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- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Because of the outbreak of World War I, she is six years old the first time her parents take her to England. Her mother thinks she should have a proper English upbringing and insists on leaving her in a convent school - even though Vivien is two years younger than any of the other girls at the school. The only comfort for the lonely child is a cat that was in the courtyard of the school that the nuns let her take up to her dormitory. Her first and best friend at the school is an eight-year-old girl, Maureen O'Sullivan who has been transplanted from Ireland. In the bleakness of a convent school, the two girls can recreate in their imaginations the places they have left and places where they would some day like to travel. After Vivien has been at the school for 18 months, her mother comes again from India and takes her to a play in London. In the next six months Vivien will insist on seeing the same play 16 times. In India the British community entertained themselves at amateur theatricals and Vivien's father was a leading man. Pupils at the English convent school are eager to perform in school plays. It's an all-girls school, so some of the girls have to play the male roles. The male roles are so much more adventurous. Vivien's favorite actor is Leslie Howard, and at 19 she marries an English barrister who looks very much like him. The year is 1932. Vivien's best friend from that convent school has gone to California, where she's making movies. Vivien has an opportunity to play a small role in an English film, Things Are Looking Up (1935). She has only one line but the camera keeps returning to her face. The London stage is more exciting than the movies being filmed in England, and the most thrilling actor on that stage is Laurence Olivier. At a party Vivien finds out about a stage role, "The Green Sash", where the only requirement is that the leading lady be beautiful. The play has a very brief run, but now she is a real actress. An English film is going to be made about Elizabeth I. Laurence gets the role of a young favorite of the queen who is sent to Spain. Vivien gets a much smaller role as a lady-in-waiting of the queen who is in love with Laurence's character. In real life, both fall in love while making this film, Fire Over England (1937). In 1938, Hollywood wants Laurence to play Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1939). Vivien, who has just recently read Gone with the Wind (1939), thinks that the role of Scarlett O'Hara is the first role for an actress that would be really exciting to bring to the screen. She sails to America for a brief vacation. In New York she gets on a plane for the first time to rush to California to see Laurence. They have dinner with Myron Selznick the night that his brother, David O. Selznick, is burning Atlanta on a backlot of MGM (actually they are burning old sets that go back to the early days of silent films to make room to recreate an Atlanta of the 1860s). Vivien is 26 when Gone with the Wind (1939) makes a sweep of the Oscars in 1939. So let's show 26-year-old Vivien walking up to the stage to accept her Oscar and then as the Oscar is presented the camera focuses on Vivien's face and through the magic of digitally altering images, the 26-year-old face merges into the face of Vivien at age 38 getting her second Best Actress Oscar for portraying Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). She wouldn't have returned to America to make that film had not Laurence been going over there to do a film, Carrie (1952) based on Theodore Dreiser's novel "Sister Carrie". Laurence tells their friends that his motive for going to Hollywood to make films is to get enough money to produce his own plays for the London stage. He even has his own theater there, the St. James. Now Sir Laurence, with a seat in the British House of Lords, is accompanied by Vivien the day the Lords are debating about whether the St James should be torn down. Breaking protocol, Vivien speaks up and is escorted from the House of Lords. The publicity helps raise the funds to save the St. James. Throughout their two-decade marriage Laurence and Vivien were acting together on the stage in London and New York. Vivien was no longer Lady Olivier when she performed her last major film role, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961).- Writer
- Composer
- Director
Satyajit Ray was born in Calcutta on May 2, 1921. His father, Late Sukumar Ray was an eminent poet and writer in the history of Bengali literature. In 1940, after receiving his degree in science and economics from Calcutta University, he attended Tagore's Viswa-Bharati University. His first movie Pather Panchali (1955) won several International Awards and set Ray as a world-class director. He died on April twenty-third, 1992.- Actor
- Director
- Music Department
Victor Banerjee Early life Banerjee was born to a Zamindari Bangali Hindu family and is a descendant of The Raja Bahadur of Chanchal and the Raja of Uttarpara. He received his schooling at St. Edmund's School, Shillong, and graduated in English Literature from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta and did Post Graduate studies in Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University. He turned down a scholarship to the Trinity College in Dublin who had offered,through the Irish Christian Brothers, to admit him as an Operatic Tenor. He was the lead tenor in the the "Calcutta Light Opera Group" production of the "Desert Song" and even played "Jesus" in Bombay Theatre's first ever musical production, "Godspell". Career Victor Banerjee (born 15 October 1946) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi, Bengali and English language films. He has worked for prominent directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Satyajit Ray and Ram Gopal Varma. In 1984, he acted as Dr. Aziz Ahmed in David Lean's film A Passage to India, bringing him to the attention of Western audiences. Victor was nominated for BAFTA award for this role in 1986. He won two other awards for this role: Evening Standard British Film Award and NBR Award (National Board of Review, USA). In April 1985, at a special event in Louisiana, where John Travolta and Loretta Swit were also honoured, Banerjee was given the "SHOWARAMA AWARD" by the Motion Pictures Association of America as "New International Star". He acted in Merchant Ivory Productions Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures, Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari and Ghare Baire and in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithivi. Though in recent years he has been involved with Bollywood, he is affiliated with the Bengali film industry. He also plays 'character actor' roles from time to time in the British cinema. He was also cast in the critically acclaimed role of "Jesus" in the 1988 production of the York Mystery Plays, by director Steven Pimlott. He is the only person in India who has won the "National Award" in three separate categories. As a Cinematographer for his documentary called "Where No Journeys End" which, in competition with 3100 entries from 27 countries, also won the "Gold Award" at the Houston International Film Festival. He won an award for Direction with the best documentary on Tourism called "The Splendour of Garhwal and Roopkund" and he won the "Best Supporting Actor" award for his work in Satyajit Ray's "Ghare Bairey".
