Satyajit Ray is certainly a lesser-known name among western film audiences. Born in 1921 in the Indian city of Kolkata, Ray directed a total of 36 films in his lifetime. These 36 films span an extensive cinematic depth, ranging from groundbreaking genre work to grounded, humanistic tales that convey complex lessons about the universal human experience. The auteur found success and recognition in world cinema from his very first film Pather Panchali. The movie broke cultural barriers and was a massive hit in US markets. It went on to win Best Human Document at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Along with its two sequels, effectively making up The Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali has found a place in many critic lists of the all-time best movies.

Ray’s deep mastery of the cinematic artform, along with the immense emotional quotient he garnered in his films, has inspired some of the greatest filmmakers you know today. Many of them have spoken openly about the impact his films have made on their own lives. Even Meryl Streep has praised the dignified way with which Ray presented women characters in his movies, and said that had he worked in Hollywood, he would have been a tough competition for the likes of Sir David Lean and Francis Ford Coppola. As such, here are 7 major Hollywood directors who were inspired by Indian film auteur Satyajit Ray.

7 Wes Anderson

The brothers participate in a funeral
Searchlight Pictures

Ray was one of the biggest influences for Wes Anderson. The Hollywood director has spoken many times about the impact Ray has made on his own work. Indeed, his first exposure to Ray’s work was at the age of 15, when he rented the film Teen Kanya at his local video store. His love of Ray’s films even inspired him to visit India, and he eventually made a film set in the country, The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson dedicated the film to Ray, and even borrowed some cues for the movie’s background score from Ray’s own work.

Related: Best Satyajit Ray Movies, Ranked

6 Christopher Nolan

tenet-india-scene
Warner Bros.

Christopher Nolan spoke about his love for Ray’s first film Pather Panchali during his visit to India in 2018. His visit was prompted by production of the film Tenet, part of which is set in India. He appeared to credit the movie for birthing his interest in Indian cinema, even calling Pather Panchali one of the best films ever made.

5 Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese's cameo in Taxi Driver
Columbia Pictures

Martin Scorsese is a keen follower of Indian cinema and has praised the work of modern filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap. His first experience with Ray’s work was as a high schooler, watching a dubbed version of Pather Panchali on television. The movie came to Scorsese as a revelation, and he continues to revisit his films time and again. It was also Scorsese who proposed Ray for the Lifetime Achievement Oscar he received in 1991.

Related: 8 Movies That Have Gotten Martin Scorsese's Seal of Approval

4 George Lucas

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George Lucas discovered Ray's movies as a film student, and considered his filmography an important part of his education as a director. Later, he was one of the Hollywood names to nominate Ray for the Lifetime Achievement Oscar. Reflecting on his own experience with Ray’s films, he commented that the Indian auteur “has had a profound influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.”

3 Francis Ford Coppola

Marlon Brando in The Godfather
Paramount Pictures

The relationship between Ray and Francis Ford Coppola, director of the iconic Godfather trilogy, was one of mutual admiration. Coppola was particularly attuned to Bollywood movies because of his own family background in musicals. Ray’s work, in particular, was his lens into the traditions of Indian cinema, and he considered Ray’s film Devi to be a “cinematic milestone”. Coppola has publicly recalled the phone call between him and Ray, during which Ray praised The Godfather, and complimented the performances of Al Pacino and Marlon Brando in the movie.

2 Elia Kazan

Marlon Brando on set for Streetcar Named Desire
Warner Bros.

Actor and director Elia Kazan, known for his innovative and influential style of directing in films like A Streetcar Named Desire, was also a great admirer of Ray. “I have admired his films for many years and for me he is the filmic voice of India, speaking for the people of all classes of the country,” he said about the Indian filmmaker. Kazan even considered that Ray would have been “a tough challenge” for Hollywood filmmakers if he had chosen to work in that side of the world.

1 Akira Kurosawa

Samurai stands alone in the mist.
Kurosawa Production

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was a major fan of Ray, and uttered one of the most memorable lines of praise directed towards him — “Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.” Kurosawa loved Ray’s power to stir deep sentiments in the viewer with an exact hand, and was impressed by the “deep observation, understanding, and love of the human race,” which were apparent in all his films.