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
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