Unquestionably, Satyajit Ray is a legendary director! In 2022, Pather Panchali, directed by Ray, became the only Indian picture to appear on Sight and Sound’s list of the 100 finest films ever made, demonstrating once more that great art endures through the years.

Sight and Sound, a British magazine, has released their once every ten years list of the finest movies ever made. A new winner was chosen among the 1,639 participating critics, programmers, curators, archivists, and academics who submitted their top 10 lists.

For the first time in the history of the poll, Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman’s 1975 drama Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles was declared as the greatest film of all time.

Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali becomes the only Indian movie to make the list

Satyajit Ray’s 1955 film Pather Panchali bagged the 35th spot, making it the only Indian film to be part of the coveted list. According to the magazine, “Pather Panchali announced the arrival of a humanistic, Calcutta-centred Indian art cinema, distinct from the commercial product of Bollywood.

Among the film’s intensely memorable moments is a scene in which Apu (Subir Banerjee) and his sister run through a paddy field to catch a glimpse of a passing train.”

Ode to India’s greatest filmmaker: Cannes Film Festival in discussion with Indian government for retrospective of Satyajit Ray films

The famed Apu Trilogy’s first instalment, Pather Panchali, launched Ray to international stardom.

About Sight and Sound’s survey of the 100 greatest movies ever

Every ten years, Sight and Sound, which was founded in 1952, publishes the poll. The top 10 lists for this year were contributed by a total of 1,639 reviewers, programmers, curators, archivists, and academics.

Bicycle Thieves, directed by Vittorio de Sica, won the election when it was initially announced in 1952. The ranking was then topped by Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane in 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002. Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, won the 2012 election, which was the most recent one.