Sombhu Mitra
Encyclopedia
Sombhu Mitra was an India
n film and stage actor, director, playwright and one of the pre-eminent Indian theatre personalities, especially Bengali theatre
, where he is considered a pioneer. He remained associated with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) for a few years before founding Bohurupree (1948), theatre group in Kolkata in 1948. He is most noted for his films like, Dharti Ke Lal
(1946), Jagte Raho
(1956), and his production of Rakta Karabi based on Rabindranath Tagore
play in 1954 and Chand Baniker Pala his most noted play as a playwright
In 1966, the Sangeet Natak Akademi
awarded him with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
for lifetime contribution, then in 1970, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
, India's third highest civilian honour, and in 1976 the Ramon Magsaysay Award
.
), India, on 22 August 1915, Sombhu Mitra was the sixth child of three sons and four daughters born of Sarat Kumar Mitra, an employee of the Geological Survey of India, and Satadalbasini Mitra. His mother died when he was 12 years old..
He started his schooling in Chakraberia Middle English School, Calcutta and later continued in the Ballygunge Government High School
, Calcutta, where he developed interest reading Bengali plays and became active in school dramatics. He joined St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
in 1931, and soon started attending the local theater.
was in Rangmahal Theatre in north Kolkata in 1939, thereafter he moved to the Minerva, Natyaniketan and Srirangam theaters.
In 1943, he joined Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). In 1944, several old theatrical conventions were broken when the play Navanna written by Bijon Bhattacharya
and co-directed by Sombhu Mitra for IPTA was staged. In 1948, Sombhu Mitra formed a new theatre group, Bohurupee in Kolkata, which ushered the group-theatre movement in West Bengal
.
He married Tripti, who was also a celebrated personality in the Bengali theatre
. Their daughter, Shaoli is a noted actress, director and playwright..
’s Rakta Karabi was staged by the Bohurupee, followed by his Bisarjan, Raja
and Char Adhyay. Other notable productions include Bidhyak Bhattacharya’s Tahar Namti Ranjana and Kanchanranga. Under his direction, this group also presented the Bengali adaptations of several well-known dramas from the world stage. Henrik Ibsen
’s Putul Khela (Doll’s House), Dashachakra (An Enemy of the People) and Sophocles' Raja Oidipaus (Oedipus Rex) are notable amongst them.
In these productions he performed as Rahimuddin in Chenda Tar, Atin in Char Adhyay, Binod in Ulukhagra, Tapan in Putul Khela, Dr. Purnendu Guha in Dashachakra, Oidipaus in Raja Oidipaus.
He died in Kolkata.
He wrote the story and screenplay of Jagte Raho
(1956) and also co-directed it along with Amit Maitra. He also directed a Bengali movie, Shubha Bibaha in 1959.
for Jagte Raho
at the 1957 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
, the Desikottama from Visva Bharati University in 1989, an honorary D. Litt from both Rabindra Bharati University
and Jadavpur University
of Kolkata, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1976 for journalism, literature and creative communication arts and the Padmabhushan in the same year. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
in 1966. For his contribution in the movies, he won the Grand-Prix Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
. Madhya Pradesh
Government honored him with Kalidas Samman
(1982–83).
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film and stage actor, director, playwright and one of the pre-eminent Indian theatre personalities, especially Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
, where he is considered a pioneer. He remained associated with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) for a few years before founding Bohurupree (1948), theatre group in Kolkata in 1948. He is most noted for his films like, Dharti Ke Lal
Dharti Ke Lal
Dharti Ke Lal is a 1946 Hindi film and the first directorial venture of the noted film director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas...
(1946), Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho is a 1956 film directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager who comes to a city in search of a better life. However, the naive man soon becomes trapped in a web of middle-class greed and corruption...
(1956), and his production of Rakta Karabi based on Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
play in 1954 and Chand Baniker Pala his most noted play as a playwright
In 1966, the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
awarded him with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
for lifetime contribution, then in 1970, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's third highest civilian honour, and in 1976 the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
.
Early life and education
Born in Calcutta (now KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
), India, on 22 August 1915, Sombhu Mitra was the sixth child of three sons and four daughters born of Sarat Kumar Mitra, an employee of the Geological Survey of India, and Satadalbasini Mitra. His mother died when he was 12 years old..
He started his schooling in Chakraberia Middle English School, Calcutta and later continued in the Ballygunge Government High School
Ballygunge Government High School
Ballygunge Government High School, , is one of the oldest and best schools in West Bengal, India. The school is adjacent to Kolkata RTO/Beltala police station.The school is Bengali medium, with Bengali taught as main language...
