"Forget the technical jargon of montage and mise en scene, fade-outs and jump cuts; Ray performed, better than any other Indian, the basic duty of a filmmaker. He communicated. He touched. Singularly British and Brahmo at his core, uncomfortable with overt displays of emotion and bodily contact, the only man who refused to be kissed by a French president while receiving the Legion d’Honneur, Ray touched you. He gave you the fundamentals, in a way that always seemed right."
- Sandipan Deb, Outlook Magazine (Aug 30, 2004), on Satyajit Ray