Priyanath N. Ganguly (1887-1956)

One of Madan’s top silent directors together with Jyotish Bannerjee. Started working for Madan in 1904. Directorial début with experimental comedy short Bear-scare in the Rajah’s Garden Party. Embarked on a series of documentaries, Swadeshi Films, for Madan’s Elphinstone Bioscope, made with Kumar Gupta and covering e.g. the Prince of Wales’s visit (1905), the Grand Masonic Procession (1906), etc. Started Asiatic Cinematograph Co. in Calcutta, a production and distribution concern that built two theatres in the city and shot Indian visit of George V in direct competition with the Madan unit and Hiralal Sen (1911). Early features at Madan included versions of Bankimchandra Chatterjee’s novels (Krishnakanter Will, Durgesh Nandini and Debi Choudhrani). Manager of Madan’s Elphinstone Picture Palace in the early 30s. Joined East India Film and took over Kali Films/India? Film Industry (1935) where he hired Sisir Bhaduri, Satu Sen, Sushil Majumdar, Tulsi Lahiri and encouraged the post-Kallol generation of film-makers (esp. novelist-film-maker Sailajananda Mukherjee, filming his novel Pataal Puri). Kali Films also produced the first film in Oriya, the mythological Seeta Bibaha (1934).

FILMOGRAPHY: 1926: Krishnakanter Will; 1927: Jana; Durgesh Nandini; 1929: Kapal Kundala; 1930: Kal Parinaya; 1931: Debi Choudhrani (all St); Prahlad; 1933: Jamuna Puliney/Radha? Krishna; 1934: Taruni; 1935: Pataal Puri; Bidyasundar; 1936: Kal Parinaya.

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