Subir Banerjee Subir Banerjee Subir Banerjee is an Indian actor who played Apu in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film "Pather Panchali" ("Song of the Little Road", 1955), the first installment of "The Apu Trilogy". During the pre-production of "Pather Panchali", Satyajit Ray advertised in newspapers seeking boys between five and seven years of age for the role of Apu. Several boys arrived for audition, but none of them met the expectation of the director. Finally, Ray's wife Bijoya Ray spotted a boy playing on the roof of a neighbouring building of their apartment. This boy, Subir Banerjee, was eventually cast for the role
Pather Panchali the classical dancer Shanta Rao. "Pather Panchali"s MoMA opening on 3 May was well received. Subsequently, the film had its domestic premiere at the annual meeting of the Advertising Club of Calcutta; the response there was not positive, and Ray felt "extremely discouraged". Before its theatrical release in Calcutta, Ray designed large posters, including a neon sign showing Apu and Durga running, which was strategically placed in a busy location in the city. "Pather Panchali" was released in a Calcutta cinema on 26 August 1955 and received a poor initial response. But because of word of mouth, the screenings started