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Santosh Dutta

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Santosh Dutta
সন্তোষ দত্ত
Dutta in Mahapurush (1965)
Born(1925-12-02)2 December 1925
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
(present-day Kolkata, West Bengal)
Died8 February 1988(1988-02-08) (aged 62)
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Actor, Criminal lawyer[1]
Children1[1]

Santosh Dutta (Bengali: সন্তোষ দত্ত; 2 December 1925 – 8 February 1988[2]) was a Bengali actor, best known for playing the character of Jatayu[3] in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movie series Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath.

Early life

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Dutta was a lawyer by profession. Essentially a comedian, he elevated comedy acting to the levels of character roles. Satyajit Ray gave him the first break with a small role in his immortal film Parash Pathar. After Sonar Kella, he became so associated with the role of "Jatayu" that Satyajit Ray later reframed the appearance of Jatayu and started making the sketches of Jatayu resembling Dutta in Feluda novels. After the death of this actor, Ray once remarked that there will be no further movies in the Feluda series as Jatayu cannot be thought of without Santosh Dutta. Though after the death of Ray, the role of Jatayu was later played by artists such as Anup Kumar, Bibhu Bhattacharya, and even Rabi Ghosh. These actors agreed that it was impossible to play the character without the influence of Santosh Dutta in mind.

Career

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Apart from playing Jatayu, Dutta played crucial roles in Satyajit Ray's masterpieces for children like Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and Hirak Rajar Deshe. In Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, Dutta played dual roles of the kings of "Halla" and "Shundi". In Hirak Rajar Deshe, which is a sequel to Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen, Dutta played the role of a mysterious scientist (known as Gobeshok Gobuchondro Gyanotirtho Gyanorotno Gyanambudhi Gyanochuramoni), in addition to a small appearance for the same 'King of Shundi'.[4]

Another milestone in Dutta's career was playing Gopal Bhar in the film of the same name. Gopal Bhar being a humorous character known for centuries in India, particularly the state of West Bengal.

The role of Abalakanto in Ogo Bodhu Sundari has also become legendary.

Dutta played important roles in films like Teen Kanya, Paras Pathar, Kapurush O Mahapurush, Streer Patra, Marjina Abdallah, Jana Aranya, Char Murti and Gana Devata. He played the roles of comedians in some commercial theaters. Kone Bibhrat was one of the plays in his later years which was a mega hit. He worked in a TV serial called Goenda Bhagabandas with Rabi Ghosh, another famous actor of his time.

Filmography

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Year Title Director Genre Role Notes
1958 Parash Pathar Satyajit Ray Atanu (The announcer) Uncredited
1958 Headmaster Agragami Actor
1961 Teen Kanya Satyajit Ray Kishori (segment "Samapti")
1965 Mahapurush Satyajit Ray Professor Nandi / Nani
1968 Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne Satyajit Ray King of Shundi & Halla
1972 Streer Patra Purnendu Pattrea Doctor
1973 Shriman Prithviraj Tarun Majumdar Nobin Master
1973 Marjina Abdulla Dinen Gupta Ali Baba
1974 Sonar Kella Satyajit Ray Lalmohan Ganguly / Jatayu
1974 Jadu Bansha Partha Prathim Choudhury Actor
1976 Jana Aranya Satyajit Ray Hiralal Saha
1976 Asadharan Salil Sen Actor
1977 Sister Pijush Bose Actor
1977 Ek Je Chhilo Desh Tapan Sinha Actor
1977 Ei Prithibir Panthanibas Aravind Mukherjee Actor
1977 Shesh Raksha Shankar Bhattacharya Actor
1978 Charmurti Umanath Bhattacharya Meshomoshai
1979 Joi Baba Felunath Satyajit Ray Lalmohan Ganguly / Jatayu
1979 Ghatkali Bimal Roy Jr. Actor
1979 Ganadevata Tarun Majumdar Surveyor
1979 Brajabuli Pijush Bose Actor
1980 Paka Dekha Aravind Mukherjee Actor
1980 Hirak Rajar Deshe Satyajit Ray King of Shundi / Scientist in Hirak Raj
1980 Sandhi Amal Dutta Actor
1980 Abhi Apurba Kumar Mitra Actor
1980 Gopal Bhanar Amal Sur Gopal Bhar
1981 Subarnalata Bijoy Bose Actor
1981 Ogo Bodhu Shundori Salil Dutta Abolakanta
1982 Khelar Putul Tarun Majumdar Actor
1982 Malancha Purnendu Pattrea Actor
1982 Rasamoyeer Rasikata Amal Sur Actor
1983 Rajeswari Salil Dutta Actor
1983 Kauke Bolo Na Vishwanath Mukherjee Actor
1983 Duti Pata Bimal Roy Jr. Actor
1983 Srinkhal Abir Basu Actor
1984 Pujarini Partha Prathim Choudhury Actor
1984 Shilalipi Palash Bannerjee Actor
1984 Sorgol Biswajit Actor
1984 Lolita Tapan Choudhury Actor
1984 Amar Geeti Tarun Majumdar Actor
1984 Joy Parajoy Chandan Mukherjee Actor
1985 Baikunther Will Sushil Mukherjee Actor
1985 Nishantay Narayan Chakraborty Actor
1985 Aamar Prithibi Bimal Bhowmick Actor
1985 Nishante Narayan Chakraborty Actor
1985 Hulusthul Aravind Mukherjee Actor
1986 Dui Adhyay Goutam Mukhopadhyay Actor
1986 Urbashe Salil Dutta Actor
1986 Subho Kamon Aachho? Partha Pratim Chowdhury Actor
1987 Abir Kamal Majumdar Actor
1987 Samrat-O-Sundari Bimal Roy Jr. Actor
1988 Agni Sanket Swarup Dutta Actor
1989 Gili Gili Gay Ishwar Chakraborty Actor
1991 Palataka Saran Dey Actor

References

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  1. ^ a b TNN (11 January 2017). "Baba never got his due: Santosh Dutta". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  2. ^ Santosh Dutta. WorldCat. Retrieved 31 Oct 2024.
  3. ^ Andrew Robinson (1989). Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye. University of California Press. pp. 360–. ISBN 978-0-520-06946-6. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  4. ^ Satyajit Ray; Bert Cardullo (1 March 2007). Satyajit Ray: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-1-57806-937-8. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
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