Tarun Majumdar
Encyclopedia
Tarun Majumdar (also often credited as Tarun Mazumdar) ( Torun Mojumdar) is a renowned Bengali
India
n film director
who makes films in Bengali
and is notable for his depiction of Bengal
i culture and society. Many of his films are literature-based. He has recreated classics written by Bimal Kar
, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
, and Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
on celluloid. Another feature of many of his films is the ample use of songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore
to convey a range of emotions. Although often lacking in critical acclaim as some of his peers like Tapan Sinha
, Satyajit Ray
, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen
, he has consistently produced box-office hits for over forty years.
, Bengal
, now in Bangladesh
. He studied at the renowned Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta
.
His ex-wife is the famous Bengali
actress Sandhya Roy
.
(phonetically Jatrik in Bangla). Yatrik was the screen-name of the trio of directors Tarun Majumdar, Sachin Mukherji, and Dilip Mukherji until 1963 after which each began to be credited separately. As Yatrik, the trio created well-known classics such as Chaowa Paowa
in 1959, starring matinee idol
Uttam Kumar
and screen-diva Suchitra Sen
, and Palatak and Kancher Swarga, both in 1963.
In 1965, Tarun Majumdar made two films Ektuku basha with Soumitra Chatterjee
and Alor pipasha with Basanta Choudhury
. Both films featured Sandhya Roy
, a popular actress he married. In 1967, he made one of the top grossing films of the year, Balika Badhu, an adaptation of story written by Bimal Kar
, in which a teenage Moushumi Chatterjee made her debut. He would remake this film in Hindi
in 1976, where it was a moderate success. He would make quite a few box-office blockbusters through the years including (but not exclusively), Shriman Prithviraj
, Ganadevata, Dadar kirti
, Bhalobasa Bhalobasa
, Poroshmoni, and Apon amar apon. Apart from being a major success in 1980, Dadar kirti, based on a short story by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
introduced Debashree Roy
and Tapas Pal
. Both would go on to dominate the Bengali film screen for over a decade. In many films after Dadar kirti, Tapas Pal found himself typecast in similar roles to Kedar.
, a film based on a story written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
. This film received both critical and popular acclaim and became one of the hits of the year. As in many of Tarun Majumdar's films, the soundtrack featured songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore
.
In 2006, he made another film casting Uttam kumar's grandson Gaurav and Hemanta Mukherjee's granddaughter,Mausumi's daughter as lead actors supported by acting divas like Soumitra Chatterjee,Mousumi,Tapas Pal,Paran Banerjee.But the film is moderate hit. Next year,in 2007,he made another feature film Chander Bari based on a joint family saga which got critical acclaim from viewers and the film is hit.Rituparna Sengupta
again starred as main lead costarring Ranjit Mallik, Laboni Sarkar, Koel Mallik,Soham Chakroborty, Rishi Kaushik, Soumitra Chatterjee
, Haradhan Banerjee, Tanima Sen, Dwijen Mukherjee, Biplabketan Chakraborty, Tathoi,Sharbari Mukherjee,Sumit Samaddar,Nayana Banerjee,Locket chatterjee and more. Famous playback singer Babul Supriyo
has made his debut in this film opposite Rituparna. The songs featured in films again composed by Rabindranath Tagore
.
for Ganadevata, (1979).
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
India
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 director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who makes films in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
and is notable for his depiction of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
i culture and society. Many of his films are literature-based. He has recreated classics written by Bimal Kar
Bimal Kar
Bimal Kar was an eminent Bengali writer and novelist.He received 1975 Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali, by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, for his novel Asamay.-Personal life and education:...
, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was a well known literary figure of Bengal. He was also actively involved with Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. His most famous creation is the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi.He wrote different forms of prose: novels, short stories, plays and screenplays...
, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was one of the most famous Bengali novelist and writer of modern Bengali literature...
