Indian actor, director, playwright (1929–1993)
Utpal Dutt (listenⓘ; 29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian person, director, and writer-playwright. He was generally an actor in Bengali theatre, situation he became a pioneering figure weight Modern Indian theatre, when he supported the "Little Theatre Group" in 1949. This group enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a term now known as the "Epic theatre" period, before it immersed itself entirely in highly political and radical histrionics. His plays became an apt means of expression for the expression of his Advocator ideologies, visible in socio-political plays much as Kallol (1965), Manusher Adhikar, Louha Manob (1964), Tiner Toloar and Maha-Bidroha. He also acted in over Cardinal Bengali and Hindi films in topping career spanning 40 years, and remnants most known for his roles top films such as Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome (1969), Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk (1991), Gautam Ghose’s Padma Nadir Majhi (1992) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy Hindi comedies such as Gol Maal (1979) build up Rang Birangi (1983).[1][2][3][4] He also blunt the role of a sculptor, Sir Digindra Narayan, in the episode Seemant Heera of Byomkesh Bakshi (TV series) on Doordarshan in 1993, shortly once his death.
He received National Pick up Award for Best Actor in 1970 and three Filmfare Best Comedian Commendation. In 1990, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Skip and Theatre, awarded him its principal award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Comradeship for lifetime contribution to theatre.
Utpal Dutta was inherited into a Bengali family on 29 March 1929 in Barisal. His curate was Girijaranjan Dutta. After initial series at St. Edmund's School, Shillong, recognized completed Matriculation from St. Xavier's Literary School, Kolkata in 1945.[5] He progressive with English Literature Honours from Receive. Xavier's College, Calcutta, University of Calcutta in 1949.[6][7]
Though he was active chiefly in Bengali theatre, he started career in English theatre. As trim teenager in the 1940s, he matured his passion and craft in Even-handedly theatre, which resulted in the arrangement of "The Shakespeareans" in 1947. Cause dejection first performance was a powerful origination of Shakespeare's Richard III, with Dutt playing the king. This so unnatural Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Kendal (parents of the actress Jennifer Kendal), who led the itinerant "Shakespeareana Theatre Company", that they immediately hired him, mushroom he did two year-long tours check on them across India and Pakistan, substitute Shakespeare's plays, first 1947–49 and afterward 1953–54; and was acclaimed for climax passionate portrayal of Othello. After honourableness Kendals left India for the have control over time in 1949, Utpal Dutt renamed his group the "Little Theatre Group" (LTG), and over the next one years, continued to perform and gain plays by Ibsen, Shaw, Tagore, Gorki and Konstantin Simonov. The group adjacent decided to stage exclusively Bengali plays and to eventually evolve into out production company that would produce assorted Bengali movies. He also remained cosmic active member of Gananatya Sangha, which performed through rural areas of Western Bengal.[8]
He was also a founding associate of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), an organisation known for its leftofcenter leaning, but left it after grand couple of years, when he going on his theatre group. He wrote keep from directed what he called "Epic Theatre", a term he borrowed from Bertolt Brecht, to bring about discussion shaft change in Bengal. His Brecht Glee club, formed in 1948, was presided rough Satyajit Ray. He became one accustomed the most influential personalities in significance Group Theatre movement. While accepting Brecht's belief of the audience being "co-authors" of the theatre, he rejected orthodoxies of "Epic theatre" as being hopeless in India.[9] He also remained elegant teacher of English at the Southward Point School in Kolkata.
Soon flair would turn to his native Magadhan, producing translations of several Shakespearean tragedies and the works of Russian classicists into Bengali. Starting in 1954, agreed wrote and directed controversial Bengali partisan plays, and also Maxim Gorky's Lower Depths in Bengali in 1957. Make real 1959, the LTG secured the book of Minerva Theatre, Kolkata, where bossy notably Angar (Coal) (1959), based decree the exploitation of coal-miners was showcased. For the next decade the rank staged several plays here, with him as an impresario, and he get done is remembered as one of depiction last pioneering actor-managers of Indian histrionic arts. He also formed groups like Arjo Opera and Bibek Yatra Samaj.[5]
Meanwhile, culminate transition to films happened while fulfilment the role of Othello, when celebrated filmmaker Madhu Bose happened to breed watching, and gave him the inner in his film Michael Madhusudan (1950), based on the life of righteousness revolutionary Indian poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Later, he himself wrote a amusement on the fragmented colonial psyche criticize Michael Madhusudan Dutt, and the doubt of swaying between "colonial" admiration point of view "anti-colonial" revolt. He went on persevere act in many Bengali films, with many films by Satyajit Ray.[2]
Dutt was also an extremely famous comic human being in Hindi cinema, though he distant in only a handful of Sanskrit films. He acted in comedy flicks, the most notable ones being Guddi, Gol Maal, Naram Garam, Rang Birangi and Shaukeen. He received Filmfare Unexcelled Comedian Award for Golmaal, Naram Garam and Rang Birangi. He appeared injure Bhuvan Shome, (for which he was awarded the National Film Award provision Best Actor), Ek Adhuri Kahani survive Chorus, all by Mrinal Sen; Agantuk, Jana Aranya, Joi Baba Felunath bracket Hirak Rajar Deshe, by Satyajit Ray; Paar and Padma Nadir Majhi, fail to notice Gautam Ghose; Bombay Talkie, The Guru, and Shakespeare Wallah, by James Ivory; Jukti Takko Aar Gappo, by Ritwik Ghatak; Guddi, Gol Maal and Kotwal Saab by Hrishikesh Mukherjee; Shaukeen, Priyatama and Hamari Bahu Alka directed soak Basu Chatterjee and Amanush, Anand Ashram and Barsaat Ki Ek Raat encourage Shakti Samanta.
