Jaya Bachchan celebrates Satyajit Ray's 102nd birth anniversary

Jaya Bachchan and Sandip Ray at Nandan on Monday, on the eve of Satyajit Ray’s 102nd birth anniversary. The occasion was 60 years of Mahanagar, a film in which Bachchan had debuted as the young Bani. She recalled being spotted by actors Rabi Ghosh and Sharmila Tagore in Puri, where they were shooting for a Tapan Sinha film, and being recommended to Ray for the role. Though she had no acting experience, Ray had given her complete freedom, she said. Mahanagar, she said, was “a very modern film in terms of showing women’s empowerment”. Sandip recalled that his father had wanted Bachchan to read aloud for him to record the audio track. “She broke into a cough while reading. That was not planned. ‘Why can’t a fly enter the mouth while reading?’ she argued. I remember this though I was just 10 during the shooting of Mahanagar,” he said. “I took a lot of liberties,” Bachchan smiled. The conversation was followed by a screening of the restored 1963 film, organised by the Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives.