Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ declared best Indian film of all time. See others on the list

Pather Panchali marked Satyajit Ray's directorial debut

Satyajit Ray’s 1955 masterpiece Pather Panchali has been declared the best Indian film of all time by the Indian chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

Pather Panchali, an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's Bengali novel of the same name, is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. This Bengali-language drama marked Satyajit Ray’s directorial debut and counts the likes of Wes Anderson, Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese among its admirers.

Pather Panchali is the first film in Ray’s Apu trilogy, which is followed by Aparajito and Apur Sansar.

Renowned film critic Baradwaj Rangan shared a snapshot of FIPRESCI’s list of the 10 greatest films to come out of India. “A list of the All Time Ten Best Indian Films, from a poll by FIPRESCI-India (India chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics: FIPRESCI,” he wrote.

A list of the All Time Ten Best Indian Films, from a poll by FIPRESCI-India (India chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics: FIPRESCI) pic.twitter.com/at4KtvaiGX

— Baradwaj Rangan (@baradwajrangan) October 20, 2022

Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s 1981 film Elippathayam, Girish Kasaravalli’s 1977 film Ghatashraddha, and MS Sathyu’s 1973 film Garm Hava were ranked four, five and six respectively.

Charulata, by Satyajit Ray, was ranked seventh, while the eighth spot went to Shyam Benegal’s Ankur.

Pyaasa by Guru Dutt and Sholay by Ramesh Sippy rounded up the list.