Buddhadeb Dasgupta
Encyclopedia
Buddhadeb Dasgupta (born 1944) is a poet
and prominent contemporary Indian filmmaker, most known for films like Bagh Bahadur
, Tahader Katha
, Charachar
and Uttara
. Five of his films have won the National Film Award for Best Film
, Bagh Bahadur
(1989), Charachar
(1993), Lal Darja
(1997), Mondo Meyer Upakhyan
(2002) and Kaalpurush
(2008), while Dooratwa
(1978) and Tahader Katha
(1993) have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
. As a director he has won National Film Award for Best Directing
twice, for Uttara
(2000) and Swapner Din
(2005). Over the years he has published several works of poetry including Govir Araley, Coffin Kimba Suitcase, Himjog, Chhaata Kahini, Roboter Gaan, Sreshtha Kabita, and Bhomboler Ascharya Kahini O Ananya Kabita.
near Puruliya in Southern West Bengal
, and was third of nine siblings. His father Tarkanta Dasgupta was a doctor with the Indian Railway, thus he spent early part of childhood traveling. It was only at the age of twelve that he was sent to Calcutta to study at Dinabandhu School, Howrah. Post-independence his father was transferred first to Kharagpur
in West Midnapore district and to Manendragarh
(now in Chhattisgarh
).
He studied economics at the prestigious Scottish Church College and at the University of Calcutta
.
, where he first started going in his senior high school along with his uncle, exposed him to the works of directors like Charlie Chaplin
, Ingmar Bergman
, Akira Kurosawa, Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Antonioni. This, in turn, inspired him take film making as a mode of expression. He started his film career with a 10-minute documentary in 1968, The Continent of Love; eventually he made his first full-length feature film, Dooratwa
(Distance) in 1978.
His lyricism has been extended to cinema as well. During the early stages of his film career, Dasgupta made films inspired by Satyajit Ray
's realistic films and later moved on to other forms. Some of his most acclaimed films are Bagh Bahadur, Tahader Katha, Charachar and Uttara.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and prominent contemporary Indian filmmaker, most known for films like Bagh Bahadur
Bagh Bahadur
Bagh Bahadur is a 1989 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film is about a man who paints himself as a tiger and dances in a village in Bengal. The movie conveys a strong message as it illustrates the hardships of rural village life in Bengal.-Cast:*Archana as...
, Tahader Katha
Tahader Katha
Tahader Katha is a 1992 award winning Bengali-language Indian feature film directed by Budhhadeb Dasgupta, starring Mithun Chakraborty, who won the 1993 National Film Awards for Best Actor for the film, while the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.-Plot:Shibnath is a...
, Charachar
Charachar
Charachar is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy.-Cast:*Shankar Chakraborty*Indrani Haldar as Gouri*Rajit Kapoor as Lakhinder...
and Uttara
Uttara
Uttara, which means "north" in Hindi, may refer to:* In the Hindu epic Mahabharata** Uttara , the son of King Virata who went into battle with Arjuna, disguised as his charioteer....
. Five of his films have won the National Film Award for Best Film
National Film Award for Best Film
The National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
, Bagh Bahadur
Bagh Bahadur
Bagh Bahadur is a 1989 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film is about a man who paints himself as a tiger and dances in a village in Bengal. The movie conveys a strong message as it illustrates the hardships of rural village life in Bengal.-Cast:*Archana as...
(1989), Charachar
Charachar
Charachar is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy.-Cast:*Shankar Chakraborty*Indrani Haldar as Gouri*Rajit Kapoor as Lakhinder...
(1993), Lal Darja
Lal Darja
Lal Darja is a 1997 Bengali allegorical drama film about a Kolkata dentist Dr. Nabin Dutta who fears becoming a cripple...
(1997), Mondo Meyer Upakhyan
Mondo Meyer Upakhyan
Mondo Meyer Upakhyan is a 2002 Indian Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta and starring Rituparna Sengupta...
(2002) and Kaalpurush
Kaalpurush
Kaalpurush or Kalpurush is a 2008 Indian Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty and Rahul Bose in lead roles....
