https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Buddhadeb_DasguptaBuddhadeb Dasgupta - Revision history2026-07-30T16:48:18ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Buddhadeb_Dasgupta&diff=546889&oldid=prevAbhijit at 12:59, 24 March 20262026-03-24T12:59:58Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian director (1944–2021)}}<br />
{{Hatnote|For the classical Sarod musician, see [[Buddhadev Das Gupta]]}}<br />
{{Use British English|date=June 2021}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Buddhadeb Dasgupta<br />
| image = {{CSS image crop<br />
|Image = Master Class by the Art of story writing in Cinema-Buddhadeb Das Gupta, Film Maker, at the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2014), in Panaji, Goa on November 27, 2014.jpg<br />
|bSize = 570<br />
|cWidth = 200<br />
|cHeight = 250<br />
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}}<br />
| caption = Dasgupta at the [[International Film Festival of India|IFFI]] [[45th International Film Festival of India|2014]]<br />
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1944|2|11}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Anara, Purulia|Anara]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]<br />{{small|(present-day [[Purulia District|Purulia]], [[West Bengal]], India)}}<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|6|10|1944|2|11}}<br />
| death_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India<br />
| occupation = Film maker, screenplay writer and author<br />
| spouse = <br />
| children = [[Alokananda Dasgupta]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Buddhadeb Dasgupta''' (11 February 1944 – 10 June 2021) was an Indian filmmaker and poet best known for his [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali-language films]] like ''[[Bagh Bahadur]]'', ''[[Tahader Katha]]'', ''[[Charachar]]'' and ''[[Uttara (film)|Uttara]]''. Five of his films have won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]], ''Bagh Bahadur'' (1989), ''Charachar'' (1993), ''[[Lal Darja]]'' (1997), ''[[Mondo Meyer Upakhyan]]'' (2002) and ''[[Kaalpurush (2005 film)|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 Direction]] 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''.<ref name=tr/><br />
<br />
==Early life and education==<br />
Buddhadeb Dasgupta was born in a Vaidya family in 1944 in [[Anara, Purulia|Anara]] near [[Puruliya]] in Southern [[West Bengal]],<ref>[http://www.calcuttaweb.com/cinema/buddhadebdasgupta.shtml Buddhadeb Dasgupta Profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207155513/http://www.calcuttaweb.com/cinema/buddhadebdasgupta.shtml |date=7 December 2007 }} at Calcuttaweb.com.</ref> and was the third of nine siblings. His father Tarkanta Dasgupta was a doctor with the [[Indian Railways]], thus he spent the early part of childhood traveling. At the age of twelve, he was sent to Calcutta to study, earlier at [[Sibpur S.S.P.S Vidyalaya|Shibpur SSPS Vidyalaya]] and later at Dinabandhu School, [[Howrah]].<ref>[[#Ho|Hood, p. 2]]</ref> Post-independence his father was transferred first to [[Kharagpur]] in [[West Midnapore district]] and [[Manendragarh]] (now in [[Chhattisgarh]]).<ref>[[#Ho|Hood, p. 3]]</ref><br />
<br />
He studied economics at the [[Scottish Church College]] and the [[University of Calcutta]].<ref>''Some Alumni of Scottish Church College'' in ''175th Year Commemoration Volume''. Scottish Church College, April 2008, p. 588.</ref><ref>''Aami, Tumi, O Scottish'' (translated from Bengali:"Me, You, and Scottish") in ''175th Year Commemoration Volume''. Scottish Church College, April 2008, p. 430-1.</ref><br />
<br />
== Career ==<br />
Buddhadeb started his career as a lecturer of economics, at the [[Shyamsundar College]] of the [[University of 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.<ref name=tr/> Meanwhile, his membership with the [[Calcutta Film Society]], where he 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 [[Michelangelo Antonioni]]. This, in turn, inspired him to take film making as a mode of expression.<ref>[[#Ho|Hood, p. 14]]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Syed|first=M.H.|title=Encyclopaedia of Modern Journalism and Mass Media|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G49qfMZZqbEC&q=%22Buddhadeb+Dasgupta%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA210|year=2005|publisher=Anmol Publications|isbn=81-261-2420-2|page=210}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><br />
<br />
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 of [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]. Some of his most acclaimed films are ''Bagh Bahadur'', ''Tahader Katha'', ''Charachar'' and ''Uttara''.<ref>[http://www.upperstall.com/people/buddhadeb-dasgupta Buddhadeb Dasgupta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201030928/http://www.upperstall.com/people/buddhadeb-dasgupta |date=1 December 2010 }} Upperstall.com.</ref><br />
<br />
== Filmography ==<br />
<br />
=== Feature films ===<br />
*''[[Samayer Kache]]'' (1968) (short)<br />