, and Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was one of the leading Bengali novelists. He wrote 65 novels, 53 story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies and 2 travel stories...
on celluloid. Another feature of many of his films is the ample use of songs written and composed by 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...
to convey a range of emotions. Although often lacking in critical acclaim as some of his peers like Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha
Tapan Sinha , was a Indian film director. He was arguably the most uncompromising filmmaker outside the orbit of Parallel Cinema.-Personal life and background:...
, 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...
, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen
Mrinal Sen is a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He was born on 14 May 1923, in the town of Faridpur, now in Bangladesh in a Hindu family. After finishing his high school there, he left home to come to Calcutta as a student and studied physics at the well-known Scottish Church College and at the...
, he has consistently produced box-office hits for over forty years.
Early years
Majumdar was born in BograBogra District
Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. It is called the gateway to the north Bengal. It is an industrial city where many small and mid sized industries are housed. Bogra district was a part of the ancient Pundravardhana territory and Bogra was the capital of...
, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. He studied at the renowned Scottish Church College of 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...
.
His ex-wife is the famous Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
actress Sandhya Roy
Sandhya Roy
Sandhya Roy is an actress in the Bengali language film industry of West Bengal India. She is one of most famous actress in romantic bengali movies for her greatest skill in acting and very sweet face from 1960 to 1985.Being a versatile actress,she has experimented with successful character-acting...
.
Career
His early films were credited to YatrikYatrik
Yatrik, an Indian film directed by Kartick Chatterjee, depicts a group of pilgrims on an arduous trek in the high Himalayas. It is the Hindi-language version of the Bengali film Mahaprasthaner Pathey, the film made from the book of the same name, written by Probodh Kumar Sanyal...
(phonetically Jatrik in Bangla). Yatrik was the screen-name of the trio of directors Tarun Majumdar, Sachin Mukherji, and Dilip Mukherji until 1963 after which each began to be credited separately. As Yatrik, the trio created well-known classics such as Chaowa Paowa
Chaowa Pawa (1959 film)
Chaowa Pawa is a 1959 Bengali film directed by Yatrik. The film is starring Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.-Cast:* Uttam Kumar* Suchitra Sen* Chhabi Biswas* Tulsi Chakraborty* Jiben Bose* Bharati Debi* Anil Chatterjee* Amar Mullick* Rajlakshmi...
in 1959, starring matinee idol
Matinee idol
Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans.The term almost exclusively refers to male actors. Invariably the adulation was fixated on the actor's looks rather than performance...
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar
Uttam Kumar is one of the most famous names of Indian Bengali Cinema.Born Arun Kumar Chatterjee in 1926 at Ahiritola, North Calcutta he is widely known as Uttam Kumar and Mahanayak . He remains as much of a cultural icon as he had been in his lifetime...
and screen-diva Suchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen
Suchitra Sen ; or Rama Dasgupta , is an Indian actress who acted in several Bengali films. In particular, the movies in which she paired opposite another legend in Bengali films, Uttam Kumar, became classics in the history of Bengali cinema. She now lives a life of a recluse rarely making any...
, and Palatak and Kancher Swarga, both in 1963.
In 1965, Tarun Majumdar made two films Ektuku basha with Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
and Alor pipasha with Basanta Choudhury
Basanta Choudhury
Basanta Chowdhury was an actor who had been playing a hero even before the era of Uttam Kumar.Basanta Chowdhury was born on 5 May 1928 in Nagpur. In 1945, he completed his Matriculation Examination from D.N.H. School. Afterthat, he finished his graduation from Morris College in 1949.His first film...
. Both films featured Sandhya Roy
Sandhya Roy
Sandhya Roy is an actress in the Bengali language film industry of West Bengal India. She is one of most famous actress in romantic bengali movies for her greatest skill in acting and very sweet face from 1960 to 1985.Being a versatile actress,she has experimented with successful character-acting...
, a popular actress he married. In 1967, he made one of the top grossing films of the year, Balika Badhu, an adaptation of story written by Bimal Kar
Bimal Kar
Bimal Kar was an eminent Bengali writer and novelist.He received 1975 Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali, by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, for his novel Asamay.-Personal life and education:...