Life When not in Calcutta, he is to be found in the hill station of Landour in the Lower Western Himalaya in northern India. He has written short stories and is a regular contributor of articles to magazines, periodicals and newspapers in India, on diverse and eclectic topics. His nonchalance to be politically incorrect and write with a bold and satirical pen, has been respected and admired widely. He has involved himself from time to time in human rights and labor issues. He helped form the Screen Extras Union of India and campaigned for the rights of Garhwali farmers. He also campaigned for the creation of Uttarakhand in a speech entitled "Uttarakhand: A People Denied" and has been credited with starting the movement that eventually led to the creation of the Uttarakhand Solidarity Network. For almost forty years, he has run a Blind School in Upper Assam, called the "Moran Blind School", where over seventy boys and girls from the families of tea garden workers and the poorest of villagers,receive free board and lodging and an education till they leave for junior college. He is the "Brand Ambassador" for the Srimanto Shankardev Movement, that is reviving the culture of neo-Vaishnavites that was first introduced in the 15th Century, in Assam. He is the "Brand Ambassador" for the "Dimasa Tribe" of the Cachar Hills of Northeast India, one of the most cultured peoples of the northeast tracts, one the earliest Sino-Tibetan tribes to inhabit the eastern Himalaya. He is the Brand Ambassador of the "Bird Watchers Association of Uttarakhand". He has for several years been the "Goodwill Ambassador" for "MENTAID" an organization that cares for the mentally challenged in Calcutta.- Anna Kashfi has appeared in a number of films including The Mountain (1956) (with Spencer Tracy) and Battle Hymn (1957) (with Rock Hudson) but is best known for being Marlon Brando's first wife. Kashfi is often thought of as being Indian but several newspapers have said that she is, in fact, the daughter of a Welsh factory worker, William Callaghan, and simply reinvented herself to increase her screen appeal. In her 1979 memoir, Kashfi still held onto the claim that she is Indian by insisting that she is the product of an "unregistered alliance" between Selma Ghose and an Indian architect named Devi Kashfi, and that William Callaghan is her stepfather. She met Brando in 1955 in the Paramount commissary and after an on-off relationship (mainly due to Brando's relentless womanizing) married him in 1957. (Brando claimed that he married her only because she had become pregnant.) She gave birth in May 1958 to their son, Christian, who became notorious in 1990 for shooting dead Dag Drollet, a crime that earned him a ten-year jail sentence. Kashfi divorced Brando in 1959. She remarried a Los Angeles businessman named James Hannaford in 1974, but he died in 1987. She also outlived her first husband Marlon Brando (who died in 2004) and their son Christian (who died in 2008). She died on August 16, 2015 of natural causes at the age of 80 in Washington State, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Sen is one of his nation's most politically active filmakers. After having studied physics at university in Calcutta, Sen worked as a freelance journalist, a salesman of patent medicines and a sound technician in a film studio. In the mid-1940s he joined the Indian People's Theatre Association and at that time began to read about and study film. The association had links to the Communist Party of India and this heralded the beginning of Sen's involvement with Marxist politics. In 1956 Sen made his debut with Raat Bhore (1956), the first of his 30 (as of 2002) films. Although his first film was openly political, he achieved national status as the director of a comedy, Bhuvan Shome (1969). Influenced by Italian neorealism and the work of fellow countryman Satyajit Ray, Sen used location shooting and non-professional casts in his early films. By the 1970s he was making wider use of symbolism and allegory. Although he remains politically committed, Sen feels that the "difference between party Marxists and a private Marxist like me is that others think they pocketed truth, whereas I am always in search of truth... " Sen's films have won numerous international awards. The Case Is Closed (1982), a scathing look at the hypocritical reaction of a bourgeois Calcutta family to the death of a servant boy, took home the Jury Prize from the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.- Born the son of an Opium Agent in Bengal, Eric Blair was educated in England (Eton 1921). The joined the British Imperial Police in Burma, serving until 1927. He then travelled around England and Europe, doing various odd jobs to support his writing. By 1935 he had adopted the 'pen-name' of 'George Orwell' and had written his first novels. He married in 1936. In 1937, he and his wife fought against the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He produced some 3000 pages of essays and newspaper articles as well as several books and programs for the BBC.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Ritwik Ghatak was born on 4 November 1925 in Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Dhaka, Bangladesh]. He was a director and writer, known for Reason, Debate and a Story (1974), Musafir (1957) and The Cloud-Capped Star (1960). He was married to Surama Ghatak. He died on 6 February 1976 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Aparna Sen is a renowned name in Bengali as well as Indian cinema. She has excelled both as an actor in film and theatre and as a director of parallel cinema.
Aparna was born in 1945 in Kolkata. Her father is film critic and film maker Late Chidananda Das Gupta. She studied at Modern High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Presidency College, Kolkata. Her first film appearance happened in Satyajit Ray's Three Daughters (1961) when she was sixteen. Since then, Aparna has acted in many films in lead roles.
In 1981, Aparna made her debut as a film director with 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981) which won national and international awards. Since then, Aparna has directed series of films on a wide variety of subjects. Most of her films have been well acclaimed nationally and internationally. Aparna moved to Mumbai and continues to make films in Hindi and English.