*''[[Dooratwa]]'' (1978) (Distance)<br />
*''[[Neem Annapurna]]'' (1979) (Bitter Morsel)<br />
*''[[Grihajuddha]]'' (1982) (The Civil War)<br />
*''[[Andhi Gali]]'' (1984) (Blind Alley, Hindi)<br />
*''[[Phera]]'' (1988) (The Return)<br />
*''[[Bagh Bahadur]]'' (1989) (The Tiger Man)<br />
*''[[Tahader Katha]]'' (1992) (Their Story)<br />
*''[[Charachar]]'' (1993) (Shelter of the Wings)<br />
*''[[Lal Darja]]'' (1997) (The Red Door)<br />
*''[[Uttara (film)|Uttara]]'' (2000) (The Wrestlers)<br />
*''[[Mondo Meyer Upakhyan]]'' (2002) (A Tale of a Naughty Girl)<br />
*''[[Swapner Din]]'' (2004) (Chased by Dreams)<br />
*''[[Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala]]'' (2007) (The Voyeurs)<br />
*''[[Kaalpurush (2005 film)|Kaalpurush]]'' (2008) (Memories in the Mist)<br />
*''[[Janala]]'' (2009) (The Window)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104050703/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/189387/Buddhadeb-Dasgupta/filmography Filmography] ''The New York Times''.</ref><br />
*''Mukti'' (2012)<br />
*''[[Choli Ke Pichey]]'' (2012) (TV Movie)<br />
*''Arjun'' (2012) (TV Movie)<br />
*''The Station'' (2013) (TV Movie)<br />
*''[[Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa]]'' (2013) (Sniffer, Hindi)<ref>{{cite web | title = Sniffer (Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa) | work= The Guardian| url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/157859/sniffer | access-date = 5 January 2016}}</ref><br />
*''[[Tope (film)|Tope]]'' (2017)<br />
*''[[Urojahaj (film)/ The Flight|Urojahaj (2018)]]''<br />
<br />
=== Documentary and TV work ===<br />
*''The Continent of Love'' (1968)<br />
*''[[Dholer Raja Khirode Natta]]'' (1973)<br />
*''Fishermen of Sundarban'' (1974)<br />
*''Saratchandra'' (1975)<br />
*''Rhythm of Steel'' (1981)<br />
*''Indian Science Marches Ahead'' (1984)<br />
*''Vigyan O Tar Avishkar'' (1980)<br />
*''Story of Glass'' (1985)<br />
*''India on the Move'' (1985)<br />
*''Ceramics'' (1986)<br />
*''Aranyak'' (1996)<br />
*''[[Contemporary Indian Sculpture]]'' (1987)<br />
*''History of Indian Jute'' (1990)<br />
<br />
==Awards==<br />
[[File:Shri Buddhadev Das Gupta, noted film maker inaugurating 8th Mumbai International Film Festival, for Documentary, Short at the P.L Deshpande Auditorium in Mumbai on February 3, 2004.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Dasgupta (second from right) inaugurating 8th [[Mumbai International Film Festival]], at the P.L. Deshpande Auditorium in Mumbai on 3 February 2004]]<br />
* Buddhadeb Dasgupta was honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Spain International Film Festival in [[Madrid]] on 27 May 2008.<ref name=tr>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080531/saturday/main1.htm Merchant of Dreams: Buddhadeb Dasgupta gets lifetime achievement award at the Spain International Film Festival] ''The Tribune'', 31 May 2008.</ref><br />
* [[Golden Athena]] Award at the Athens International Film Festival in 2007<br />
* [[National Film Award (India)|National Film Award]]<br />
** [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Film]]<br />
*** 1989: [[Bagh Bahadur]]<br />
*** 1993: [[Charachar]]<br />
*** 1997: [[Lal Darja]]<br />
*** 2002: [[Mondo Meyer Upakhyan]]<br />
*** 2008: [[Kaalpurush (2005 film)|Kaalpurush]]<br />
**[[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]<br />
*** 2000: [[Uttara (film)|Uttara]]<br />
*** 2005: [[Swapner Din]]<br />
** [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]<br />
*** 1987: [[Phera]]<br />
**[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali|Best Feature Film in Bengali]]<br />
*** 1978: [[Dooratwa]]<br />
*** 1987: [[Phera]]<br />
*** 1993: [[Tahader Katha]]<br />
** [[National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film|Best Arts/Cultural Film]]<br />
*** 1998: ''A Painter of Eloquent Silence: Ganesh Pyne''<ref name="46thawardPDF">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/46_nff_1999.pdf|title=46th National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]}}</ref><br />
* [[Venice Film Festival]]<br />
** 1982: [[Golden Lion]] nomination: [[Grihajuddha]]<br />
** 1982: [[FIPRESCI]] award: [[Grihajuddha]]<br />
** 2000: [[Golden Lion]] nomination: [[Uttara (film)|Uttara]] <br />
** 2000: [[Silver Lion]] for Best Director: [[Uttara (film)|Uttara]]<br />
* [[Berlin International Film Festival]]<br />
** [[38th Berlin International Film Festival|1988]]: [[Golden Bear]] nomination: [[Phera]]<ref name="Berlinale 1988">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1988/02_programm_1988/02_Programm_1988.html |title=Berlinale: 1988 Programme |access-date=6 March 2011 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref><br />
** [[44th Berlin International Film Festival|1994]]: [[Golden Bear]] nomination: [[Charachar]]<ref name="Berlinale 1994">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1994/02_programm_1994/02_Programm_1994.html |title=Berlinale: 1994 Programme |access-date=11 June 2011 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref><br />
* [[Locarno Film Festival]]<br />
