Ranjan Palit

Ranjan Palit
Alma materFTII
Occupationscinematographer
documentary filmmaker
Years active1982–present
SpouseVasudha Palit (wife)[1]

Ranjan Palit is an Indian cinematographer, documentary filmmaker, and director known for his work spanning nearly four decades.

Career

Ranjan has received multiple national awards, including two for best cinematography, as well as awards for best film on social issues and best narration.[2][3]

He is a two-time winner (1990, 1996) of the Golden Conch Award for best documentary film at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), in addition to several international awards.[4][5]

In 2021, he received a lifetime achievement award for documentary filmmaking at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).[6][7]

Ranjan conducts classes on cinematography and documentary filmmaking, including at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI).[8]

He has shot more than 100 documentaries and 20 feature films, in addition to numerous advertisements.[9]

He earned his diploma in cinematography from FTII in 1982.[10][11]

Personal

Ranjan's wife Vasudha Palit is a documentary filmmaker.[12]

Filmography

As cinematographer – documentaries

  • Such a Morning (1985) – additional cinematography
  • Hamara Shahar - Bombay, Our City (1985)
  • Babulal Bhuiya Ki Qurbani (1987)[13]
  • When Hamlet Went to Mizoram (1990)[14]
  • Egaro Mile (1991)[15]
  • Kamlabai (1992)[16]
  • The Boy in the Branch (1993)[17]
  • Tales from the Planet Kolkota (1993)[18]
  • Et cetera (1997)[19]
  • For Maya (1997)[20]
  • Skin Deep (1998)
  • Karvaan (1999)[21]
  • In the Forest Hangs a Bridge (1999)[22]
  • Mukundo (2000)
  • Almoriana (2000)[23]
  • Performing Death (2001)
  • A Night of Prophecy (2002)[24]
  • The Men in the Tree (2002)[25]
  • Life of Buddha (2003)
  • Journeyings and Conversations - Kaya Poochhe Maya Se (2004)[26]
  • Moustaches Unlimited (2005)[27]
  • Flying in a Blue Dream (2006)
  • The Lightning Testimonies (2007)[28]
  • Hope Dies Last in War (2007)[29]
  • Jashn-e-Kashmir (2007)[30]
  • To Catch the Wind (2008)[31]
  • Indian Hill Railways (2010)[32]
  • The Identities (2012)
  • Celluloid Man (2012)
  • Textures of Loss (2012)[33]
  • The Revolutionary Optimists (2013)[34]
  • Ek Inquilab Aur Aaya: Lucknow 1920-1949 (2017)[35]
  • Red Ribbon (2017)
  • Mirzaa (2017)
  • CzechMate: In Search of Jiri Menzel (2018)
  • XO (2023)[36]
  • 251 (2023)[37]
  • The Lotus and the Swan (2023)[38]

As cinematographer - TV series

As cinematographer - feature films

As director – documentaries

  • Bhiwandi – FTII student diploma film[44]
  • Voices from Baliapal (1988) – co-directed with Vasudha Joshi[45]
  • Follow the Rainbow (1991) – co-directed with Vasudha Joshi[46]
  • A Magic Mystic Marketplace - Abak Jaye Here (1996)[47]
  • Forever Young (2008)[48]
  • In Camera – Diaries of a Documentary Cameraman (2010)[49]
  • D'Cruz and Me (2018)[50]

As director - feature films

  • Lord of the Orphans (2020)[51]
  • A Knock on the Door (2023)[52]