Aparna acted in little theatre groups and commercial theatres for a period of time. She was also editor of a popular Bengali magazine (Sananda) for long time.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Soumitra Chatterjee is an Indian actor, playwright and poet. World-renowned film director Satyajit Ray has acted in multiple shadow films. He has made Bengali film a place in the court of the world. In his long acting career, he has received many awards from home and abroad. His films have also won numerous awards. He died on 15th November, 2020 at the age of 85. Even after his death, his performance has been and will always be remembered in the hearts of all the audience.- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shashi Kapoor is one of the leading actors of Indian cinema having appeared in 160 movies - 12 in English and 148 in Hindi. He has appeared in 148 Hindi films - of them played the solo lead hero in 61 films, was lead hero in 53 released multi star cast Hindi films, 2 unreleased multi star film and 21 Hindi films had him in supporting role, worked in 4 films as a child artist and made 7 guest appearances.
Indian actor of Bollywood, Parallel Cinema, and International productions; Shashi Kapoor is the youngest son of theater and film actor Prithviraj Kapoor and his wife Ramsarni "Rama" Mehra Kapoor. Shashi grew up traveling around the country with his father's acting trope "Prithvi Theatres." from 1940-59. He began appearing on stage from the age of four. He also began working in films in the early 1940s. As a child, he appeared in 4 films from 1948-53 which includes 2 films of his eldest brother Raj Kapoor as the hero and Sangram, where Shashi played Ashok Kumar.
By 1956, an 18-year old Shashi was both actor and assistant stage manager for "Prithvi Theatre." That year, "Shakespeareana" --a traveling theater group under English actor Geoffrey Kendal, and "Prithvi Theatre" were both booked to play in Calcutta. While checking the audience reaction from backstage, Shashi's glance fell on Jennifer Kendal. Shashi soon learned she was playing Miranda in "The Tempest," and secured an introduction. The two began courting, and expressed a desire to wed. Geoffrey Kendal was uncertain about loosing not only his daughter, but his leading lady and theater manager. He insisted that the couple wait at least two years. Shashi began touring with "Shakespeareana" and in 1958 he again asked for Jennifer's hand in marriage and was again refused. However, Jennifer decided to go against her father's wishes, and in July of 1958, the couple were married in the traditional Indian style in Bombay.
Shashi debuted as a leading man in Yash Chopra's Dharmputra (1961). From 1961-64 his Hindi films with him as the solo heroes were box office flops. But Nanda believed that Shashi does have the potential to be popular leading man and signed happily 8 films opposite him over the period 1962-1968. Except for their first 2 films together and Juaari, other 5 films of the pair Nanda-Shashi turned out to be super-hits from 1965-70.A versatile actor, Shashi worked in both mainstream popular Hindi cinema, art films and in Indian-set English-language films, such as those made by the film-making team Ismail Merchant and James Ivory. He was one of the first Indian stars to go international, as he worked in both British and American films, and directed the Soviet Union co-production _Ajooba (1991) which was a disaster.He tried his hand at English films when his Hindi films were flops from 1961-64 and achieved success in 1963 with 2 commercially successful English movies.He did 6 English films as lead hero till 1983 and then played villain in Deceivers and another lead role in 1993 and rest 4 English films had him in supporting role as narrator/guest appearance from 1987-1998. Shashi started having solo hits opposite Rakhee, Asha Parekh, Sharmila Tagore, Zeenat Aman from 1968-1975 but had a weak period as a solo lead hero from 1974-1978 where he had 13 flops off 24 films as solo lead and this made him accept multi star cast films from 1976-85. He achieved success in multi star films from 1976-84.In the multi star films he did , he was paid more than co-stars Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Rishi and Randhir Kapoor. But Sanjeev Kumar,Pran and Dharmendra were paid at same rate as Shashi in the films where they were his co-stars. Only Rajesh Khanna was paid more than Shashi in the 2 films they did together. He played supporting role to Rajesh Khanna at peak of his career in Prem Kahani and then in Alag Alag.
He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Deewaar (1975). He won two Filmfare Best Movie Awards for his work as producer and star of Junoon (1979) and Kalyug (1981).He costarred in 11 films with Amitabh Bachchan of which 4 (Deewar,Trishul, Suhaag,Namak Halal) were successful,1 (Kala Pathar)was average hit and rest 6 were flops. Shashi Kapoor did 61 solo lead hero films in Hindi and, of them, 35 were super-hits. Shashi did 55 multi-star cast movies where Shashi was one of the lead heroes and, of them, 33 were super-hits, 20 were flops, 2 remain unreleased.
Shashi and Jennifer had three children; Kunal Kapoor, an actor and ad director, Karan Kapoor a photographer and sometimes actor, and Sanjana Kapoor, an actress who has run Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai since 1993. After his wife Jennifer died of cancer in 1984, Shashi started becoming obese and began taking on fewer roles in films, and shifted his focus to character roles.His first break as supporting actor after he became obese was given by Rajesh Khanna in film Alag Alag where his role along-with the lead pair of the film was appreciated.
In 2010, Shashi was presented with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.- Actor
- Music Department
Dino Shafeek was born on 21 March 1930 in Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Dhaka, Bangladesh]. He was an actor, known for Mind Your Language (1977), It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974) and High Road to China (1983). He died on 10 March 1984 in London, England, UK.- Director
- Editor
- Writer
By no means is he any glamorous director, yet Hrishikesh Mukherjee is one of the most popular and beloved filmmakers in Indian cinema. His magic lay not in the glamor or largeness so often associated with cinema, but in its simplicity and warmth.
