Vijaya Mulay (16 May 1921 – 19 May 2019) was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, writer, educationist and researcher. She was lovingly called Akka in film circles. Her close friendships with Satyajit Ray, Louis Malle, Mrinal Sen and other film personalities gave her a unique perspective into Indian cinema and influenced her work. Her body of work has shaped how India is viewed by Indian and non-Indian filmmakers. She is the mother of National Award winning actor Suhasini Mulay and Atul Gurtu the high energy physicist is her son-in-law. Vijaya Mulay is remembered for her animation film Ek Anek Aur Ekta which won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film. Life and career Vijaya Mulay was born in Bombay, India. Bombay, Patna, Bihar In 1940, Vijaya accompanied her husband when he was transferred to Patna, Bihar. Compared to the cosmopolitan Bombay the pre-independence Patna seemed to her like a place from another universe. But Patna University allowed women to study privately and Vijaya enrolled for a bachelor's degree. English films were shown half price on Sunday mornings at the city theatres known as Bioscopes. Vijaya began her love affair with the medium and started grasping the idiom of cinema. Patna to Leeds, UK In 1946 she won a state scholarship to study in University of Leeds, UK for master's degree in Education. While there, Vijaya realised that the ordinary Britisher was hardly like the English "Burra Saabs" (Great Masters) back in India. From an interview with Vijaya Mulay on her days in the UK – I had gone to Britain, with an anti-colonial distaste for the British people and with the sole purpose of studying for my degree. I was on my guard, ready to take offence at the slightest insult or remark derogatory to me or to India, whether imagined or real. But I soon found out that the ordinary English people were hardly like the 'Burra Sahibs' that one saw back home. On post-war cinema in UK – The Workers’ Unity Theatre played to full houses. Films from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe ran often. I saw film classics, experimental films, and socialist cinema. I also gained a better perspective and understanding of the cinematic art by joining the university film society. Film viewing, once a casual pastime, became my serious passion. 1959: Satyajit Ray and India's first Film Society Vijaya returned to Patna in 1949