** Critic's Award: [[Dooratwa]]<br />
** Special Jury Award: [[Neem Annapurna]]<br />
* [[Asia Pacific Film Festival]]<br />
** Best Film: [[Janala]]<br />
* [[Karlovy Vary Film Festival]]<br />
** Special Jury Award: [[Neem Annapurna]]<br />
* [[Damascus International Film Festival]]<br />
** Golden Prize: [[Neem Annapurna]]<br />
* [[Bangkok International Film Festival]]<br />
**Best Asian Film Award (2003): [[Mondo Meyer Upakhyan]]<br />
<br />
==Family==<br />
His youngest daughter, [[Alokananda Dasgupta]], a trained classical pianist, composed the background score for his 2013 film, ''Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa''.<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
He died at the age of 77 on 10 June 2021.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Buddhadeb's 'Bag Bahadur' Pavan Malhotra pays a tribute to 5-time National Film Award winning auteur|url=https://connectedtoindia.com/buddhadebs-bag-bahadur-pavan-malhotra-pays-a-tribute-to-5-time-national-film-award-winning-9220.html|access-date=2021-06-10|website=connectedtoindia.com|archive-date=10 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610104951/https://connectedtoindia.com/buddhadebs-bag-bahadur-pavan-malhotra-pays-a-tribute-to-5-time-national-film-award-winning-9220.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-10|title=Buddhadeb Dasgupta, National Award-winning Bengali filmmaker, passes away aged 77 after prolonged kidney ailment|url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/buddhadeb-dasgupta-national-award-winning-bengali-filmmaker-passes-away-aged-77-after-prolonged-kidney-ailment-9702361.html|access-date=2021-06-11|website=Firstpost}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Media ==<br />
<br />
=== Film ===<br />
A documentary titled ''Maestro: A Portrait — A Film on Buddhadeb Dasgupta'' was released in 2013 by filmmaker Supriya Suri. The documentary examines Dasgupta's life and works.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maestro a Portrait- A film on Buddhadeb Dasgupta |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769242/ |access-date=17 December 2025 |website=IMDb}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Further reading==<br />
* ''Buddhadeb Dasgupta: cinema of imprinted times'', by Pradip Biswas. Aurora Film Corp., 1999<br />
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ymdi_yQzgYYC&q=Buddhadeb+Dasgupta Films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta]'', by John W. Hood. Orient Blackswan, 2005. {{ISBN|81-250-2802-1}}.<br />
* Sen, Rahul. "''Buddhadeb Dasgupta'': Transformer of [[Dreams]] and [[Imagination]]" (in [[Bengali language|Bengali]]). ''Jolghori'' 3. 1-2 (Dec. 2020-Mar. 2021, and Apr.-Jul. 2021): 214–29.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[Aditya Vikram Sengupta]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist|2}}<br />
* {{cite book|last= Hood|first=John W.|title=Films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymdi_yQzgYYC&q=Buddhadeb+Dasgupta|year=2005|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=81-250-2802-1|ref=Ho}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*{{IMDb name|id=0201949|name=Buddhadev Dasgupta}}<br />
*[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080531/saturday/main1.htm Merchant of Dreams: Buddhadeb Dasgupta gets lifetime achievement award at the Spain International Film Festival]<br />
*[http://www.write2kill.in/reports-editorials/cinema/167.html Interview-based profile on Write2kill.in]<br />
{{Buddhadeb Dasgupta}}<br />
{{Silver Lion for Best Director}}<br />
{{NationalFilmAwardBestDirection}}<br />
{{NationalFilmAwardBestScreenplay}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Buddhadeb}}<br />
[[Category:1944 births]]<br />
[[Category:2021 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]<br />
[[Category:Film directors from Kolkata]]<br />
[[Category:People from Purulia district]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali film producers]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali film directors]]<br />
[[Category:Film theorists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian film score composers]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali-language writers]]<br />
[[Category:Culture of Kolkata]]<br />
[[Category:Scottish Church College alumni]]<br />
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Burdwan]]<br />
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Calcutta]]<br />
[[Category:Indian documentary filmmakers]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]<br />
[[Category:Best Director National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:Academic staff of City College, Kolkata]]<br />
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali male poets]]<br />
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:Producers who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:Venice Best Director Silver Lion winners]]</div>Abhijit