A small alien creature crash lands on Earth before striking up a rapport with a boy. Sound familiar? Two decades before ET was released, Indian director Satyajit Ray wrote a script for a film that would be called Tujec, which bears striking similarities with Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood blockbuster. The movie was never made. Ray was ahead of his time in many ways. Although not primarily remembered for his science fiction, the Bengali polymath was frequently inspired by a scientific way of thinking. Ray’s legacy is revisited in this latest episode of the Svetovne zgodbe fizike podcast.
Born in Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1921, Ray was not only a film director but also an established author, essayist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher and music composer. Between 1955 and 1991, Ray directed almost 30 features, as well as short films and documentaries. Many won leading prizes at international film festivals. In 1991 he was awarded an Oscar for lifetime achievement – the only such Oscar to be bestowed on an Indian director. Ray also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford, the second film director to be awarded this honour after his hero Charles Chaplin.
Ray’s work is explored in this episode of Svetovne zgodbe fizike, presented as always by science communication specialist Andrew Glester. Joining the podcast is Andrew Robinson, Avtor Satyajit Ray: the Inner Eye, who reflects on Ray’s personality and creative process, having known the Indian director personally. Also featuring is Moumita Dasgupta a biophysicist at Augsburg University in the US, who credits Ray’s work – especially his writing – as an inspiration for her career in science.
Discover more about Satyajit Ray’s work and the story behind Tujec in Andrew Robinson’s članek from the August issue of Svet fizike.
