The legacy of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray extends beyond the borders of our country. From Akira Kurosawa to Wes Anderson, many famous filmmakers have listed Ray as their inspiration. However, a famous Hollywood filmmaker got into legal trouble for allegedly being inspired by Ray. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg was nearly sued by Ray for alleged similarities between Ray’s script for his classic E.T.: Extra Terrestrial and The Alien.
The Alien, a script written by Ray, was about an alien landing in Bengal and befriending a boy. Ray was in talks with several Hollywood members to make the film but the project did not materialise. However, the script was in vogue in Hollywood circles.
In a 1983 interview with India Today magazine, Ray said that renowned sci-fi writer Arthur C Clarke had advised him to sue Spielberg. “You know, at least two of Spielberg-Lucas’ films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T., would not have been possible without my script for The Alien being available in mimeographed copies across America. A few days ago Arthur Clarke called me from London and said I should file a copyright case and not lie to it,” Ray revealed, according to a report good.
The maestro then said that apart from the ET row, he had no feud against the makers of science and space fantasies. “I think it’s a genre full of possibilities, although I also think that Spielberg and Lucas are complicating the stories unnecessarily. The story should be simple, clear, no-frills.”
Ray was known for films like The Apu Trilogy- Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar, Charulata, Nayak, Agontuk, Sonar Kela. A prolific writer, he wrote many stories including the iconic Feluda series.
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