Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan has once again delighted film lovers—this time by praising legendary Indian director Satyajit Ray during a visit to the iconic Criterion Closet in New York.
In a video shared by the Criterion Collection, Nolan browsed through shelves containing more than 1,000 celebrated films from around the world and selected several personal favourites. One pick that particularly resonated with Indian audiences was The Apu Trilogy.
Holding the collection, Nolan said, “And then there’s The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, one of the great Indian filmmakers. The trilogy starts with Pather Panchali, which is an absolutely incredible film. It just blew my mind. I haven’t yet seen parts two and three of the trilogy, so I’m pretty excited to get this and complete the story.”
The comment quickly went viral online, with fans celebrating the moment as one cinematic giant acknowledging another. Social media users called it “one GOAT appreciating another GOAT,” while others wrote that “a master knows a true master.”
Based on novels by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, The Apu Trilogy includes Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apur Sansar. The landmark series traces the life of Apu from childhood in a rural Bengal village to adulthood, exploring themes of family, loss, ambition and human resilience. It is widely regarded as a cornerstone of both Indian and world cinema and received major honours at Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
Nolan’s admiration comes at a time when his latest film, The Odyssey, is enjoying a blockbuster run worldwide. The film has recorded the biggest opening weekend of Nolan’s career and has crossed major box-office milestones globally, including a strong performance in India.
For many Indian cinephiles, however, the highlight was not the box-office numbers but hearing one of contemporary cinema’s most influential directors describe Pather Panchali as a film that “blew my mind”—a tribute that reinforces Satyajit Ray’s enduring place among the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history.