He began his career in Bombay, 1951, as an editor and assistant director to Bimal Roy, another great director himself. His first directorial venture, Musafir (1957), centering on an old house where three unrelated stories dealing with birth, marriage and death occur in a series, was a disaster. But director Raj Kapoor was impressed and strongly recommended Hrishida as director for Anari (1959). Starring Kapoor himself and Nutan, the film was a critical and commercial success.
His next film, Anuradha (1960), about an idealistic doctor who neglects his wife to focus on his work, got him the President's Medal Award. But from then on throughout the 1960s decade, none of Hrishida films were particularly distinguishable, barring Asli-Naqli (1962), a Muslim melodrama; Anupama (1966), which was based on a true incident; Aashirwad (1968), a family drama; and Satyakam (1969), about an idealist seeing his dreams crumble after Indian independence.
Then Hrishida made what is considered his masterpiece - Anand (1971). This classic film gave a complex but compassionate look at the balance between hope, fear, life and death and saw Rajesh Khanna's greatest performance as a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the full before he dies. It was an auspicious beginning to the 1970s, for that time proved to be an exceptionally good time for Hrishida as he gave the public excellent films like Guddi (1971), a semi-satiric look at the film industry and generally considered as Jaya Bhaduri's debut film; Abhimaan (1973), the Bachchans' greatest ever performance together; and Chupke Chupke (1975), a comedy about a newlywed professor's joke on his pompous brother-in-law. These films gave an extremely skilled and detailed look at the middle-class mentality.
Few people understood human nature as well as Hrishida - in all his films he examined their aspects, particularly their failings and foibles and the outworn values people always seem to hold on to. However in the 1980s, the advent of the superstar Amitabh Bachchan and of larger-than-life films saw Hrishida's brand of filmmaking die out. Recently he attempted a comeback with _Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate (1999)_, but sadly it was a futile effort as the film was a commercial and critical failure. However, the magic of his films still lingers after three decades, and he will be best remembered for his film Anand (1971), which told that people who die but remain in heart and mind do not die, but become immortal. No one justifies this truth more than Hrishida.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Trained at RADA. Stage actor in rep and West End (six productions). Many TV plays and episodes of series. Moved in 1980 from acting to directing and writing. Wrote 37 TV scripts, including BBC play "The Interview". Directed over fifty productions in London, Sydney, Frankfurt, Sheffield, Florida and major UK provincial theatres.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
The Grandfather & Great Custodian of Indian Motion Pictures!
Ashok Kumar was one of India's most famous actors for over half a century, from before independence to the cusp of the new millennia!
As a young assistant to Bengali film-maker Himanshu Rai, he got his start in acting by accident when he volunteered to substitute for the lead actor, Jeevan Naya (1936), who fell ill before production on the film Achhut Kanya (1936) was to start. Kumar was terrified of acting in the first place, especially opposite lead actress Devika Rani, known as 'the dragon lady' for her smoking, drinking, cursing and legendary hot temper. After finishing shooting, Kumar continued with overseeing the process of the film with editing, mixing and processing. His unexpected acclaim to his role had him in demand for more acting roles, which he pursued in a few more 'Bombay Talkies' with Devika Rani.
His breakthrough performance was in Kismet (1943) which ran for three years in Bombay and Calcutta and was one of the first Hindi language mega-hits of India and gained him national fame through his charismatic performances and his talented singing. From then onwards, Kumar became a sought-after actor who appeared in over 200 Hindi and a few other Indian language films, playing romantic leads or threatening villains and making Rs.300-400 a month during the 1940s and 1950s.
Although his roles gradually decreased to supporting and minor parts as he got older and suffered more ill health, his popularity in India never diminished and he was often in demand for cameos and live convention appearances. From the 1990s to his death, he lived in a comfortable retirement in Bombay with a slew of Indian films to show for his work.- Nargis was born on June 1, 1929 as Fatima Rashid in Rawalpindi, British India, daughter to Jaddanbai and Uttamchand Mohanchand, a former Hindu Mohyal Brahmin who converted to Islam as Abdul Rashid. Her mother was a well-known dancer, singer, actor, composer, and director. This is what paved the way for Fatima to become a child artiste (Baby Nargis) as early as 1935. She was the half-sister of Bollywood actors, Anwar Hussain and Akhtar Hussain.
Nargis, and actor Raj Kapoor formed a reel romantic couple. It is well known that they had an off-screen romance. Raj, who was already married, refused to divorce his wife and marry Nargis.
After playing the mother of Sunil Dutt in the movie 'Mother India', she subsequently married him on March 11, 1958 . She had three children, namely Bollywood actor, Sanjay Dutt, and two daughters, Priya, and Anju. Her son Sanjay was married to actress Richa Sharma, who passed away due to cancer. They have a daughter named Trishala. His second wife was Rhea Pillai whom he subsequently divorced. He is now married to Manyata Dutt, formerly known as Dilnawaz Shaikh. They are the parents of twins, Iqra and Shahraan. Her daughter, Anju, is married to Bollywood actor, Kumar Gaurav, who is the son of actor Rajendra Kumar. Her husband, Sunil, Dutt, went on to win a seat in the Indian Parliament, and after his passing, their daughter, Priya, won his vacant seat.
Nargis passed away due to pancreatic cancer on May 3, 1981. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
The legendary Bengali Actor of Calcutta, Uttam Kumar (Guru, Mahanayak as fans say), widely regarded as one of the Greatest actors ever in India, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, singer, music composer, playback singer who predominantly worked in Indian Cinema. Though he was a commercial success and widely accepted as the Greatest Actor of Bengali film, he also achieved great critical appreciations for his natural way of acting. When the Indian government instituted the National Film Awards for National Film Award for Best Actor and National Film Award for Best Actress in 1967, Uttam Kumar was the first-ever recipient of the Best Actor Award for his performances in Antony Firingee and Chiriyakhana in 1967. Acted in over 250 films with different experimental and complicated characters. Among which "Nayak", "Bicharak", "Jatugriha", "Chiriyakhana", "Khokababur Protyabarton", "Chowrongiee", "Ekhane Pinjar", "Thana Theke Aschi" etc. shows his genius.Though there were problems regarding editing, co-stars and others in contemporary Bengali films, still his genius acting made him the most popular film star. He is well acclaimed due to the successful depiction of several kinds of characters in films apart from his romantic image. He received the Best "greatest Actor" MAHANAYAK award for the same film from the Government of India on 25 November 1975. The price was worth 500000 rupees. Besides 8 times Bengal film Journalists' Awards for his incomparable acting he got many prizes and acclaims throughout his life. Got the Indian national award Padmashree for his contribution to Bengali films. He produced "Saptapadi" which was a commercial hit and approved Uttam Kumar along with Suchitra Sen the romantic Icon of Bengali Film forever. It got Certificate of Merit for Second Best Feature Film in Bengali in 1961 National Film Award, India. He starred in Hindi films like "Kitaab", "Dooriyan", "Plot no. 5", "Amanush", "Anand Ashram" etc. which approves his popularity and also shows beauties of natural acting. He composed music for the film "Banpalashir Padabali", which was a great commercial hit. He was very generous to poor co-workers in Film Industry but he lived an alcoholic reckless life. Workaholic Uttam Kumar died while filming "Ogo Bodhu Sundari" one of the greatest comedy films of Bengal, in Belle Vue Clinic on 24th July 1980.The Tollygunge metro station of Kolkata Metro was renamed as "Mahanayak Uttam Kumar". Satyajit Ray paid homage to his death saying "It is the demise of a leading light of the Bengali film industry...There isn't - there won't be another hero like him."- Actress
- Director
Madhavi Mukherjee was born on 10 February 1942 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. She is an actress and director, known for Diba Ratrir Kabya (1970), The Coward (1965) and Charulata (1964). She is married to Nirmal Kumar Chakraborty. They have two children.- Actress
- Music Department
Mala Sinha, born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, is a legendary Indian actress who has left an indelible mark on the Hindi film industry. Known for her grace, versatility, and powerful performances, Mala Sinha became one of the leading actresses during the golden era of Bollywood.
Mala Sinha's journey in the world of cinema began when she won a beauty contest, leading her to a debut in the Bengali film "Roshanara" (1952). She made her mark in Hindi cinema with her first film, "Badshah" (1954). However, it was her performance in "Anpadh" (1962) that brought her widespread recognition and acclaim. Mala Sinha's portrayal of an illiterate woman seeking education showcased her acting prowess and set the stage for a successful career.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Mala Sinha delivered stellar performances in a wide range of films, displaying her versatility as an actress. Her notable works include films like "Hariyali Aur Rasta" (1962), "Dhool Ka Phool" (1959), "Gumrah" (1963), and "Himalay Ki God Mein" (1965). She often played characters with depth and emotional complexity, earning her accolades from both audiences and critics.
Mala Sinha's on-screen chemistry with leading actors of her time, including Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Manoj Kumar, contributed to the success of many films. Her ability to portray various shades of characters, from the romantic heroine to the tragic figure, showcased her range as an actress.
Apart from her acting career, Mala Sinha has been associated with social causes and charity work. Her contribution to Indian cinema was recognized with several awards, including the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mala Sinha's impact on the film industry continued into the 1980s, and even after her gradual withdrawal from the spotlight, she remains a respected figure in the history of Bollywood. Her timeless performances and the legacy she left behind continue to inspire new generations of actors in Indian cinema.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Utpal Dutt was born on 29 March 1929 in Barisal, Bengal Presidency, British India [now Bangladesh]. He was an actor and director, known for The Stranger (1991), Gol Maal (1979) and Bhuvan Shome (1969). He was married to Shobha Sen. He died on 19 August 1993 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Suchitra Sen was born on 6 April 1931 in Pabna, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Pabna, Bangladesh]. She was an actress, known for Aandhi (1975), Saptapadi (1961) and Devdas (1955). She was married to Dibanath Sen. She died on 17 January 2014 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Biswajeet Chatterjee was born on 14 December 1936 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He is an actor and director, known for Do Dil (1966), Paisa Ya Pyar (1969) and Kahtey Hain Mujhko Raja (1975).- Actress
Shabnam was born on 17 August 1946 in Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Dhaka, Bangladesh]. She is an actress, known for Aaja Sanam (1968), Sajan (1969) and Lady Commando (1989). She was previously married to Robin Ghosh.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Razzak was born on 23 January 1942 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Chandranath (1984), Ki Je Kori (1976) and Boro Bhalo Lok Chhilo (1982). He was married to Khairunnesa. He died on 21 August 2017 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.- Anthony C. Bartley was born on 28 March 1919 in Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Dhaka, Bangladesh]. He was a producer and writer, known for Assignment Foreign Legion (1956), Fireside Theatre (1949) and Chevron Theatre (1952). He was married to Victoria Mann and Deborah Kerr. He died on 5 April 2001 in Cork, Ireland.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Rahul Dev Burman was born on 27 June 1939 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was a composer and actor, known for Sholay (1975), 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Procession of Memories (1973). He was married to Asha Bhosle and Rita Patel. He died on 4 January 1994 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Pramila was born on 30 December 1916 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. She was an actress, known for Bhikharan (1935), Achhut Kanya (1936) and Tofani Taruni (1931). She was married to Manicklal Dangi, M. Kumar and Nari Ghadiali. She died on 6 August 2006 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Ranjit Mallick was born on 28 September 1944 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He is an actor, known for Interview (1971), Honeymoon (2018) and Bidrohi (1987). He is married to Deepa Mullik.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Zahir Raihan was born on 19 August 1935, as Mohammad Zahirullah, in the village Majupur, now in Feni District, Bangladesh. After the Partition of Bengal in 1947, he, along with his parents, returned to his village from Calcutta. He obtained Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Bengali from Dhaka University. He had been married twice, to Sumita Devi in 1961 and Shuchonda in 1968, both of whom were film actresses.