(2008), while Dooratwa
Dooratwa
Dooratwa is a 1978 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta.-Cast:*Bijon Bhattacharya*Pradip Mukherjee as Mondar*Niranjan Ray*Mamata Shankar as Anjali...
(1978) and Tahader Katha
Tahader Katha
Tahader Katha is a 1992 award winning Bengali-language Indian feature film directed by Budhhadeb Dasgupta, starring Mithun Chakraborty, who won the 1993 National Film Awards for Best Actor for the film, while the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.-Plot:Shibnath is a...
(1993) have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali
The Indian National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali winners:...
. As a director he has won National Film Award for Best Directing
National Film Award for Best Directing
The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
twice, for Uttara
Uttara (film)
Uttara is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film, based on a short story by Samaresh Bose stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Pal and Shankar Chakraborty and Raisul Islam Asad as a Christian missionary....
(2000) and Swapner Din
Swapner Din
Swapner Din is a 2004 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta, who won the National Film Award for Best Directing for the film.-Plot:...
(2005). Over the years he has published several works of poetry including Govir Araley, Coffin Kimba Suitcase, Himjog, Chhaata Kahini, Roboter Gaan, Sreshtha Kabita, and Bhomboler Ascharya Kahini O Ananya Kabita.
Early life and education
Buddhadeb Dasgupta was born in 1944, in AnaraAnara
Anara is a town located about 25 kilometres east of Owerri, in Imo State, Nigeria. The town is made-up of eight villages, namely Idem, Aguna, Umuneke, Duru na ezike, Umuagwu, Umuehie, Dialum and Ohaohia....
near Puruliya in Southern West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, and was third of nine siblings. His father Tarkanta Dasgupta was a doctor with the Indian Railway, thus he spent early part of childhood traveling. It was only at the age of twelve that he was sent to Calcutta to study at Dinabandhu School, Howrah. Post-independence his father was transferred first to Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
in West Midnapore district and to Manendragarh
Manendragarh
Manendragarh is a City in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.The nearest airport is at Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Manendragarh Railway Station is on the Anuppur-Chirmiri rail route. There are many coal mines around here. Manendragarh was originated by some tribals around 100 years ago.National Highway...
(now in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
).
He studied economics at the prestigious Scottish Church College and at the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
.
Career
Buddhadeb started his career as a economics teacher, at the Shyamsunder College in Burdwan followed by City College, Calcutta. In 1976, when disenchanted by the gap he perceived between the economic theory he taught and the socio-political reality, he took to film making. Meanwhile his membership with the Calcutta Film SocietyCalcutta Film Society
Calcutta Film Society was India’s second film society in the city of Kolkata , West Bengal, India. It was founded in 1947, just after independence, by Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, RP Gupta, Bansi Chandragupta and others...
, where he first started going in his senior high school along with his uncle, exposed him to the works of directors like Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
, Akira Kurosawa, Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Antonioni. This, in turn, inspired him take film making as a mode of expression. He started his film career with a 10-minute documentary in 1968, The Continent of Love; eventually he made his first full-length feature film, Dooratwa
Dooratwa
Dooratwa is a 1978 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta.-Cast:*Bijon Bhattacharya*Pradip Mukherjee as Mondar*Niranjan Ray*Mamata Shankar as Anjali...
(Distance) in 1978.
His lyricism has been extended to cinema as well. During the early stages of his film career, Dasgupta made films inspired by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
's realistic films and later moved on to other forms. Some of his most acclaimed films are Bagh Bahadur, Tahader Katha, Charachar and Uttara.
Feature Films
- Samayer KacheSamayer KacheSamayer Kache is a 1968 Bengali short film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta....
(1968) (short) - DooratwaDooratwaDooratwa is a 1978 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta.-Cast:*Bijon Bhattacharya*Pradip Mukherjee as Mondar*Niranjan Ray*Mamata Shankar as Anjali...
(1978) (Distance) - Neem AnnapurnaNeem AnnapurnaNeem Annapurna is a 1979 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta and starring Sunil Mukherjee....
