Although Satyajit Ray is one of my favorite directors, I think that mukhos17 is attempting to gauge the "continued" relevance of Indian films in 2001 beyond Ray and the Merchant/Ivory films (there's also "In Custody").  "The River" is actually by Jean Renoir, although according to Ray's autobiography, "Childhood Days:  A Memoir", he assisted Renoir and learned a great deal from their association.  Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay!" is a good suggestion, though. 

Personally speaking, I have also noticed an information vacuum with regards to Indian films, and I'm not sure what the remedy is.  In the Singh "Introspections" interview with Satyajit Ray, Ray remarked that in the New York premiere of "Pather Panchali", some people were so offended by the image of people eating with their hands that they got up and walked out.  I certainly hope that in 2001, the cultural differences are no longer an issue. 

It would probably help to have a passionate advocate for these films.  In the case of "The Terrorist", John Malkovich was so profoundly affected by the film that he personally ensured that the film had a US release.  I wish I knew the answer, but I think that distribution and publicity are the keys, and so far, Indian films seem to be languishing from inadequate international promotion.

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