Hyderabad: A resurfaced video of Satyajit Ray has sparked a fresh debate online, but the real shock is not what the legendary filmmaker said – it is what the comment section turned it into.
In the old clip, Ray is seen speaking about his iconic film “Devi,” a movie that questioned blind faith, religious dogmatism and the dangerous consequences of unquestioned devotion. He explained that the film was not received the way he expected, largely because, according to him, a big section of the audience at the time was still “backward” and “unsophisticated” in its understanding of cinema.
Ray also spoke about how viewers were deeply consumed by commercial films and had little regard for the kind of cinema he wanted to make. For him, films were not just entertainment. They were art, poetry, thought and reflection.
Decades later, the irony could not be louder
As the clip resurfaced, instead of discussing Ray’s brilliance or the relevance of his words even today, a section of social media users began comparing him with filmmaker Aditya Dhar. One comment read, “Still Aditya Dhar can eat 500 Satyajit Ray on breakfast,” while another user wrote, “Who is Satyajit Ray in front of Aditya Dhar.”
The comparison has left many film lovers stunned. Satyajit Ray’s cinema was built on silence, realism, human emotions and uncomfortable social questions. His films did not need loud background music, chest thumping dialogues or political validation to create an impact. They stayed with viewers because they came from a place of observation, sensitivity and truth.
Dhar, on the other hand, has often been accused of making cinema that leans heavily into propaganda-style storytelling. His brand of films is seen by many as one that celebrates nationalism and paints a favourable image of the government in power.
That is where the comparison becomes not just unfair, but almost absurd. Ray made films that questioned society. Dhar’s cinema, according to many viewers, often reassures the same system that Ray would have probably interrogated.
This does not take away from Dhar’s success or the audiences that enjoy his films. But placing him above Satyajit Ray, one of India’s most respected filmmakers globally, shows how social media fan wars have reduced cinema discussions to noise.
Ray did not make films for instant applause. He made films that demanded patience, thought and emotional maturity. Devi was not just a film about faith, it was a warning about what happens when belief becomes blind and society stops questioning power.
And that is exactly why the resurfaced clip feels so relevant today. The comment section tried to mock Satyajit Ray, but in the end, it only proved him right.
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