, Calcutta, where he developed interest reading Bengali plays and became active in school dramatics. He joined St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
St. Xavier's College is located in Kolkata, India, and is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who travelled to India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It gained autonomy in July 2006, thus becoming the first autonomous college of...
in 1931, and soon started attending the local theater.
Career
His first appearance in Bengali theatreBengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
was in Rangmahal Theatre in north Kolkata in 1939, thereafter he moved to the Minerva, Natyaniketan and Srirangam theaters.
In 1943, he joined Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). In 1944, several old theatrical conventions were broken when the play Navanna written by Bijon Bhattacharya
Bijon Bhattacharya
Bijon Bhattacharya was a prominent Indian theatre and film personality from Bengal.Bijon was born in 1917 at Faridpur in a Hindu Brahmin family, and was early a witness to the destitution and penury of the peasantry of that land...
and co-directed by Sombhu Mitra for IPTA was staged. In 1948, Sombhu Mitra formed a new theatre group, Bohurupee in Kolkata, which ushered the group-theatre movement in 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...
.
He married Tripti, who was also a celebrated personality in the Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre
Bengali theatre primarily refers to theatre performed in the Bengali language. Bengali theatre is produced mainly in West Bengal, and in Bangladesh. The term may also refer to some Hindi theatres which are accepted by the Bengali people....
. Their daughter, Shaoli is a noted actress, director and playwright..
The Bohurupee productions
Under Sombhu Mitra’s direction, the Bohurupee staged several successful productions. In December 1950, the Bohurupee presented three plays in the New Empire theatre - Tulsi Lahiri’s Pathik and Chenda Tar and Sombhu Mitra’s own creation, Ulukhagra. In 1954, Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
’s Rakta Karabi was staged by the Bohurupee, followed by his Bisarjan, Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
and Char Adhyay. Other notable productions include Bidhyak Bhattacharya’s Tahar Namti Ranjana and Kanchanranga. Under his direction, this group also presented the Bengali adaptations of several well-known dramas from the world stage. Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
’s Putul Khela (Doll’s House), Dashachakra (An Enemy of the People) and Sophocles' Raja Oidipaus (Oedipus Rex) are notable amongst them.
In these productions he performed as Rahimuddin in Chenda Tar, Atin in Char Adhyay, Binod in Ulukhagra, Tapan in Putul Khela, Dr. Purnendu Guha in Dashachakra, Oidipaus in Raja Oidipaus.
He died in Kolkata.
Filmography
Sombhu Mitra performed in several movies in Bengali and Hindi. The notable amongst them are:- Dharti Ke LalDharti Ke LalDharti Ke Lal is a 1946 Hindi film and the first directorial venture of the noted film director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas...
(1946) (Hindi) - Abhiyatri (1947) (Bengali)
- Dhatri Debata (1948) (Bengali)
- Abarta (1949) (Bengali)
- ’42 (1949) (Bengali)
- Hindustan Hamara (1950) (Hindi)
- Pathik (1953) (Bengali)
- Bau Thakuranir Hat (1953) (Bengali)
- Maharaj Nandakumar (1953) (Bengali)
- Maraner Pare (1954) (Bengali)
- Shivashakti (1954) (Bengali)
- Durlabh Janma (1955) (Bengali)
- Manik (1961) (Bengali)
- Suryasnan (1962) (Bengali)
- Panna (1967) (Bengali)
- Natun Pata (1969) (Bengali)
- Nishachar (1971) (Bengali)
He wrote the story and screenplay of Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho is a 1956 film directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager who comes to a city in search of a better life. However, the naive man soon becomes trapped in a web of middle-class greed and corruption...
(1956) and also co-directed it along with Amit Maitra. He also directed a Bengali movie, Shubha Bibaha in 1959.
Major works
- Abhinay Natak Mancha (in Bengali) (1957)
- Sanmarga-Saparya (in Bengali)
- Natak Raktakarabi (in Bengali)
- Chandbaniker Pala (in Bengali)
- Prarambhik (in Bengali)
Honours and awards
Sombhu Mitra received many national and international awards, which include the Crystal GlobeCrystal Globe
Crystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
for Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho
Jagte Raho is a 1956 film directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager who comes to a city in search of a better life. However, the naive man soon becomes trapped in a web of middle-class greed and corruption...
at the 1957 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, the Desikottama from Visva Bharati University in 1989, an honorary D. Litt from both Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University
Rabindra Bharati University is a university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore...
and Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
of Kolkata, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1976 for journalism, literature and creative communication arts and the Padmabhushan in the same year. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
in 1966. For his contribution in the movies, he won the Grand-Prix Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
. Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
Government honored him with Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
(1982–83).