Arundhati Devi (1923-90)

Aka Arundhati Mukherjee (when married to film-maker Prabhat Mukherjee).

Bengali actress, director and musician born in Barisal (now Bangladesh). Studied music at Shantiniketan, and acted as a child aged 6 in several Tagore plays directed by the poet himself (Dakghar, Mayar Khela, Tasher Desh et al.). Promising singer of the Rabindra Sangeet, trained by Sailajaranjan Majumdar; also featured in the stage production of Tagore’s Balmiki Pratibha (1943). Film début as actress in Kartick Chattopadhyay’s travelogue Mahaprasthaner Pathey/Yatrik?. As an actress, her poised self-assertiveness was often used to exemplify the ‘strong-willed’ characteristics of e.g. Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s ‘nobina’ or ‘new woman’, e.g. playing the hero’s wife in Jotugriha. Best- known screen role: Bhagini Nivedita, a nationalist biopic about Sister Nivedita. The film used the actress’s bhadralok image to convert its subject into a chaste Hinduised martyr. Turned director with Chhuti; directed, scripted and scored films from well-known literary works. Her last film, Gokul was a TV featurette. Became an independent producer with her Anindiya Chitra (1969). Later married Tapan Sinha and acted in several of his films, e.g. Kshudista Pashan, Jhinder Bandi and Jotugriha; also costume designer for Sinha’s Adalat-o-Ekti Meye.

FILMOGRAPHY: (* only d/ also music d) 1952: Mahaprasthaner Pathey/Yatrik?; 1954: Naad-o-Nadi; Sati; Bokul/Bakul?; Shoroshi; 1955: Prashna; Godhuli; Dashyumohan; Du-Janay; 1956: Taka-Ana- Pai; Chalachal; Maa; Nabajanma; 1957: Mamata; Panchatapa; 1958: Shikar; Kalamati; 1959: Janmantar; Bicharak; Shashi Babur Sansar; Pushpadhanu; Kichhukshan; 1960: Akash-Patal; Kshudista Pashan; Indradhanu; 1961: Jhinder Bandi; 1962: Bhagini Nivedita; Shiulibari; 1963: Nyayadanda; 1964: Jotugriha; 1965: Surer Agun; 1967: Chhuti*; 1969: Megh-o- Roudra*; 1972: Padi Pishir Barmi Baksha*; 1975: Harmonium; 1983: Deepar Prem*; 1985: Gokul*.

Actor

Music