Zahir Raihan received his post graduate degree in Bengali Literature. Along with literature works Raihan started working as a journalist when he joined Juger Alo in 1950..Later he also worked in newspapers, namely Khapchhara, Jantrik, and Cinema. He also worked as the editor of Probaho in 1956. His first collection of short stories, titled Suryagrahan, was published in 1955. He worked as an assistant in the film Jago Huya Sabera in 1957. This was his first foot print in film. He also assisted Salahuddin in the film Je Nodi Morupothay. The filmmaker Ehtesham also took him for his movie A Desh Tomar Amar, for which he wrote the title song. In 1960 he arrived as a director with his film Kokhono Asheni. In 1964, he made Pakistan's first colour movie, Sangam, and completed his first CinemaScope movie, Bahana, the following year. He was an active worker of the Language Movement of 1952 and was present at the historical meeting of Amtala on 21 February 1952. The effect of language movement was so high on him that he made his legendary film "Jibon Theke Neya" based on it. He also took part in the "Gano Obhyuthyan" in 1969. In 1971 he joined in the Liberation War of Bangladesh and created documentary films on this great event.During the war of liberation Raihan went to Kolkata where his film "Jibon Theke Neya" were shown. His film was highly acclaimed by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha and Ritwik Ghatak. Though he had his financial problem going on that time, he gave all his money to the Freedom Fighters trust that he got from the show.
Raihan disappeared on 30 January 1972 trying to locate his brother, the famous writer Shahidullah Kaiser, who was captured and killed by the Pakistan army and/or local collaborators during the final days of the liberation war.It is believed that he was killed with many others when armed Bihari collaborators and soldiers of Pakistan Army in hiding fired on them when they went to Mirpur, a suburb of the capital city of Dhaka that was one of few strongholds for Pakistani/Bihari collaborators at that time.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Bimal Roy (July 12, 1909 - January 8, 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Bandini (1963), Biraj Bahu (1954), Madhumati (1958) which he employed to portray realism. He won a number of awards throughout his career, including eleven Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival. Madhumati won 9 Filmfare Awards in 1958, a record held for 37 years.- Amarnath Mukherjee was born on 11 September 1933 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for Bidrohi (1987), Janam Janamer Saathi (2002) and Dhuan (1981). He died on 25 May 2023 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman was born at village Bagmari in the district of Bogra on 19 January 1936. He was the second son of Mansur Rahman and Jahanara Khatun. His father was a chemist who specialised in paper and ink chemistry and worked for a government department at Writer's Building in Kolkata. As a child Ziaur Rahman, nicknamed Komol, was reserved, shy, quietly spoken, and intense in many respects. He was raised in Bagbari village, Bogra and studied in Bogra Zilla School.
In 1946, Mansur Rahman enrolled Zia for a short stint in one of the leading boys schools of Calcutta, Hare School, where Zia studied until the dissolution of the British Empire in South Asia and creation of India in 1947. With the Partition of India, Mansur Rahman exercised his option to become a citizen of a Muslim majority Pakistan and in August 1947 moved to Karachi, the first capital of Pakistan located in Sindh, West Pakistan. Zia, at the age of 11, had become a student in class six at the Academy School in Karachi in 1947. Zia spent his adolescent years in Karachi and by age 16 completed his secondary education from that School in 1952.
While studying at D. J. College, Zia joined the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in 1953 as a cadet. He was commissioned in 1955. In the army, he received commando training, became a paratrooper and received training in a special intelligence course. He fought valiantly as a company commander in the Khemkaran sector in 1965 Indo-Pak War and in 1966 was made an Instructor at the PMA, Kakul. In the same year, he joined the Staff College, Quetta. Towards the end of 1969, he was sent to West Germany for training and later on spent a few months with the British Army. In October 1970, Major Zia was transferred to the newly raised 8th EB Regiment at Chittagong. Following the crackdown on unarmed civilians on the midnight of 25 March 1971, he led the revolt against the Pakistan Army and later announced the historic declaration of independence on behalf of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from the Kalurghat radio station. Zia became a sector commander of the liberation forces in April 1971 and raised the first Brigade of the Bangladesh Army at Raumari (in Kurigram district) with the help of First, Second and Eighth Bengal Regiment Jawans. The Brigade came to be known as 'Z' force. Zia was promoted to the rank of Lt. Col. in the same month. For distinguished services in the War, Zia was decorated with the gallantry award "Bir Uttam".
