Bimal Roy (Bengali: বিমল রায়) (12 July 1909–8 January 1966) was one of the most acclaimed Indian film directors of all time. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Hindi cinema. Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, he made Do Bigha Zameen after watching, Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948).[1] His work is particularly known for his mise en scène, which he employed to portray realism.[1] He won a number of awards throughout his career, including eleven Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival.[2] Madhumati won 9 Filmfare Awards in 1958, a record held for 37 years.
Bimal Roy was born on 12 July 1909, to a zamindar family in Suapur, then part of the Bengal province of British India and now part of Bangladesh. Bimal Roy moved to the Calcutta and entered the field of cinema as a camera assistant with New Theatres Pvt. Ltd. During this time, he assisted director P.C. Barua on the hit 1935 film Devdas, starring K.L. Saigal. In the 1940s and 1950s Roy was part of the parallel cinema movement in post-war India. He was famous for his romantic-realist melodramas that took on important social issues while still being entertaining. He was a filmmaker of great and indepth understanding of human strengths and weaknesses. In 1959, he was a member of the jury at the 1st Moscow International Film Festival.[3] He died of cancer at the age of 56.
Awards
Bimal Roy has been awarded with several awards.[2] Filmfare Awards 1953: Filmfare Award for Best Film - Do Bigha Zamin 1953: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Do Bigha Zamin 1954: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Parineeta 1955: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Biraj Bahu 1958: Filmfare Award for Best Film - Madhumati 1958: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Madhumati 1959: Filmfare Award for Best Film - Sujata 1959: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Sujata 1960: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Parakh 1963: Filmfare Award for Best Film - Bandini 1963: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Bandini National Film Awards 1953: All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film - Do Bigha Zamin[4] 1954: All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film - Biraj Bahu[5] 1955: Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Hindi - Devdas[6] 1958: President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi - Madhumati[7] 1959: All India Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film - Sujata[8] 1963: Best Feature Film in Hindi: Bandini Cannes Film Festival Won International Prize:[9] 1953 for Do Bigha Zamin Nominated for Grand Prize of the Festival: 1953 for Do Bigha Zamin Nominated for Palme d'Or: 1955 for Biraj Bahu 1960 for Sujata