The Apu Trilogy The Apu Trilogy The Apu Trilogy comprises three Bengali films directed by Satyajit Ray: "Pather Panchali" (1955), "Aparajito" (1956) and "The World of Apu" (1959). They are frequently listed among the greatest films of all time and are often cited as the greatest movies in the history of Indian cinema. The original music for the films was composed by Ravi Shankar. They are based on two Bengali novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay: "Pather Panchali" (1929) and "Aparajito" (1932). The three films went on to win many national and international awards, including three National Film Awards and seven awards from the
Pather Panchali Pauline Kael wrote, "Beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love, it brought a new vision of India to the screen". Basil Wright considered it "a new and incontrovertible work of art". James Berardinelli wrote in 1996 that the film "touches the souls and minds of viewers, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers". In 2006 Philip French of "The Observer" called it "one of the greatest pictures ever made". Twenty years after the release of "Pather Panchali", Akira Kurosawa summarised the effect of the film as overwhelming and lauded its ability "to stir up deep passions". The reaction was not uniformly positive.