Harisadhan Dasgupta | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 19 August 1996 | (aged 72)
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, Director, Writer |
Notable work | Konarak: The Sun Temple, A Perfect Day, Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal, Tata: The Story of Steel |
Spouse | Sonali Senroy Dasupta |
Harisadhan Dasgupta (1924–1996) was an Indian film director from Calcutta who was most prolific in the 1950s and 1960s. Dasgupta specialized in surveying subjects of fascination to the Bengali public. [1]
Dasgupta attended the University of Southern California and later the University of California, Los Angeles to study film-making. [2] He studied for a time under Hollywood producer Irving Pichel. [3] Upon completing an apprenticeship, he returned to Calcutta to produce documentaries.
Over a lengthy career, Dasgupta produced many documentaries, long and short. [4] He was best known for his English language documentaries on the Bengali people's situation, including such works as Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal (1955), Panorama of West Bengal (1961), Glimpses of India (1965), and The Automobile Industry in India (1969). [5] [6] He became most well known for his classic documentary commissioned by Tata Steel, India's largest private corporation, titled Tata: The Story of Steel. [7] As with several of his films, this documentary was scripted by Satyajit Ray. Throughout his career, Dasgupta also worked with several other leading lights involved in Calcutta's film-making renaissance, including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Claude Renoir, Jean Renoir, Ravi Shankar, Chidananda Dasgupta, and Asit Sen. [2] In 1947, Dasgupta co-founded the Calcutta Film Society along with Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, RP Gupta, Bansi Chandragupta and others. [8]
Dasgupta was involved in a highly publicized incident when his wife Sonali left their marriage and their six-year-old son for Italian film director Roberto Rossellini. [9] [10] [11] Their son Raja later expressed relief when she passed due to their estrangement. [12]
His Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal was awarded the Best Film of the IDPA Film Festival, Bombay/Delhi, 1959. [1] Hattogol Vijay, a 1961 film made through HS Dasgupta Productions for India Tube Company, was awarded the Prime Minister's Gold Medal [1] as Best Children's Film for 1960.
Harisadhan Dasgupta | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 19 August 1996 | (aged 72)
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, Director, Writer |
Notable work | Konarak: The Sun Temple, A Perfect Day, Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal, Tata: The Story of Steel |
Spouse | Sonali Senroy Dasupta |
Harisadhan Dasgupta (1924–1996) was an Indian film director from Calcutta who was most prolific in the 1950s and 1960s. Dasgupta specialized in surveying subjects of fascination to the Bengali public. [1]
Dasgupta attended the University of Southern California and later the University of California, Los Angeles to study film-making. [2] He studied for a time under Hollywood producer Irving Pichel. [3] Upon completing an apprenticeship, he returned to Calcutta to produce documentaries.
Over a lengthy career, Dasgupta produced many documentaries, long and short. [4] He was best known for his English language documentaries on the Bengali people's situation, including such works as Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal (1955), Panorama of West Bengal (1961), Glimpses of India (1965), and The Automobile Industry in India (1969). [5] [6] He became most well known for his classic documentary commissioned by Tata Steel, India's largest private corporation, titled Tata: The Story of Steel. [7] As with several of his films, this documentary was scripted by Satyajit Ray. Throughout his career, Dasgupta also worked with several other leading lights involved in Calcutta's film-making renaissance, including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Claude Renoir, Jean Renoir, Ravi Shankar, Chidananda Dasgupta, and Asit Sen. [2] In 1947, Dasgupta co-founded the Calcutta Film Society along with Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, RP Gupta, Bansi Chandragupta and others. [8]
Dasgupta was involved in a highly publicized incident when his wife Sonali left their marriage and their six-year-old son for Italian film director Roberto Rossellini. [9] [10] [11] Their son Raja later expressed relief when she passed due to their estrangement. [12]
His Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal was awarded the Best Film of the IDPA Film Festival, Bombay/Delhi, 1959. [1] Hattogol Vijay, a 1961 film made through HS Dasgupta Productions for India Tube Company, was awarded the Prime Minister's Gold Medal [1] as Best Children's Film for 1960.