Mumbai: Legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray once spoke about how his story was ripped off to make the Hollywood film ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’.
A recently resurfaced video of the late filmmaker talking about the plagiarism shows him narrating the story of what exactly happened.
He said in the video, “Long before ‘ET’, my science fiction screenplay was germinated from that story. I wrote a science fiction story called ‘The Alien’, full screenplay, which was supposed to be financed by Columbia. That is why I spent five weeks in Hollywood, in connection with that. It’s only that I had a person who was working as a middleman, who behaved peculiarly, and the idea had to be dropped”.
Satyajit Ray was one of India’s greatest filmmakers and a towering figure in world cinema. He was born in Kolkata into a culturally rich family, and grew up surrounded by literature, art, and music, influences that later shaped his filmmaking style. After studying at Visva-Bharati University and working in advertising, he discovered his passion for cinema and was deeply inspired by Italian Neorealism, especially ‘Bicycle Thieves’.
His debut film, ‘Pather Panchali’, marked a historic moment in Indian cinema. The film was made on a shoestring budget with non-professional actors, it introduced naturalistic storytelling and won global acclaim, including at Cannes. It formed the first part of the iconic ‘Apu Trilogy’, which follows a Bengali boy’s journey from rural childhood to adulthood. Across his career, he directed over 30 films, including ‘Charulata’, ‘Mahanagar’, ‘Jalsaghar’, ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’, and ‘Shatranj ke Khilari’.
His work was known for humanism, quiet emotional depth, and meticulous craftsmanship. He was also a writer, illustrator, composer, and designer, creating everything from his film scores to his poster art. He received the Bharat Ratna and an Honorary Oscar in 1992. His films continue to influence generations, standing as timeless explorations of human relationships and society.
(IANS)