(1979) (Bitter Morsel) - GrihajuddhaGrihajuddhaGrihajuddha is a 1982 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta and starring Sunil Mukherjee. The film was produced under contract from the Government of West Bengal...
(1982) (The Civil War) - Andhi GaliAndhi GaliAndhi Gali is a 1984 Hindi drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta, and based on Bengali story, Ghar Bari by Dibyendu Palit.....
(1984) (Blind Alley) - PheraPheraPhera is a 1988 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, competition section.-Cast:*Aloknanda Dutt as Saraju...
(1988) (The Return) - Bagh BahadurBagh BahadurBagh Bahadur is a 1989 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film is about a man who paints himself as a tiger and dances in a village in Bengal. The movie conveys a strong message as it illustrates the hardships of rural village life in Bengal.-Cast:*Archana as...
(1989) (The Tiger Man) - Tahader KathaTahader KathaTahader Katha is a 1992 award winning Bengali-language Indian feature film directed by Budhhadeb Dasgupta, starring Mithun Chakraborty, who won the 1993 National Film Awards for Best Actor for the film, while the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.-Plot:Shibnath is a...
(1992) (Their Story) - CharacharCharacharCharachar is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy.-Cast:*Shankar Chakraborty*Indrani Haldar as Gouri*Rajit Kapoor as Lakhinder...
(1993) (Shelter of the Wings) - Lal DarjaLal DarjaLal Darja is a 1997 Bengali allegorical drama film about a Kolkata dentist Dr. Nabin Dutta who fears becoming a cripple...
(1997) (The Red Door) - UttaraUttara (film)Uttara is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film, based on a short story by Samaresh Bose stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Pal and Shankar Chakraborty and Raisul Islam Asad as a Christian missionary....
(2000) (The Wrestlers) - Mondo Meyer UpakhyanMondo Meyer UpakhyanMondo Meyer Upakhyan is a 2002 Indian Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta and starring Rituparna Sengupta...
(2002) (A Tale of a Naughty Girl) - Swapner DinSwapner DinSwapner Din is a 2004 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta, who won the National Film Award for Best Directing for the film.-Plot:...
(2004) (Chased by Dreams) - Ami, Yasin Ar Amar MadhubalaAmi, Yasin Ar Amar MadhubalaAmi, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala is a 2007 Indian Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta.The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.left|150px-Cast:*Amitav Bhattacharya as Yasin...
(2007) (The Voyeurs) - KaalpurushKaalpurushKaalpurush or Kalpurush is a 2008 Indian Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty and Rahul Bose in lead roles....
(2008) (Memories in the Mist) - Janala (2009) (The Window)
Documentary and TV work
- The Continent of Love (1968)
- Dholer Raja Khirode NattaDholer Raja Khirode NattaDholer Raja Khirode Natta is a 1973 Bengali documentary film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta....
(1973) - Fishermen of Sundarban (1974)
- Saratchandra (1975)
- Rhythm of Steel (1981)
- Indian Science Marches Ahead (1984)
- Vigyan O Tar Avishkar (1980)
- Story of Glass (1985)
- India on the Move (1985)
- Ceramics (1986)
- Contemporary Indian SculptureContemporary Indian SculptureContemporary Indian Sculpture is a 1987 Bengali documentary film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. It is a documentary on Indian sculpture....
(1987) - History of Indian Jute (1990)
Awards
- Buddhadeb Dasgupta was honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Spain International Film Festival in MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 27 May 2008. - Golden Athena Award at the Athens International Film Festival in 2007
- National Film Award
- Best FilmNational Film Award for Best FilmThe National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
- 1989: Bagh BahadurBagh BahadurBagh Bahadur is a 1989 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film is about a man who paints himself as a tiger and dances in a village in Bengal. The movie conveys a strong message as it illustrates the hardships of rural village life in Bengal.-Cast:*Archana as...
- 1993: CharacharCharacharCharachar is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy.-Cast:*Shankar Chakraborty*Indrani Haldar as Gouri*Rajit Kapoor as Lakhinder...
