Santosh Dutta
| Santosh Dutta | |
|---|---|
 Santosh Dutta in the film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne | |
| Born |
2 December 1925 Dhaka, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Bangladesh) |
| Died |
8 February 1988 (aged 63) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Nationality |
 Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, Criminal Lawyer[1] |
| Children | Labanya Pramanik[1] |
Santosh Dutta (Bengali: সন্তোষ দত্ত) was a Bengali actor, best known for immortalizing the character of Jatayu[2] in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies viz. Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath. He was a lawyer by profession. Essentially a comedian, he elevated comedy acting to the levels of character roles. Satyajit Ray gave him the first break with a small role in his immortal film Paras Pathar. After Sonar Kella, he became so associated with the role of "Jatayu" that Satyajit Ray later reframed the appearance of Jatayu and started making the sketches of Jatayu resembling Dutta in Feluda novels. After the death of this actor, Ray once remarked that there will be no further movies in the Feluda series as Jatayu cannot be thought of without Santosh Dutta. Though the role of Jatayu was later played by artistes like Anoop Kumar, Rabi Ghosh and Bibhu Bhattacharya, these actors agreed that it was impossible to play the character without the influence of Santosh Dutta in mind.
Apart from playing Jatayu, Dutta played crucial roles in Satyajit Ray's masterpieces for children like Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and Hirak Rajar Deshe. In Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, Dutta played dual roles of the kings of "Halla" and "Shundi". In Hirak Rajar Deshe, which is a sequel to Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, Dutta played the role of a mysterious scientist (known as Gobeshok Gobochondro Gyanotirtho Gyanorotno Gyanambudhi Gyanochuramoni), in addition to a small appearance for the same 'King of Shundi'.[3]
Another milestone in Dutta's career was playing Gopal Bhar in the movie of same name, Gopal Bhar being a humorous character known for centuries in India, particularly the state of West Bengal.
The role of Abalakanto in Ogo Bodhu Sundari has also become legendary.
Dutta played important roles in films like Teen Kanya, Paras Pathar, Kapurush O Mahapurush, Streer Patra, Marjina Abdallah, Jana Aranya, Char Murti and Gana Devata. He played the roles of comedians in some commercial theaters. Kone Bibhrat was one of the plays in his later years which was a mega hit. He worked in a TV serial called Goenda Bhagabandas with Rabi Ghosh, another famous actor of his time.
Filmography
| Year | Film Name | Director | Genre | Role |
| 1958 | Parash Pathar | Satyajit Ray | Atanu | |
| 1958 | Headmaster | Agragami | Actor | |
| 1961 | Teen Kanya | Satyajit Ray | Actor | |
| 1965 | Mahapurush | Satyajit Ray | Professor Nandi/Nani | |
| 1968 | Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne | Satyajit Ray | King of Shundi | |
| 1973 | Marjina Abdulla | Dinen Gupta | Ali Baba | |
| 1973 | Shriman Prithviraj | Tarun Majumdar | Nobin Master | |
| 1974 | Jadu Bansha | Partha Prathim Choudhury | Actor | |
| 1974 | Sonar Kella | Satyajit Ray | Lalmohan Ganguli/Jatayu | |
| 1976 | Jana Aranya | Satyajit Ray | Hiralal Saha | |
| 1976 | Asadharan | Salil Sen | Actor | |
| 1977 | Ei Prithibir Panthanibas | Aravind Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1977 | Shesh Raksha | Shankar Bhattacharya | Actor | |
| 1977 | Sister | Pijush Bose | Actor | |
| 1977 | Joi Baba Felunath | Satyajit Ray | Lalmohan Ganguli/Jatayu | |
| 1978 | Charmurti | Umanath Bhattacharya | Pisemoshai | |
| 1979 | Ghatkali | Bimal Roy Jr. | Actor | |
| 1979 | Brajabuli | Pijush Bose | Actor | |
| 1980 | Abhi | Apurba Kumar Mitra | Actor | |
| 1980 | Hirak Rajar Deshe | Satyajit Ray | King of Shundi/Scientist in Hirak Raj | |
| 1980 | Sandhi | Amal Dutta | Actor | |
| 1980 | Paka Dekha | Aravind Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1980 | Gopal Bhanar | Amal Sur | Actor | |
| 1981 | Subarnalata | Bijoy Bose | Actor | |
| 1981 | Ogo Bodhu Shundori | Salil Dutta | Abolakanta | |
| 1982 | Khelar Putul | Tarun Majumdar | Actor | |
| 1982 | Malancha | Purnendu Pattrea | Actor | |
| 1982 | Rasamoyeer Rasikata | Amal Sur | Actor | |
| 1983 | Kauke Bolo Na | Vishwanath Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1983 | Duti Pata | Bimal Roy Jr. | Actor | |
| 1983 | Srinkhal | Abir Basu | Actor | |
| 1984 | Pujarini | Partha Prathim Choudhury | Actor | |
| 1984 | Shilalipi | Palash Bannerjee | Actor | |
| 1984 | Rajeswari | Salil Dutta | Actor | |
| 1984 | Sorgol | Biswajit | Actor | |
| 1984 | Lolita | Tapan Choudhury | Actor | |
| 1984 | Amar Geeti | Tarun Majumdar | Actor | |
| 1984 | Joy Parajoy | Chandan Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1985 | Nishante | Narayan Chakraborty | Actor | |
| 1985 | Hulusthul | Aravind Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1985 | Baikunther Will | Sushil Mukherjee | Actor | |
| 1985 | Aamar Prithibi | Bimal Bhowmick | Actor | |
| 1986 | Dui Adhyay | Goutam Mukhopadhyay | Actor | |
| 1986 | Urbashe | Salil Dutta | Actor | |
| 1987 | Abir | Kamal Majumdar | Actor | |
| 1987 | Samrat-O-Sundari | Bimal Roy Jr. | Actor | |
| 1988 | Agni Sanket | Swarup Dutta | Actor | |
| 1989 | Gili Gili Gay | Ishwar Chakraborty | Actor | |
| 1991 | Palataka | Saran Dey | Actor |
References
- 1 2 "Baba never got his due: Santosh Dutta". Dec 22, 2010, 12.00am IST. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ↑ Andrew Robinson (1989). Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye. University of California Press. pp. 360–. ISBN 978-0-520-06946-6. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ↑ Satyajit Ray; Bert Cardullo (1 March 2007). Satyajit Ray: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-1-57806-937-8. Retrieved 21 July 2012.