Utpal Dutt and 5 of his greatest roles in Bengali cinema

We all know Utpal Dutt as the elite actor whose presence could single-handedly light up the scenes. Witty, humorous, strict and also grumpy – he was a true master of the art. The versatile Utpal Dutt amazed the Bengali audience as an actor, director, writer and also playwright. In a career spanning four decades, he is best known for his roles in movies such as Mrinal Sen’s ‘Bhuvan Shome’ (1969), Satyajit Ray’s ‘Agantuk’ (1991) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's superhit Hindi comedies like ‘Gol Maal’ (1979). Here we take a look at five of his greatest roles in Bengali cinema.

In 1992, merely a few months before Satyajit Ray’s demise, the legendary director made Agantuk. Utpal Dutt delivered one of the best performances of his career in this cult classic. He plays a stranger who loves to call himself Nemo – or, ‘Mr. No One!’ A scholarly gentleman himself, Dutt essays his character with such supremacy that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the particular role thereafter. At its very core, ‘Agantuk’ can be interpreted as a philosophical work. Ray raised more questions than answers, and each and every question forces us to rediscover our true nature. Many believe the stranger Manomohan Mitra in the film is actually a screen representation of Satyajit Ray himself.

Who could have better played the tyrant and greedy ruler of Hirak with a twist of madness? Utpal Dutt slips into the character of Hirak Raja supremely. A little more than a decade after ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ was made, a colourful ‘Hirak Rajar Deshe’ comes with a coded message. It’s basically an allegory of contemporary politics. In the film, a famine-stricken rural Bengal sees Goopy and Bagha using their three boons to put an end to all the wrongs of the greedy Diamond king and giving the children a taste of freedom. Soumitra Chatterjee plays the rebellious schoolteacher leading an uprising against the dictatorship of Hirak Raja.

Legendary Uttpal Dutt, a middle-aged widower, played the role of a westernized railway officer Bhuvan Shome who discovers there is a life in offer beyond the bureaucracy he follows during his duck hunting trip to Gujarat. Suhasini Mulay was seen as a young tribal woman who helps Dutt to rediscover the simple joys of life. The young tribal woman helps him through a barren wilderness, takes him home and takes care of him. Bhuvan Shome, deeply ashamed for his arrogance, falls for the tribal woman and his transformation makes it a cult classic. The hunting session of Gouri and Bhuvan Shome is a lyrical exploration of that transformation. This Mrinal Sen film’s other notable highlight was the exceptional cinematography by KK Mahajan which captured the wide-open vistas superbly. Mrinal Sen won two National Film Awards for Best Director and Best Film for ‘Bhuvan Shome’.

Maganlal Meghraj is touted to be the most famous villain in Bengali cinema and who could have played the iconic villain better than legendary Utpal Dutt! Villains like Maganlal are too clever and cunning like a fox. He knows how to corrupt the system, his opponent’s weaknesses and doesn’t care about anything that’s not related to money. He would even sell the nation if he could gain profit from it. But the more dreaded he becomes, the more Feluda tightens his grip on him. Quite adept at essaying villains in both Hindi and Bengali films, Utpal Dutt literally brought the character to life. His diction, speaking ‘Sudh Desi’ Hindi and Bengali with an apparent twang of flawless Hindi, was just what needed from a criminal who operates from Barrabazar and Benaras.

This award-winning film by Gautam Ghose witnessed an impeccable performance by Utpal Dutt as Hossain Miya. It was an Indo-Bangladesh joint venture inspired by a novel of the same name by Manik Bandopadhyay. The film revolves around protagonist Hossain, a Bengali Muslim who dreams of establishing a little Utopia on an island in the Padma delta and doesn't care whether the people living there are Hindus or Muslims. It is apparent that Hossian Miya maintains a flourishing business on that island of Moynadeep, as he even purchases a huge boat to expand his business. However, people returning from Moynadeep after working there have a completely different tale to narrate. Utpal Dutt as a businessman in post-partition Bengal becomes a 'larger than life' character in ‘Padma Nadir Majhi’.