After liberation of the country, Zia was promoted to the rank of Colonel in February 1972 and commanded a Brigade in Comilla. In June 1972, Zia was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. He became Brigadier in 1973 and on 10 October of the same year was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 25 August 1975, Ziaur Rahman, B.U., psc was promoted to the rank of Lt. General and assumed the responsibility of Chief of Army Staff. In a coup d'etat on 3 November 1975, he was, however, removed from his command and was put under house arrest. 'Sepoy-Janata Biplob' followed this event on 7 November 1975, leading to Zia's release and reinstatement. He became one of the Deputy CMLAs, and on 29 November 1976 became the CMLA. The Chief Justice of SC, Justice Syed A. B. Mahmood Hussain on 21 April 1977, swore in Lt. General Ziaur Rahman as President of the Republic.
Late President Zia floated a new political party called the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on 1 September 1978. He became its Chairman. Election to Jatiya Sangsadn (National Assembly) was held on 18 February 1979 and BNP won 207 seats out of 300. In the very first session of Parliament held in April, Martial Law was lifted (6 April 1979) after the passage of the Fifth Amendment Bill. Believing in free flow of information, he also lifted all restrictions relating to printing and publication of news and views. Following his orders, the recruitment of women in the police force started on 8 March 1976. In November 1977, Zia started a programme of canal digging for increasing agricultural output. He set up Women's Affairs Ministry on 11 December 1977. He also increased the number of reserved seats for women in the Jatiya Sangsad from 15 to 30 and raised the quota for women in government jobs. In February 1980, Zia set up organizations at village level called Gram Sarkar with a view to uplifting the social and economic condition of villagers. An anti-dowry act was also passed on 12 December 1980. Besides, he set up the Ministry of Youth Development, which was later merged with the Ministry of Sports.
Ziaur Rahman rejuvenated the cultural life of Bangladesh. In 1976, he introduced the annual 'Ekusay Padak' to give recognition to renowned litterateurs, artists, educationists and prominent personalities who had taken part in the Language Movement and in other walks of national life. In 1977 Swadhinata Puraskar (Independence Award) - the highest national award - was also introduced to recognize significant contributions of persons/organizations in various fields. He set up the Shishu Academy and Shishu Park.
He was the initiator of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which became a reality in 1985. Zia became one of the members of the Al Quds, Committee on the liberation of Jerusalem (1981) and a member of the Peace Mission to end the Iran-Iraq War (1981). At home, he established the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in 1978.
Ziaur Rahman married Begum Khaleda Zia in 1960. Khaleda Zia is the Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). She had been the Prime Minister of Bangladesh twice. They have two sons, Tareq Rahman, and Arafat Rahman.
During his term of power, Zia was criticised for ruthless treatment of his army opposition. Although he enjoyed overall popularity and public confidence, Zia's rehabilitation of some of the most controversial anti-Bangladesh independence men in Bangladesh aroused fierce opposition from the supporters of the Awami League and veterans of its Mukti Bahini. Amidst speculation and fears of unrest, Zia went on tour to Chittagong on 29 May 1981 to help resolve an intra-party political dispute in the regional BNP. Zia and his entourage stayed overnight at the Chittagong Circuit House. In the early hours of the morning of 30 May, he was assassinated by a group of army officers. Also killed were six of his bodyguards and two aides.Nearly two million people are estimated to have attended the funeral held at the Parliament Square.
Zia has been honoured by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation for his statesmanship and vision. Ziaur Rahman was also honoured with Egypt's highest state honour Order of the Nile; Order of the Yugoslav Star, the highest state honour of former Yugoslavia and the Hero Of The Republic from North Korea during his lifetime for his leadership. Zia has been the namesake of many public institutions, such as formerly the Zia International Airport in Dhaka, which is the busiest airport in the nation. Turkey has named an important road in Ankara as Ziaur Rahman Caddesi after his death to honour him. - Director
- Writer
- Composer
Born in 1924. Science graduate from University of Calcutta. Sinha began his film career as a sound engineer in Calcutta's New Theatre in 1946. Four years later, he received an invitation to the London film festival and the opportunity of working at Pinewood Studios. He was in the UK for two years. On returning to India, he turned his attentions to film directing. Tapan Sinha was influenced by American and British film making. Tagore was a great source of inspiration to him. He made three films on Tagore's stories: Kabuliwala, Hungry Stones (Khudito Pashan), Atithi.
Tapan Sinha's first film Ankush was based on Narayan Gangopadhyay's story 'sainik'. In 1957, his film 'Kabuliwala' was shown in Berlin Film festival. He has won National award many times. His films were shown in different film festivals all over the world. He was married to actress Arundhuti who passed away in 1990. Sinha lives in Calcutta.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Pradeep Kumar was born on 4 January 1925 in Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor and producer, known for Do Dilon Ki Dastaan (1966), Shirin Farhad (1956) and Taj Mahal (1963). He died on 3 November 2001 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.- Sandhya Roy was born on 11 April 1941 in Nabadwip, Bengal Presidency, British India. She is an actress, known for Ganadevata (1979), Nimantran (1971) and Baghini (1968). She was previously married to Tarun Majumdar.
- Savitri Chatterjee was born on 21 February 1937 in Comilla, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Bangladesh]. She is an actress, known for Kal Tumi Aleya (1966), Marutirtha Hinglaj (1959) and Daner Maryada (1956).
