This book will help the reader uncover and understand Rays enigmatic prowess in making most of his actors give brilliant performances. Madhabi Mukherjee Satyajit Ray first placed India on the map of world cinema with his 1955classic Pather Panchali. In a career spanning nearly four decades and twentyseven feature films Ray is undoubtedly the most wellknown Indian filmmaker till date. It will probably not be an exaggeration to state that Rays profiling of characters and his casting acumen resulted in some of the best onscreen performances in Indian cinema. Satyajit Rays Heroes ampamp Heroines looks at various character profiles in Rays cinema examining the intricate play of nuances and details that went into each of them making them unforgettably real people. In doing so it also explores the craft of the actors who breathed life into them making the character and the actor indistinguishable. A first of its kind in English this book is a tribute to Bengals superlative actors who bloomed to their fullest in the cinema of Satyajit Ray.