Subrata Mitra as a cinematographer with Satyajit Ray, the legendary Indian film maker, for "Pather Panchali" (1955). He continued to work with him for many of Ray's later films. He is known for pioneering the technique of bounce lighting, while filming "The Apu Trilogy". Satyajit Ray thought that "Subrata Mitra’s camera work is better than Raoul Coutard’s". Coutard was at the time much more acclaimed than Mitra having collaborated with Godard on many of his film projects. One of his most important technical innovations was his introduction of bounce lighting, which he pioneered while filming "Aparajito" (1956), the second part of "The
Pather Panchali to make a film based on the novel; the agreement was in principle only, and no financial arrangement was made. The Bengali word "path" literally means path, and "pather" means "of the path". The word "panchali" refers to a type of narrative folk song that used to be performed in Bengal and was the forerunner of another type of folk performance, the "jatra". English translations of the Bengali title include "Song of the Little Road", "The Lament of the Path", "Song of the Road", and "Song of the Open Road". "Pather Panchali" did not have a script; it was made