Satyajit Ray’s iconic ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ receives an overwhelming response in Saudi Arabia film festival

The Red Sea International Film Festival, the first one after a 35-year-long ban on cinemas ended in Saudi Arabia, turned out to be a starry affair. And the screening of Satyajit Ray’s iconic film ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ (The Elephant God)on his birth centenary year made it even more special. Ray’s film was physically screened on December 13 and received an overwhelming response.
The festival witnessed the screening of 170 films from all over the world. Interestingly, a third of those films were by female filmmakers, and 27 among them were Saudi films. However, the selection of Satyajit Ray’s film once again showed the popularity of Ray’s works is not just limited in US, UK, France or Germany, the acceptance goes beyond these culturally rich countries.

‘Joy Baba Felunath’ is the second film on Feluda, set in the holy city of Benares, where he (along with his cousin, Topshe and friend, Lalmohan Ganguly) goes for a holiday. But the theft of a priceless deity of Lord Ganesh from a local household forces him to start investigation. Ray’s famous adaptation of his iconic mystery novel is surely a thrilling journey. As Soumitra Chatterjee aka Feluda models his performance on Ray’s own body language, balancing joviality with striking sternness.