Hiya singh at 13:18, 22 January 2026

2026-01-22T13:18:35Z

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{{Short description|Indian film director and actor}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Charu Roy
| image = Charu Roy, and Seeta Devi in the 1929 film, Prapancha Pasha (A Throw of Dice), directed by Franz Osten.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = 6 September 1890<ref name="wikidata">{{cite web |title=Charu Roy – Wikidata |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22212814 |publisher=Wikidata |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref>
| birth_place = Berhampore, Bengal Presidency, [[British India]]
| death_date = 28 September 1971<ref name="wikidata"/>
| death_place = Calcutta, West Bengal, India
| occupation = Film director, actor, painter
| years_active = (लगभग) 1920s–1930s (silent & early sound)
| known_for = Bangalee (1936), [[Shiraz (film)|Shiraz]] (1928)<ref name="guardian">{{cite web |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |title=Shiraz: A Romance of India review – 90-year-old epic stands test of time |website=The Guardian |date=February 2018 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/01/shiraz-a-romance-of-india-review |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref>
}}

'''Charu Roy''' (6 September 1890 – 28 September 1971) was an [[List of Indian film directors|Indian film director]], actor, painter, and cultural figure active during the silent and early sound eras of Indian (especially Bengali) cinema.<ref name="bfi">{{cite web |title=Charu Roy |website=British Film Institute |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/ |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref>

Born in Berhampore (now in West Bengal), Roy studied geology and graduated from Presidency College, Calcutta. He was also a painter, cartoonist, and writer, deeply involved in the Bengal School of Art.

== Career ==
Roy worked as an actor, director, costume designer, and art director. As actor, he acted in the silent film [[Shiraz (film)|Shiraz]] (1928) playing Prince Khurram (later Emperor Shah Jahan).<ref name="movienation">{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Roger |title=Silent Film Review: "Shiraz: A Romance of India (1928)" |website=Movie Nation |date=9 August 2020 |url=https://rogersmovienation.com/2020/08/09/silent-film-review-shiraz-a-romance-of-india-1928/ |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="filmreviewdaily">{{cite web |last=Stimpson |first=Mansel |title=Shiraz: A Romance of India |website=Film Review Daily |url=https://www.filmreviewdaily.com/all-reviews/shiraz-a-romance-of-india |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref>

As director: He directed many films, including Bigraha, Kuhu-o-Keka, Bangalee (1936), and Pathik (1939).<ref name="book">{{cite book |last=Rajadhyaksha |first=Ashish |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |page=174}}</ref>

Beyond cinema, Roy was a painter trained in the Kalighat style and contributed to Bengali modern art. He was also a cartoonist for prominent Bengali publications.
==Personal life==
He married Maya Roy in 1919, and they had at least one son, Mukul.
Later in life, he continued his artistic work despite financial challenges, and passed away in Calcutta in 1971.

==Filmography==

=== As director ===

* Loves of a Mughal Prince (1928)
* Bigraha (1930)
* Swami (1931)
* Chorekanta (1931)
* Rajnati Basantsena
* Diljani (1935)
* Daku Ka Ladka (1935)
* Kuhu-o-Keka (1936)
* Graher Pher (1936)
* Bangalee (1936)
* Pathik (1939)<ref name="indiancine">{{cite web |title=Charu Roy Filmography |website=IndianCine.ma |url=https://indiancine.ma |access-date=21 November 2025}}</ref>

=== As actor ===

* [[Shiraz (film)|Shiraz film]] (1928)<ref>{{cite web |title=Restoring the romance of India |website=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/restoring-the-romance-of-india/article19966860.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208155602/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/restoring-the-romance-of-india/article19966860.ece |archive-date=8 December 2022 |access-date=21 November 2025 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[A Throw of Dice]] (1929)
* Loves of a Moghul Prince (1928)

==Legacy ==
Charu Roy is remembered as a pioneer in blending visual art with early Indian cinema. His film Bangalee is noted for its realist portrayal of middle-class Bengali life.<ref name="jstor">{{cite journal |last=Datta |first=Rahul |title=Early Masters of Indian Silent Cinema |journal=Journal of South Asian Film History |year=2011 |pages=45–52}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Bengali artists]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Charu}}

Charu Roy - Revision history

Hiya singh at 13:18, 22 January 2026