#GoldenFrames: Utpal Dutt, an artist who revolutionised Bengali cinema

Utpal Dutt was much more than an actor. Being a versatile artist who played roles ranging from intense to villainous, he won several awards, including three Filmfare Awards for Gol Maal (1979), Naram Garam (1981) and Rang Birangi (1983), and a National Award for Bhuvan Shome (1969). The actor did more than 100 movies in Hindi and Bengali cinema in his 40-year long career. He altered the course of Bengali drama. The actor was a lifelong Marxist who often used theatre as a vehicle to send a political message. He translated several Shakespearean tragedies and Russian classicists' works into the Bengali language and wrote several controversial Bengali plays.

In This Pic : Utpal Dutt, golden frames

Pic Courtesy : Wikipedia

Utpal Dutt was born on March 29, 1929, to Shailabala Dutt and Girijaranjan Dutt in Barisal, Bangladesh.

In This Pic : Utpal Dutt, golden frames

Utpal Dutt tried his hands in English theatre when he was still a student. He graduated with English Literature Honours from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, University of Calcutta.

In This Pic : Utpal Dutt, golden frames

Pic Courtesy : BCCL

As a teenager, the actor founded the Calcutta Little Theatre Group in 1947. Utpal Dutt, who toured with the Shakespearean International Theatre Company (1947–49; 1953–54), was acclaimed for his passionate portrayal of 'Othello.' The actor performed on plays written by Ibsen, Shaw, Tagore, Gorky and Konstantin Simonov. He later decided to stage exclusively Bengali plays. He also remained an active member of the radical theatre group Gananatya Sangha, which performed through West Bengal's rural areas.

(Photo: A still from 'Othello')

In This Pic : Utpal Dutt, golden frames

Utpal Dutt published books on Shakespeare and the revolutionary theatre. He was also a founding member of the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), an organisation known for its leftist leaning. However, the actor left after a couple of years when he started his theatre group. He also used to teach English at the South Point School in Kolkata.

(Photo: A still from the play 'Bengali Othello' by Little Theatre Group)

In This Pic : Utpal Dutt, golden frames