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 established crew. Funding was a problem from the outset. No producer was willing to finance the film, as it lacked stars, songs and action scenes. On learning of Ray's plan, one producer, Mr Bhattacharya of Kalpana Movies, contacted Bandopadhyay's widow to request the filming rights and get the film made by Debaki Bose, a well-established director. The widow declined as she had already permitted Ray to make the film. The estimated budget for the production was 70,000 (about US$14,613 in 1955). One producer, Rana Dutta, gave money to continue shooting, but had to stop after some of his films flopped.