Many of us recognise the name of Mr. Satyajit Ray because of it being a constant mention in countless debates and discussions about great filmmakers of India. He is very aptly known as a master of storytelling and his legacy stands as proof to validate this title of his. What most Indians are unaware of is the fact that his talent was not just limited to the field of film making and script writing. Ray is said to be one of the first few individuals to bridge the gap between art, writing, film and graphics in the country.
He was a part of the initial commercial advertising industry of India as a graphic designer long before he decided to get involved with film making. It is then not a surprise that he designed and sketched for the posters of his own films. Film posters were tricky things to deal with in those times – considering they were equivalent ‘paper trailers’ that were put up on streets across the country, one had to make sure to perfectly express the theme and mood of the film on just a piece of paper. Ray did just that and more.
His posters show an eccentric fusion of Eastern folk art with techniques of the West. They often are collages of images, lettering and portraits from the films sketched by the filmmaker himself. Influences of contemporary pop art can be seen in his work with floating, cut-out heads being a recurring motif in Ray’s designs. His extensive use of photography in a time when most Indian film posters were hand printed is considered as a huge feat by many. Being a calligrapher himself, Ray experimented with fonts in both English and Bengali for the logos of his films and his flair for portraiture can be seen in his sketches of characters from his films included in their ‘paper trailers’. Each poster gives us insights into his own interpretation of the film put together on a single sheet of paper.
While Ray’s films have been reinterpreted and analysed repeatedly over the years, his posters have been left untouched. We have compiled together a few vibrant works of the veteran filmmaker, which make for an excellent feast for the eyes and some food for thought for the mind.
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