- Anwar Hussain was born on 2 January 1928 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor, known for Sachaai (1969), Faraar (1965) and The Runaways (1975). He died on 2 January 1988 in India.
- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Geeta Dutt was born in Faridpur District in East Bengal in 1930. Music Director Hanuman Prasad gave her chance to sing two lines in the film Bhakt Prahlad (1946). Her major assignment came the following year, 1947, with Do Bhai. From 1947-1949 Geeta Duttt was number playback singer in Mumbai. Initially Geeta was a singer well known for bhajans and weepy, weepy sad songs. But in 1951 after the release of a film, Baazi revealed a new facet. During the recording of the song she met Guru Dutt and later in 1953 they got married. However in 1957 they had some problems. Due to marriage problems she was not readily available for rehearsals and found solace in drink. She suffered a nervous breakdown but resumed singing again. But her drinking problems were not over and she died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1972.- Sally Nesbitt was born on 1 October 1938 in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India. She is an actress, known for The Avengers (1961), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982) and Theatre Night (1957). She has been married to Richard Nigel Spink since 2000. She was previously married to Robert Nisbet and Peter Crouch.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Bulbul Ahmed was born on 15 September 1941 in Dacca, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Dhaka, Bangladesh]. He was an actor and director, known for Rajlokkhi Srikanto (1987), Shimana Periye (1977) and Bodhu Biday (1978). He was married to Daisy Ahmed. He died on 15 July 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Haradhan Bannerjee was born on 6 November 1926 in Kushtia, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Kushtia, Bangladesh]. He was an actor, known for Barfi! (2012), The Coward (1965) and Sonar Kella (1974). He was married to Parinita Banerjee. He died on 5 January 2013 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.- Sumita Sanyal was born as Manjula Sanyal in October 9, 1945 in Darjeeling. She has acted in over 50 Bengali movies and a few Hindi Movies like Anand(1971), Guddi(1971), Aashirwad(1968) and Mere Apne(1971). Notably, she worked in a Bengali film with Dilip Kumar called Sagina Mahato. She also acted in television and theater
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
Anil Chatterjee was born on 25 October 1929 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Sagina Mahato (1971), The Big City (1963) and Three Daughters (1961). He died on 17 March 1996 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was born on 15 September 1876 in Debanandapur, Hooghly, Bengal Presidency, British India. Sarat Chandra was a writer, known for Devdas (2002), Dev.D (2009) and Swami (1977). Sarat Chandra died on 16 January 1938 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India.
- Actor
- Music Department
Paran Banerjee was born on 18 October 1940 in Jessore, Bengal Presidency, British India. He is an actor, known for Bob Biswas (2021), Double Feluda (2016) and Royal Bengal Rahasya (2011).- Writer
- Music Department
- Composer
Rabindranath Tagore was born on 6 May 1861 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India [now India]. He was a writer and composer, known for Song of the Body, Streer Patra (1972) and Natir Puja (1932). He was married to Mrinalini Devi. He died on 7 August 1941 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India [now India].- Dhritiman Chatterjee was born on 30 May 1945 in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. He is an actor, known for Kahaani (2012), Black (2005) and The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015).
- Writer
- Soundtrack
William Makepeace Thackeray (18 July 1811 - 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of British society, and the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon, which was adapted for a 1975 film by Stanley Kubrick.- Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was born on 12 September 1894 in Ghoshpada-Muraripur, Kanchrapara, Bengal Presidency, British India. He was a writer, known for Pather Panchali (1955), Fuleswari (1974) and Amar Prem (1972). He died on 1 November 1950 in Ghatshila, Bihar, India.
- Director
- Writer
- Music Department
Tarun Majumdar was born on 8 January 1931 in Bogra, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Bogura, Bangladesh]. He was a director and writer, known for Kancher Swarga (1962), Nimantran (1971) and Ganadevata (1979). He was married to Sandhya Roy. He died on 4 July 2022 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.- Karuna Bannerjee, born in India, was a talented Indian actress celebrated for her remarkable contributions to Indian cinema. She gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of the iconic character "Apu's mother" in Satyajit Ray's critically acclaimed film "Pather Panchali" (1955), the first installment of the renowned Apu Trilogy.
Karuna Bannerjee's performance as Sarbajaya, the mother in "Pather Panchali," was hailed for its emotional depth and authenticity. The film, depicting the struggles of a poor Brahmin family in rural Bengal, received international acclaim and established Karuna Bannerjee as a respected figure in the world of cinema.
Her collaboration with Satyajit Ray extended beyond "Pather Panchali" to include the other two films in the Apu Trilogy: "Aparajito" (1956) and "Apur Sansar" (1959). Her portrayal of Sarbajaya continued to resonate with audiences, contributing to the trilogy's enduring legacy.
Karuna Bannerjee's acting career spanned over four decades, and she worked in Bengali as well as Hindi cinema. Her notable films include "Parash Pathar" (1958), directed by Satyajit Ray, and "Mahanagar" (1963), directed by Ray as well. In the latter, she played a pivotal role as Arati's mother, once again showcasing her versatility as an actress.
Despite her impactful contributions to cinema, Karuna Bannerjee remained relatively understated and focused on her craft. Her ability to convey a range of emotions with subtlety and realism earned her admiration from both audiences and critics alike.
Karuna Bannerjee passed away on November 13, 2001, leaving behind a legacy of powerful performances and significant contributions to the world of Indian cinema. Her work, particularly in the Apu Trilogy, continues to be celebrated, and she is remembered as one of the distinguished actresses of her era.