References

  1. ^ Dr. Shoma A Chatterji (22 March 2011). "In front of the lens". India Together.
  2. ^ "Ranjan Palit awards". Times of India. 8 October 2025.
  3. ^ Priyanka Dasgupta (17 January 2017). "Cinematographer Ranjan Palit: Fascism is lurking in our living rooms". Times of India.
  4. ^ Dr. Shoma A Chatterji (22 March 2011). "In front of the lens". India Together.
  5. ^ "Ranjan Palit (1956-present)". 8 October 2025.
  6. ^ "IDSFFK: Lifetime achievement award for documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Ranjan Palit". The Hindu. 1 December 2021.
  7. ^ "IDSFFK: Lifetime achievement award for documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Ranjan Palit". Herald Goa. 23 September 2025.
  8. ^ Priyanka Dasgupta (17 January 2017). "Cinematographer Ranjan Palit: Fascism is lurking in our living rooms". Times of India.
  9. ^ "Ranjan Palit (1956-present)". 8 October 2025.
  10. ^ "A Magic Mystic Marketplace". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Organizing Committee. 1996.
  11. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  12. ^ Dr. Shoma A Chatterji (22 March 2011). "In front of the lens". India Together.
  13. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  14. ^ "When Hamlet Went to Mizoram". Learning on Screen. 8 October 2025.
  15. ^ "Egaro Mile". Arsenal Berlin. 8 October 2025.
  16. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  17. ^ "Best documentaries Youtube, Vimeo filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane wants everyone to watch". Film Companion. 20 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Tales from the Planet Kolkota". IDFA. 8 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Et cetera". MUBI. 8 October 2025.
  20. ^ "Et cetera". MUBI. 8 October 2025.
  21. ^ "Karvaan". iffr. 8 October 2025.
  22. ^ "In the Forest Hangs a Bridge". MUBIiffr. 8 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Vasudha Joshi (1957-present)". Bengal Film Archive. 8 October 2025.
  24. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  25. ^ "The Men in the Tree". Iffr. 8 October 2025.
  26. ^ "Journeyings and conversations". IDFA. 8 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Moustaches, warts and all". Nepal Times. 5 October 2007.
  28. ^ Rajni George (29 August 2019). "Remembrance of things to come". Open magazine.
  29. ^ Shoma A. Chatterji (8 November 2009). "A saga of hope & despair". Tribune India.
  30. ^ "Jashn-e-Kashmir". MUBI. 8 October 2025.
  31. ^ "'A warm lovely person who was passionate about so many things'". Meghalaya Monitor. 26 January 2025.
  32. ^ "BBC Four - Indian Hill Railways (Episode 1/3) - The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ( IRFCA )". Trains Unlimited. 8 October 2025.
  33. ^ "Textures of Loss". IMDb. 8 October 2025.
  34. ^ Sophia Stein (18 April 2013). "The Revolutionary Optimists". Cultural Daily.
  35. ^ "Ek Inquilab Aur Aaya: Lucknow 1920-1949". PSBT. 2017.
  36. ^ Dipankar Sarkar (7 June 2024). "XO (2023): The intricate crossroads of life". North East Film Journal.
  37. ^ "251". 8 October 2025.
  38. ^ Partha Chatterjee (1 August 2023). "The Lotus and the Swan – A Television Documentary on Gurcharan Singh by Nirmal Chander". The Aidem.
  39. ^ "'Nakaab' review: Sleaze and silliness in series about an actor's mysterious death". Scroll. 16 September 2021.
  40. ^ Devarsi Ghosh (31 January 2023). "In Ranjan Palit's new film, a 'watchdog society' filled with persecution and paranoia". Scroll.
  41. ^ Ankit Khadgi (28 November 2020). "Even after 15 years of its release, Tsering Rhitar Sherpa's Karma is still impactful". The Kathmandu.
  42. ^ "Paban Kumar's Nine Hills One Valley set for World premiere". The Sangai Express. 21 November 2021.
  43. ^ Nandini Ramnath (9 October 2024). "Dibakar Banerjee on his shelved film 'Tees': 'Not so futuristic after all'". Scroll.
  44. ^ "A Magic Mystic Marketplace". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Organizing Committee. 1996.
  45. ^ "Vasudha Joshi (1957-present)". Bengal Film Archive. 8 October 2025.
  46. ^ "Vasudha Joshi (1957-present)". Bengal Film Archive. 8 October 2025.
  47. ^ "A Magic Mystic Marketplace". Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Organizing Committee. 1996.
  48. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  49. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  50. ^ "D'Cruz and Me". PSBT. 2018.
  51. ^ Nandini Ramnath (29 September 2018). "In Ranjan Palit's debut feature 'Lord of the Orphans', fact, fiction and family history". Scroll.
  52. ^ "A Knock on the Door". Iffr. 2023.
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