Pather Panchali, directed by Satyajit Ray, was made at a time when the Indian Film Industry, especially Bengali movies, was at its lowest point. It was a turning point not only for Ray but also for the Bengali movie industry.
This movie is iconic for various reasons. The story itself is an iconic work of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. The story of Apu and Durga. Ray told this story beautifully through the character of IndirThakrun and others and portrayed life in rural Bengal; their happiness, despair, poverty everything.
Almost everyone in this movie was an amateur, including Ray. It was his first movie. He didn’t have enough funds to continue shooting. He got help from the state government for this as a loan. So this movie not only depicts the hardships faced by Apu and his family but is also a mark of Ray’s determination and skills as an able director.
It won the award for Best Human Document in 1956 at the Cannes film festival. It was the first Indian movie to receive such international acclaim. It is probably the first Bengali movie that doesn’t have a single song in it. This was a bold decision on Ray’s part.