Days and Nights in the Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Baksa Badal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Zoo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Hero(1966)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Shakespeare-Wallah(1965)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Coward (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Holy Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Charulata(1964)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Householder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Big City(1963)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Expedition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Kanchenjungha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Rabindranath Tagore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Lost Jewels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Three Daughters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Goddess(1960)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The World of Apu(1959)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Music Room(1958)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Philosopher's Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Aparajito(1956)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Pather Panchali(1955)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The River(1951)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Captain Spark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Criminals of Kathmandu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 85 titles, 83 of them dated from 1951 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Bombay Talkies (2013)
Highest rated
The Big City (1963)
Most popular right now
Ray (2021)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Satyajit Ray's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 98th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 97th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up11
- 50th to 74th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 15 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved9
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 67/100 and the plot and story 67/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Satyajit Ray's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Satyajit Ray work with?
People who share at least 2 of Satyajit Ray's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dulal Dutta shares the most, 9.
Writers
- Bibhutibhushan BandyopadhyayShared titles: Distant Thunder (1973), The World of Apu (1959), Aparajito (1956), Pather Panchali (1955)See all 4 shared titles with Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay
Actors
- Soumitra ChatterjeeShared titles: Distant Thunder (1973), Charulata (1964), The Goddess (1960), The World of Apu (1959)See all 4 shared titles with Soumitra Chatterjee
- Sharmila TagoreShared titles: The Hero (1966), The Goddess (1960), The World of Apu (1959)See all 3 shared titles with Sharmila Tagore
- Karuna BannerjeeShared titles: The Goddess (1960), Aparajito (1956), Pather Panchali (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Karuna Bannerjee
- Subrata SensharmaShared titles: The Hero (1966), Charulata (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Subrata Sensharma
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Dulal DuttaShared titles: Distant Thunder (1973), The Hero (1966), Charulata (1964), The Big City (1963), The Goddess (1960), The World of Apu (1959), The Music Room (1958), Aparajito (1956), Pather Panchali (1955)See all 9 shared titles with Dulal Dutta
- Subrata MitraShared titles: The Hero (1966), Shakespeare-Wallah (1965), Charulata (1964), The Big City (1963), The Goddess (1960), The World of Apu (1959), The Music Room (1958), Aparajito (1956), Pather Panchali (1955)See all 9 shared titles with Subrata Mitra
- Ravi ShankarShared titles: The World of Apu (1959), Aparajito (1956), Pather Panchali (1955)See all 3 shared titles with Ravi Shankar
Producers
- R.D. BansalShared titles: The Hero (1966), Charulata (1964), The Big City (1963)See all 3 shared titles with R.D. Bansal
- Aminyanath MukherjiShared titles: The Goddess (1960), The World of Apu (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Aminyanath Mukherji