“The Apu Trilogy” established director Satyajit Ray as a star of international cinema. Ray's intimate, humane view of everyday life in India earned the praise of celebrated filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and earned him awards from a variety of organizations, including a lifetime achievement Oscar before his death in 1992.

The three movies, which Ray made in the first five years of his filmmaking career, also opened the world’s eyes to India in the 1950s and ‘60s, garnering wide acclaim and inspiring nascent filmmakers such...