Hummingbird News Desk
KOLKATA, 10 JUNE: Renowned Bengali filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta died at the age of 77 on Thursday morning in his south Kolkata residence. He was suffering from a kidney ailment and was undergoing dialysis. He is survived by his wife, and two daughters from a previous marriage.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, who was also a celebrated poet, had won several National Awards for his contribution to Bengali cinema.
Born in Purulia in 1944, Dasgupta graduated from Scottish Church College in Kolkata and started his career as a lecturer in economics. He soon turned to film-making and took to making documentaries in the late 1960s.
Mourning Buddhadeb Dasgupta on Twitter, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi wrote “Anguished by the demise of Shri Buddhadeb Dasgupta. His diverse works struck a chord with all sections of society. He was also an eminent thinker and poet. My thoughts are with his family and several admirers in this time of grief. Om Shanti.”
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences. “Saddened at the passing away of eminent filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Through his works, he infused lyricism into the language of cinema. His death comes as a great loss for the film fraternity. Condolences to his family, colleagues and admirers,” she tweeted.
Bengali filmmaker Raj Chakrabarty, in his eulogy, wrote: “Recipient of numerous National and International honours, legendary filmmaker and renowned poet, #BuddhadebDasgupta has passed away. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
Buddhadeb Dasgupta was known for directing critically-acclaimed films like Uttara, Bagh Bahadur, Tahader Katha and Charachar. Of all the films he wrote and directed, five movies –Bagh Bahadur, Charachar, Lal Darja, Mondo Meyer Upakhyan and Kaalpurush – won the National Awards for Best Film while his 2000’s Uttara and 2005’s Swapner Din fetched him the National Film Awards for Best Direction.
He also received accolades at the Venice Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Asia Pacific Film Festival and Bangkok International Film Festival.
Some of his earlier films, such as Grihajuddha and Andhi Gali, focused on the Maoist movement in Bengal and how it shaped the collective consciousness of Bengalis.
Kalpurush, which won a national award for Best Feature Film in 2006, is a story of a father and son told in a non-linear format across two timelines. In 2020, he completed his last film The Flight (Urojahaj), which describes the mad dream of a simple man to fly the rusted shell of a downed World War II Japanese fighter plane that he finds in a forest.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta also won National Awards for Best Feature Film In Bengali for his 1978’s Dooratwa, 1987’s Phera and 1993’s Tahader Katha. His 1998’s film A Painter of Eloquent Silence: Ganesh Pyne was given the National Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film and for 1987’s Phera, Buddhadeb Dasgupta had won the National Award for Best Screenplay.
His poems like Coffin Kimba Suitcase, Govir Araley, Chhaata Kahini, Himjog, Roboter Gaan and Sreshtha Kabita are still considered as some of the best work in poetry.
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Courtesy: Feature Image@twitter