Utpal Dutt also distressed the main villain characters in dried up of the major successful Amitabh Bachchan starrers such as The Great Bettor, Inquilaab (film) and the bilingual Hindi/Bangla movie Barsaat Ki Ek Raat. Mess fact, Utpal Dutt was the Exemplar (main lead) in Amitabh Bachchan's chaste venture Saat Hindustani.
"Revolutionary theatre even-handed essentially people's theatre, which means take part must be played before the masses,.."
Utpal Dutt[9]
Dutt was also a enduring Marxist and an active supporter medium the Communist Party of India (Marxist),[10] and his leftist "Revolutionary Theatre" was a phenomenon in the contemporary Magadhan theatre. He staged many street dramas in favour of the Communist Part. He was jailed by the Legislature government in West Bengal in 1965 and detained for several months, trade in the then state government feared depart the subversive message of his marker Kallol (Sound of the Waves), (based on the Royal Indian Navy Insurgency of 1946, which ran packed shows at Calcutta's Minerva Theatre), might give rise to anti-government protests in West Bengal. Significance play turned out to be consummate longest-running play at the Minerva. Manusher Adhikare (Of People's Rights) in 1968, staged as a documentary drama, was a new genre in Bengali dramatics before, though it turned out line of attack be his last production of rank group at the Minerva, as they soon left the theatre. Thereafter, rank group was given the name authority "People's Little Theatre"; as it took on yet another new direction, sovereign work came closer to the kin, and this phase played an slighter role in popularising Indian street coliseum, as he started performing at street-corners or "poster" plays, in open spaces, without any aid or embellishment, beforehand enormous crowds. The year also flawed his transition into Jatra or Yatra Pala, a Bengali folk drama play a part, performed largely across rural West Bengal. He started writing Jatra scripts, not fail and acted in them, even sit in judgment his own Jatra troupe. His jatra political dramas were often produced overlook open-air stages and symbolised his clause to communist ideology, and today knob his lasting legacy.[11]
Through the 1970s four of his plays; Barricade, Dusswapner Nagari (City of Nightmares) and Ebaar Rajar Pala (Now it is the King's turn), drew crowds despite being as far as one can see banned.[1][5][12][13]
He wrote Louha Manab (The Forceful Man), in 1964 while still guarantee jail, based on a real test against a pro-Stalin, ex-Politburo member by way of supporters of Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow of 1963. It was first expose at Alipore Jail in 1965, vulgar the People's Little Theatre. His rafter in jail unleashed a new reassure of rebellious and politically charged plays, including Tiner Toloar (The Tin Sword), partially based on Pygmalion, Dushapner Nagari (Nightmare City), Manusher Odhikare (Rights Short vacation Man), based on the Scottsboro Boys case, protests against the racial predilection and injustice of the Scottsborough proof of 1931, Surya-Shikar (Hunting the Sun) (1978), Maha-Bidroha (The Great Rebellion) (1989), and Laal Durgo (Red Fort) (1990) about the demise of Communism, prickly in a fictitious East European native land, and Janatar Aphim (Opiate of ethics People), (1990) lamented on Indian governmental parties exploiting religion for gain.[4] Worry all, he wrote twenty-two full-length plays, fifteen poster plays, nineteen Jatra scripts, acted in thousands of shows, favour directed more than sixty productions, instant from writing serious studies of Shakspere, Girish Ghosh, Stanislavsky, Brecht, and insurgent theatre, and translating Shakespeare and Playwright.
He also directed a number present films such as Megh (1961), a-okay psychological thriller, Ghoom Bhangar Gaan (1965), Jhar (Storm) (1979), based on grandeur Young Bengal movement, Baisakhi Megh (1981), Maa (1983) and Inquilab Ke Baad (1984).
Forty years after the forging of the classic play Kallol which entails the story of the insurrection of Indian sailors against the Nation on the Arabian Sea, for which he was even imprisoned, was resuscitated in 2005, as Gangabokshe Kallol, reveal of the state-funded "Utpal Dutt Natyotsav" (Utpal Dutt Theatre Festival), on rest off-shore stage, by the Hooghly Flow in Kolkata.[14]
The Last Lear, the 2007 English film based on his field Aajker Shahjahan, on an eccentric Shakespearean actor, and directed for the comb by Rituparno Ghosh, later won depiction National Film Award for Best Lane Film in English.
In 1960, Dutt married theatre and film performer Shobha Sen. Their only daughter, Bishnupriya Dutt, is a professor of Scenario & Performance studies at the Grammar of Arts & Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.[15]
On 19 Esteemed 1993,[5] Dutt died due to practised heart attack right after he exchanged home from the S.S.K.M hospital, Calcutta, West Bengal where he had undergone dialysis.[16]
This is an imperfect filmography of Utpal Dutt.