- 1997: Lal DarjaLal DarjaLal Darja is a 1997 Bengali allegorical drama film about a Kolkata dentist Dr. Nabin Dutta who fears becoming a cripple...
- 2002: Mondo Meyer UpakhyanMondo Meyer UpakhyanMondo Meyer Upakhyan is a 2002 Indian Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta and starring Rituparna Sengupta...
- 2008: KaalpurushKaalpurushKaalpurush or Kalpurush is a 2008 Indian Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty and Rahul Bose in lead roles....
- 1989: Bagh Bahadur
- Best DirectionNational Film Award for Best DirectingThe National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
- 2000: UttaraUttara (film)Uttara is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film, based on a short story by Samaresh Bose stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Pal and Shankar Chakraborty and Raisul Islam Asad as a Christian missionary....
- 2005: Swapner DinSwapner DinSwapner Din is a 2004 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta, who won the National Film Award for Best Directing for the film.-Plot:...
- 2000: Uttara
- Best ScreenplayNational Film Award for Best ScreenplayThe National Film Award for Best Screenplay winners:-References:...
- 1987: PheraPheraPhera is a 1988 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, competition section.-Cast:*Aloknanda Dutt as Saraju...
- 1987: Phera
- Best Feature Film in BengaliNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in BengaliThe Indian National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali winners:...
- 1978: DooratwaDooratwaDooratwa is a 1978 Bengali film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta.-Cast:*Bijon Bhattacharya*Pradip Mukherjee as Mondar*Niranjan Ray*Mamata Shankar as Anjali...
- 1987: PheraPheraPhera is a 1988 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, competition section.-Cast:*Aloknanda Dutt as Saraju...
- 1993: Tahader KathaTahader KathaTahader Katha is a 1992 award winning Bengali-language Indian feature film directed by Budhhadeb Dasgupta, starring Mithun Chakraborty, who won the 1993 National Film Awards for Best Actor for the film, while the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.-Plot:Shibnath is a...
- 1978: Dooratwa
- Best Film
- Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- 198838th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 38th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 12 to 23, 1988.-Jury:* Guglielmo Biraghi * Ellen Burstyn* Heiner Carow* Eberhard Junkersdorf* Tom Luddy* Heinz Rathsack* Daniel Schmid* Andrei Smirnov...
: Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
: PheraPheraPhera is a 1988 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. It was entered into the 38th Berlin International Film Festival, competition section.-Cast:*Aloknanda Dutt as Saraju...
, Nominated - 199444th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 10 to 21, 1994.-Jury:* Jeremy Thomas * Chinghiz Aitmatov* María Luisa Bemberg* Hsu Feng* Morgan Freeman* Francis Girod* Corinna Harfouch* Carlo Lizzani...
: Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
: CharacharCharacharCharachar is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy.-Cast:*Shankar Chakraborty*Indrani Haldar as Gouri*Rajit Kapoor as Lakhinder...
: Nominated
- 1988
- Venice Film FestivalVenice Film FestivalThe Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
- 2000: Golden LionGolden LionIl Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
: UttaraUttara (film)Uttara is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film, based on a short story by Samaresh Bose stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Pal and Shankar Chakraborty and Raisul Islam Asad as a Christian missionary....
(The Wrestler): Nominated - 2000: Special Director Award: UttaraUttara (film)Uttara is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film, based on a short story by Samaresh Bose stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Pal and Shankar Chakraborty and Raisul Islam Asad as a Christian missionary....
(The Wrestler)
- 2000: Golden Lion
Family
His elder daughter, Rajeshwari Dasgupta (Ghose), who is a trained classical pianist, has been the assistant director and critic of her father's national award-winning movies and documentaries.Quotations
"All of us have a cherished dream for which we live. We begin the journey of life to fulfil this dream. But while some of us succeed, some don’t. My films revolve around this quest for the realisation of dreams."
Further reading
- Buddhadeb Dasgupta: cinema of imprinted times, by Pradip Biswas. Aurora Film Corp., 1999
- Films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta, by John W. Hood. Orient Blackswan, 2005. ISBN 8125028021.