One of India’s most celebrated filmmakers, Satyajit Ray has inspired generations of artistes across the world. Among his many admirers is Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who has often credited Ray’s work as a major influence on his own filmmaking. Nolan has previously described Ray’s Pather Panchali as an extraordinary work and has spoken about how Ray’s films helped him understand the power of cinematic storytelling.
During a recent visit to the Criterion Closet, the iconic storage room at the Criterion Collection in New York that houses more than 1,000 of the world’s greatest films, Nolan once again praised the legendary auteur while picking up The Apu Trilogy.
He said, “And then there’s The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, one of the great Indian filmmakers. The trilogy starts with Pather Panchali, which is an absolutely incredible film. It just blew my mind. I haven’t yet seen parts two and three of the trilogy, so I’m pretty excited to get this and complete the story.”
Check out the video here:
Satyajit Ray. One of the great indian filmmakers. Pather Panchali, which is an.. Absolutely incredible film and it just blew my mind!
– Christopher Nolan on Satyajit Ray pic.twitter.com/LXrpfm3BQk
— ajeee (@aj4yHQ) July 26, 2026
Nolan has spoken about Ray’s influence on multiple occasions over the years. In earlier interviews, he called Pather Panchali “an extraordinary work” and credited Ray with demonstrating how deeply personal, human stories can have universal appeal, regardless of language or geography.
