Changes between Initial Version and Version 1 of Utpal dutt

Timestamp:

May 25, 2012, 12:11:31 PM (12 years ago)

Author:

Parth

Comment:

--

Utpal dutt

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+
+== Utpal Dutt ==
+
+Prolific Bengali and Hindi actor born in
+Shillong, Assam; also director and a major
+Marxist theatre personality in Bengal. After
+1977 associated with the CPI(M). Started career
+in the 40s with Geoffrey Kendall’s theatre
+group performing Shakespeare, later directing
+Shakespeare for the Little Theatre Group.
+Formed his own group in 1949, then joined the
+Bengal unit of IPTA (1950-1) doing agitational
+plays staged on street corners and occasionally
+during political rallies to massive audiences,
+such as Chargesheet (1950), written overnight
+following the arrest of CP members and
+performed next day at Hazra Park. The Special
+Train was performed on behalf of striking
+workers of the Hindustan Automobile Factory,
+Uttarpara (1961). Also did theatrical
+spectaculars: Angar (1959), Kallol (1965; a play
+about the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946,
+sparking off political rallies), Din Badaler Pala
+(1967, written for the CPI(M)’s electoral
+campaign) and Tiner Talwar (1970). Barricade
+(1972) and Dushwapner Nagari (1975) were
+staged in the context of the Emergency. Also
+made major interventions in the Jatra form (e.g.
+Rifle, Sanyasir Tarabari). Claims influence of
+Erwin Piscator to ‘create proletarian myths of
+revolution’ (cf. Dutt, 1984). His work,
+comprising mostly historical reconstructions,
+was criticised by the Left for its determinism
+and the recourse to the ‘ great man’ theory of
+history. Prolific film actor with a spectacular
+début as Michael Madhusudhan, a
+legendary 19th C. Bengali poet, repeating the
+role several times on the stage. After Mrinal
+Sen’s Bhuvan Shome, shifted to Hindi films,
+often playing retired soldiers or bluff comedian
+fathers (Guddi) in melodramas. Also important
+comedy roles in Bengali, e.g. Mohan Baganer
+Meye, Shriman Prithviraj et al. Claimed to act
+in films mainly to finance his theatrical work.
+Played key roles in recent Satyajit Ray films,
+e.g. the king in Hirak Rajar Deshe and the
+stranger in Agantuk. Directorial work extends
+his theatrical work. Autobiography, including
+his views on theatre, published in 1982.
+Stridently populist essays on film, often
+targeting the New Indian Cinema were
+published after his death as Towards A Heroic
+Cinema (1994).
+
+[[Actor]]