, in which a teenage Moushumi Chatterjee made her debut. He would remake this film in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
in 1976, where it was a moderate success. He would make quite a few box-office blockbusters through the years including (but not exclusively), Shriman Prithviraj
Shriman Prithviraj
Shriman Prithviraj is a 1973 Bengali cinema starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury directed by Tarun Majumdar.It is one of the sweetest Bengali films with a down to earth feel ever made on the subject of teenage love. The film continues to have a cult following.- Plot :Sriman Prithviraj...
, Ganadevata, Dadar kirti
Dadar Kirti
Dadar Kirti is a Bengali comic- romantic cinema starring Tapas Paul, Mahuya Roychoudhury, Ayan Banerjee and Debasree Roy...
, Bhalobasa Bhalobasa
Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985 film)
Bhalobasa Bhalobasa is a 1985 Bengali romantic film directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film is starring Tapas Pal, Deboshree Roy.-Cast:* Tapas Pal ... Arup* Debashree Roy ... Keya* Ruma Guha Thakurta ... Keya's Mother...
, Poroshmoni, and Apon amar apon. Apart from being a major success in 1980, Dadar kirti, based on a short story by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was a well known literary figure of Bengal. He was also actively involved with Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. His most famous creation is the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi.He wrote different forms of prose: novels, short stories, plays and screenplays...
introduced Debashree Roy
Debashree Roy
Debashree Roy is a Bengali cinema actress. She acted in more than 100 films and has 40 awards, including a National Film Award for Best Actress for the film Unishe April in 1995. She was also known by the name 'Chintamani' in Tamil Nadu, when she acted in a few Tamil movies.- Early life :She was...
and Tapas Pal
Tapas Pal
Tapas Pal born in 1960 in a remote village in Jalpaiguri district is a Bengali actor from Calcutta, the son of Dr. Ganash Pal of Chandannagar. He is a Member of Parliament having won in the 2009 Indian General Eelections on a Trinamool Congress ticket from Krishnanagar . His mother hails from a...
. Both would go on to dominate the Bengali film screen for over a decade. In many films after Dadar kirti, Tapas Pal found himself typecast in similar roles to Kedar.
2004 - present
In the middle of the Nineties, Tarun Majumdar retired from filmmaking. For almost a decade he stayed away from filmmaking. In 2004, Tarun Majumdar made a comeback with Alo (film)Alo (film)
Alo is a 2003 Bengali film directed by Tarun Majumder and starring Rituparna Sengupta. The story is based on a short story by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. It was shown in Bengal cinemas for eight months and broke several box office records....
, a film based on a story written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay was one of the most famous Bengali novelist and writer of modern Bengali literature...
. This film received both critical and popular acclaim and became one of the hits of the year. As in many of Tarun Majumdar's films, the soundtrack featured songs written and composed by 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...
.
In 2006, he made another film casting Uttam kumar's grandson Gaurav and Hemanta Mukherjee's granddaughter,Mausumi's daughter as lead actors supported by acting divas like Soumitra Chatterjee,Mousumi,Tapas Pal,Paran Banerjee.But the film is moderate hit. Next year,in 2007,he made another feature film Chander Bari based on a joint family saga which got critical acclaim from viewers and the film is hit.Rituparna Sengupta
Rituparna Sengupta
Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress. She is the leading actress in Bengali Cinema for the last decade in India, and is also currently performing in critically acclaimed Hindi Cinema.- Early life and education :...
again starred as main lead costarring Ranjit Mallik, Laboni Sarkar, Koel Mallik,Soham Chakroborty, Rishi Kaushik, Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
, Haradhan Banerjee, Tanima Sen, Dwijen Mukherjee, Biplabketan Chakraborty, Tathoi,Sharbari Mukherjee,Sumit Samaddar,Nayana Banerjee,Locket chatterjee and more. Famous playback singer Babul Supriyo
Babul Supriyo
Babul Supriyo is an Indian playback singer. He calls himself a clone of Kumar Sanu.He was born Supriya Baral, and spent his early childhood, and even graduated from university with that name. He would change his first name's spelling from Supriya to Supriyo as the former signified a female name,...
has made his debut in this film opposite Rituparna. The songs featured in films again composed by 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...
