Mumbai illustrator turns Satyajit Ray's iconic movie posters into tribute to COVID-19 heroes

Mitra’s re-imagination of Pather Panchali. Pics Courtesy/Aniket Mitra

Every year on legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's birth anniversary, Goregaon-based visual artist Aniket Mitra tries to celebrate his childhood icon in his own way. A couple of years ago, it was a set of witty minimalist posters of Ray's films; last year, it was a lively sketch of a selfie of the bossman with some of his illustrious colleagues. But this year - Ray's birth centenary - with all that's going on around us, Mitra, a storyboard consultant who's worked on hits like Dil Bechara, was in no mindspace to celebrate. "I lost my father in late 2020, and have been devastated with the current state of affairs," shares the Kolkata native who's been helping coordinate Covid-19 relief work.

Satyajit Ray

"A couple of days before May 2 [Ray's birth anniversary], it struck me how the titles of most of Ray's iconic films are intrinsically linked with our current crisis. Ray's films have always been about the common people - the ones steering us out of this crisis today. I felt this would be a good time to pay a tribute to these folks, who, without any political backing, are helping us every day," he adds.

Aniket Mitra

The labour of a day's work, and perhaps the last 14 months' exasperation, is ‘Ray'alisation - a series of 10 posters of Ray's films, re-imagined by Mitra to depict the current crisis. The illustrated tribute to the master, which has been widely shared, in Mitra's words, commemorates "satya-r jeet", or the victory of truth.

Mahanagar

So, instead of the much-adored visual of Apu, Durga and their mother in Ray's directorial debut Pather Panchali's poster, Mitra's version is an ode to the story of an ambulance worker who broke down on his driving wheel after a particularly excruciating day. "If this is not pather panchali [literally translating to song of the road], what is?" Mitra reminds us. Sharmila Tagore's memorable Devi poster in the 32-year-old's version features a nurse, holding a baby. "I had read the news of a nurse, who had to leave her baby at home, to take care of patients, and another, who took on the job of feeding an ill child, as his mother couldn't. That's the true essence of a goddess," Mitra shares.

Ghare Baire

Among other everyday heroes who've been immortalised in his illustrations are delivery executives, policemen, relief volunteers, and plasma donors in the posters of Ghare Baire, Seemabaddha, Mahanagar and Nayak, respectively. But Mitra's series is not just a hat-tip to these heroes; the water colour-splattered visuals are striking reminders of some of the most heart-breaking events of the past year. Jana Aranya, for instance, depicts the burning fires in over-crowded crematoriums. Then there's Ganashatru, portraying the mask-less enemy; and Ashani Sanket, a nod to the omnipresent oximeter which beeps at the first sign of danger. "Abhijan, again, is a visual eulogy to the migrants' journey. It was in memory of my interaction with a migrant woman at Dindoshi bus depot. When I offered her packets of milk for her crying baby, she refused, saying, ‘This will silence my child, but what of the others behind me?' That image haunted me for days," he elaborates.

Devi

Even as he continues to receive much love and acclaim for the series now, Mitra's connection with Ray goes back a long way. The first reward his debut short The Paper Boy earned was the Satyajit Ray Award; he also landed one of his first breaks, inspired by his icon's popular hand-drawn storyboards. "I feel that if Ray was alive today, he, too, would've encouraged the young brigade that is saving lives today. He would've been there with them in solidarity," he signs off.

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