Apu Trilogy - Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) & Apur Sansar (1959) - (Movies To See Before You Die - Drama)

The world renowned master filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s famous trilogy of 3 movies (Bengali) based on the life of Apu and his family has a definite place in All Time Great Movies List made anywhere in the world till date. The films (especially the first one in the series titled “Pather Panchali”) are considered as one of the best expressions on human relationships and sufferings in the extreme conditions of a life lived in villages. The series specifically focuses on the Indian culture and the circumstances faced by people in the rural areas and their migration to the cities in that particular time period of the century. The scripts were actually based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s two Bengali novels: Pather Panchali (1929) and Aparajito (1932), along with music composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar.

In Pather Panchali (“Song of the Little Road” - 1955) (Satayjit Ray’s most appreciated movie among all) – the director focuses on kid Apu, his sister Durga, their parents and their old grandmother living her final years in rural Bengal.

In Aparajito (“The Unvanquished” - 1956) – the main emphasis is on Apu’s relationship with his mother, his schooling plus their fresh days in the city and then the return to the village fighting with poverty.