Subrata Mitra to a cameraman...Almost every shot of "Pather Panchali" posed a problem for me, innumerable problems, many sleepless nights spent on ruminating over the prospects of the next day's shooting..."Pather Panchali" had many excellent shots--both technically and artistically, but it had many bad shots too." From 1997 until his death, Mitra was an emeritus professor of cinematography at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) at Kolkata. Subrata Mitra Subrata Mitra (12 October 1930 – 7 December 2001) was an Indian cinematographer. Acclaimed for his work in "The Apu Trilogy" (1955–1959), Mitra is often considered one of the greatest of
The Apu Trilogy & Sound", the British Film Institute's film magazine, listed "Pather Panchali" several times in its Critics' Poll of all-time greatest films, in 1962 (ranked #11), 1982 (ranked #79), 1992 (ranked #6) and 2002 (ranked #22). "The World of Apu" appeared in 1982, ranked at #42. In the 1992 edition, both "Aparajito" and "The World of Apu" were tied at #127, while "The Apu Trilogy" was ranked separately at #88. In a combined list of "Sight & Sound" critics' and directors' poll results in 2002, "Pather Panchali" was ranked at No. 28, "The World of Apu" at No. 93 and "Aparajito"