Soumitra Chatterjee leafs through the Ray book that he and Sharmila Tagore launched on Friday. Picture by Pabitra Das

She, a little shy but bewildered, in all her bridal finery. He, slightly nervous but elated, in a simple dhoti kurta. Together, they had entered the world of Apu ? and Satyajit Ray ? 46 years ago.

The launch of Satyajit Ray: A Vision of Cinema ? to mark the golden jubilee of Pather Panchali ? at the British Council on Friday evening found Sharmila Tagore and Soumitra Chatterjee coming together to relive memories of their ?mentor?, along with photographer Nemai Ghosh. The talk was moderated by Barun Chanda, Sharmila?s co-actor and Ray?s leading man in Seemabaddha.

?It is a very emotional experience? Going through his hand-writing, his kheror khata, his smile. It opens a floodgate of memories for us,? said Sharmila, now chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, after unveiling the book.

Satyajit Ray: A Vision of Cinema contains text and captions by Andrew Robinson, photographs by Nemai Ghosh and drawings by Ray himself. ?The book reveals Ray as a film-maker, a family man and a Calcuttan,? added the actress who began her celluloid journey as Aparna, along with Soumitra, in Apur Sansar.

?I was very very interested in theatre and never thought films could be so interesting until I saw Pather Panchali. I met Ray when he needed an actor for the lead role in Aparajito, but I wasn?t selected because I was too grown-up for the role. Many years later, he told me that he had decided to make the third part of the Apu trilogy after seeing me,? reminisced Soumitra.

?Manikda prepared me without letting me know. He would supply me with books on cinema and acting, take me to film shows, specially Hollywood on Sunday mornings? The first one we saw together was The Lost Weekend,? Ray?s favourite actor shared with the audience comprising governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and film-maker Mrinal Sen.

?He would never lecture us and gave us enormous freedom. But he would also restrain veteran actors who tended to get a bit theatrical,? added Soumitra, before dwelling on the two-page note that Ray had handed him to help become Apu, and the hand-written scripts that both he and Sharmila still treasure.

Of the five films she did with Ray, Sharmila admitted the ?child-woman? in Devi was the ?most complex role? she has ever played. ?It?s like watching somebody else today... But if you ask me what was the most striking aspect of Ray as a film-maker, I would say it was his ability to bring the most out of you with least effort. And although his films are culture specific, they have a timeless appeal.?

Nemai Ghosh, who shadowed Ray on and off the sets with his camera, discussed how the maestro had initiated him into photography.

?I learnt framing by watching him work on the camera. He would always encourage me and now I have a collection of 90,000 photos of Ray,? said the lensman, having captured Ray in some of his rarest moods.

Reshmi Sengupta

Daughter flies high

Soha Ali Khan in the city on Saturday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Brand endorsements these days invade the big screen with impunity, from Aishwarya Rai downing a chosen soft drink in Taal to Amitabh Bachchan using a particular hair oil in Viruddh. But in-film advertising leading to a brand tie-up is what happened when Soha Ali Khan met the authorities of Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training on the sets of Dil Maange More.

?In the film, which was my Bollywood debut, I played an aspiring air-hostess, who gets a job with Malaysian Airlines after being trained in Frankfinn,? recalled Soha during her trip to Calcutta on Saturday. ?We decided to take that relationship forward and now it?s been over a year with them.?

Soha sure has proved lucky for Frankfinn, with the institute entering the 2005 edition of the Limca Book of Records for having the largest network of training centres and the best cabin crew placement. What?s more, it is the only institute of its kind with its own leased airbus for training purposes.

Having visited the Salt Lake and Camac Street centres of the institute in the morning, Soha finally settled down and started talking movies. Reacting to reports of her being absent from the Locarno screening of Antarmahal, the petite daughter of Sharmila Tagore said: ?There was no controversy whatsoever. It?s just that there were some problems with the visa.?

Director Rituparno Ghosh?s Antarmahal will be Soha?s second Bengali film after Iti Srikanta and the second of her four back-to-back releases in four months. ?Pyaar Mein Twist will release on September 2. Then Antarmahal some time in October, perhaps during the Pujas. David Dhawan?s Shaadi No. 1 will come next and finally, Rakeysh Mehra?s Rang De Basanti, some time in December.?

Once the Soha season is over, she won?t have another release for quite some time since she is yet to sign a new film. ?I have consciously not said yes to a new project because I want to take stock of the situation once these four films are released.?

But isn?t it difficult balancing a David Dhawan with a Rituparno Ghosh? ?That?s the real challenge for me? Being new to the industry, I want to try all kinds of films with all kinds of directors. And while a good script is a must, working with big directors is also very important.?

It?s not every time that Soha has mother Sharmila Tagore in Calcutta when she visits the city. ?She was here when I shot for Antarmahal. Also, since my grandmother?s house is here, we keep visiting her on and off. I should be back for the film?s release in October,? she signed off.

Pratim D. Gupta