Harisadhan Dasgupta (1924–1996) was an Indian film director from Calcutta who was most prolific in the 1950s and 1960s. Dasgupta specialized in surveying subjects of fascination to the Bengali public.[1]
Harisadhan Dasgupta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 April 1924 |
| Died | 19 August 1996 (aged 72) |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, Director, Writer |
| Notable work | Konarak: The Sun Temple, A Perfect Day, Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal, Tata: The Story of Steel |
| Spouse | Sonali Senroy Dasupta |
Dasgupta attended the University of Southern California and later the University of California, Los Angeles to study film-making.[2] He studied for a time under Hollywood producer Irving Pichel.[3] Upon completing an apprenticeship, he returned to Calcutta to produce documentaries.
Over a lengthy career, Dasgupta produced many documentaries, long and short.[4] He was best known for his English language documentaries on the Bengali people's situation, including such works as Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal (1955), Panorama of West Bengal (1961), Glimpses of India (1965), and The Automobile Industry in India (1969).[5][6] He became most well known for his classic documentary commissioned by Tata Steel, India's largest private corporation, titled Tata: The Story of Steel.[7] As with several of his films, this documentary was scripted by Satyajit Ray. Throughout his career, Dasgupta also worked with several other leading lights involved in Calcutta's film-making renaissance, including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Claude Renoir, Jean Renoir, Ravi Shankar, Chidananda Dasgupta, and Asit Sen.[2] In 1947, Dasgupta co-founded the Calcutta Film Society along with Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, Sunil Janah, RP Gupta, Bansi Chandragupta and others.[8]
Dasgupta was involved in a highly publicized incident when his wife Sonali left their marriage and their six-year-old son for Italian film director Roberto Rossellini.[9][10][11] Their son Raja later expressed relief when she passed due to their estrangement.[12]
Filmography
edit- Konarak: The Sun Temple (1949)
- Shaher Ki Jhalak (1953)
- Gaon Ki Kahani (1953)
- Weavers of Maindargi (1953)
- Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal (1955)
- Trancuber: the Song of Waves (1956)
- Tata: The Story of Steel (1958)
- Our Children Will Know Better (1960)
- Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (1961)
- Panorama of West Bengal (1962)
- Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saheb (1964)
- Glimpses of India (1965)
- Quest for Health (1965)
- Malabar Story (1965)
- The Automobile Industry in India (1969)
- The Automobile Industry in India (1969)
- Terracota Temples (1970)
- Port of Calcutta (1971)
- The Tale of Two Leaves and a Bud (1972)
- Bagha Jatin (1973)
- This Land is Mine (1980)
- From Mizoram with Love (1981)
- Acharya Nandalal (1984)
Awards
editHis Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal was awarded the Best Film of the IDPA Film Festival, Bombay/Delhi, 1959.[1] Hattogol Vijay, a 1961 film made through HS Dasgupta Productions for India Tube Company, was awarded the Prime Minister's Gold Medal[1] as Best Children's Film for 1960.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Harisadhan Dasgupta". Bengal Film Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ a b Harisadhan Dasgupta. Archived 10 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine Bengali Vaidyas.
- ^ "Latest in entertainment, lifestyle, fashion | t2ONLINE - Vibe With The tRIBE". www.t2online.in. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "কলকাতার কড়চা: বহুবর্ণ জীবনের শতবর্ষ". 20 April 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Harisadhan Dasgupta. IMDB.
- ^ "Lost and found: Harisadhan on tape on wife and Italian filmmaker Rossellini". The Times of India. 13 April 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Celluloid touch to centenary celebrations.[dead link] The Telegraph.
- ^ Suman Ghosh. Let’s talk about films – again! The Telegraph.
- ^ Rinki Roy Bhattacharya. Remembering Sonali Dasgupta-Rossellini. Rediff.
- ^ Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay. An Affair to Remember. Frontline.
- ^ The scandal that rocked Calcutta. The Telegraph.
- ^ Subhro Niyogi. 'Ma didn't miss me.' The Times of India.