SSC Selection Post 2023 PYQ — Question 21

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.

Satyajit Ray's films are rich in sociological elements which portray themes like faulty social structures, childhood experiences, poverty-stricken India, rural life, complexities in relationships and politics, religion, gender and on. Films like Devi or The Goddess and Mahapurush or The Godman show how religion becomes a breeding ground of superstitions and how the blind faith of people in ‘Godmen’, without analysing the reality, leave people trapped in the end. In Pather Panchali or Song of the Road, Ray shows how Apu and Durga enjoy their childhood despite their poverty. The innocence and mirth of childhood offers a sharp contrast with the disconsolate faces of other adults in the family who are affected by the present harsh situations. A critique of autocracy is found in his film Hirak Rajar Deshe or In the Country of the Diamond King which is an overall political satire. Although Satyajit Ray's films are deeply rooted in Bengali culture, they have a universal significance, and much of it is perhaps because his film making is heavily inspired by neo-realist principles.