.
Awards
Indian National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
The National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment winners:1981 to 1984 and 1992, 1986 & 1977 No Award was given....
for Ganadevata, (1979).
Quotes
- Learning a craft is always the same,and it does not really matter how you learn it. Otherwise, how do you think Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit 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...
could make a film like Pather PanchaliPather PanchaliPather Panchali is a 1955 Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of the Indian state of West Bengal. Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, the film was the directorial debut of Ray...
or for that matter Rajen Tarafdar could make 'Ganga'? - When I started, there were no film schools. We used to see many films and read books. I have learnt my craft only by seeing films.
- The producers here, I must say, have a mental makeup that does not allow much of experimentation... They always want directors at their feet and I hate it.
- I always believe that better educated people like those with a film school background should come into the industry as this certainly adds a qualitative edge to a film.
Filmography
- Chaowa PawaChaowa Pawa (1959 film)Chaowa Pawa is a 1959 Bengali film directed by Yatrik. The film is starring Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.-Cast:* Uttam Kumar* Suchitra Sen* Chhabi Biswas* Tulsi Chakraborty* Jiben Bose* Bharati Debi* Anil Chatterjee* Amar Mullick* Rajlakshmi...
1959 - Smriti Tuku Thaak 1960
- Kancher Swarga 1961
- Palatak 1963
- Alor Pipasa 1965
- Ektuku Basa 1965
- Balika Badhu 1967
- Rahgir 1969
- Nimantran 1971
- Shriman PrithvirajShriman PrithvirajShriman Prithviraj is a 1973 Bengali cinema starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury directed by Tarun Majumdar.It is one of the sweetest Bengali films with a down to earth feel ever made on the subject of teenage love. The film continues to have a cult following.- Plot :Sriman Prithviraj...
1973 - Thagini 1974
- Phuleshwari 1974
- Sansar Simante 1975
- Balika BadhuBalika Badhu (1976)Balika Badhu is a 1976 Hindi film produced by Shakti Samanta and directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film based on the Bengali novel by the same name by Bimal Kar, about a young girl who is married before she could be old enough to understand what marriage is all about, in the backdrop of Indian...
1976 - Ganadevata 1978
- Dadar KirtiDadar KirtiDadar Kirti is a Bengali comic- romantic cinema starring Tapas Paul, Mahuya Roychoudhury, Ayan Banerjee and Debasree Roy...
1980 - Shahar Theke Dure 1981
- Meghmukti 1981
- Khelar Putul 1982
- Aranya Aamar 1984
- Amar Geeti 1984
- Bhalobasa BhalobasaBhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985 film)Bhalobasa Bhalobasa is a 1985 Bengali romantic film directed by Tarun Majumdar. The film is starring Tapas Pal, Deboshree Roy.-Cast:* Tapas Pal ... Arup* Debashree Roy ... Keya* Ruma Guha Thakurta ... Keya's Mother...
1985 - PathbholaPathbholaPathbhola is a 1986 Bengali film directed by Tarun Majumder. The music director, Hemanta Mukherjee, won a BFJA Award in 1987 for his work in this film....
1986 - Agaman 1988
- Parasmoni 1988
- Apan Aamar Apan 1990
- Path-O-Prasad 1991
- Sajani Go Sajani 1991
- Katha Chhilo 1994
- AloAlo (film)Alo is a 2003 Bengali film directed by Tarun Majumder and starring Rituparna Sengupta. The story is based on a short story by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. It was shown in Bengal cinemas for eight months and broke several box office records....
2003 - Bhalobasar Anek Naam 2005
- Chander Bari 2007