Manju Dey was a versatile actress of golden age of bengali cinema

Manju Dey – the towering actress of Bengali films. Manju Dey was considered one of the towering actresses of Bengali films of the 50s and 60s. Along with an enterprising screen presence she also had a mellifluous voice. She mesmerized the viewers with her powerful performance in the film Jighansha, directed by renowned Bengali director Ajoy Kar. The film was based on the detective story of Arthur Conan Doyle titled The Hound Of Baskervilles. In the early 50s, the black –white classic took the Bengali audience by storm. Manju Dey played the role of the daughter of Bikash Roy, who was one of the successors of the princely estate who was deprived of his right over property. He stayed in the same estate in the disguise of an old botanist. He used Manju Dey, his daughter to act as witch who sang spooky songs around marshy land and drew the prince towards that area when Bikash Roy hired a serial killer to kill him. The detective in the film played by Shishir Botobyal, who played the same role as Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Baskervilles detected the identity and solved the mystery. The same film was remade in hindi with the title Bees Saal Baad, where Wahida Rehman played the role of Manju Dey and Biswajeet played the role of the prince. Manju Dey impressed the viewers with her role in Mrinal Sen’s film Neel Akasher Niche. She played the role of wife of Bikash Roy, a middle-class Bengali and was sympathetic towards Kali Banerjee, a Chinaman in the film who came from China and settled in the streets of Kolkata to sell his produce. The film required the depth of acting from Manju Dey in respect of showing compassion towards a foreigner who had come from a distant place and struggled to earn his livelihood in Kolkata. She was sublime in the film Biyallish (42), opposite Pradeep Kumar. The film was based on the Indian freedom struggle and how the domestic wives of the nation participated in the freedom movement. She and her husband Pradeep Kumar was tortured by British officer played by Bikash Roy and yet she was firm in her commitment. She established herself as a successful director with the film Abhishapto Chambal based on the novel by Tarun Bhadhuri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri. She acted in the film and showed her powerful personality. She learned horse-riding and acted along with other dacoits like Shekhar Chatterjee and others. Pradeep Kumar played the role of the husband of Manju Dey in the film and impressed with his manly performance. He died and after that it was left upto Manju Dey to take revenge against the alleged offenders. Her other successfully directed film included Shajarur Kanta (Porcupine’s thorn), which was a crime-thriller and impressed the viewers again. Manju Dey also contributed in the classic films in the 50s including Tapan Sinha’s film Kabuliwala based on the epic novel of Rabindranath Tagore. She played the role of the mother of the little girl Mini, who had attachment towards an Afghan fruit-seller played by Chabi Biswas. Later on Chabi Biswas was imprisoned and after being released from jail came to their house. All preparations were made for the marriage of Mini. Manju Dey advised her husband played by Radha Mohan Bhattacharya to give the money that was saved for the lighting in the marriage to be given to Chabi Biswas so that he could go back to his own country and meet his own daughter who was of same age of Mini. Manju Dey was used in off-beat films and experimental roles in her illustrious career and although her position was not same as the greatest actress of Bengal, that is Suchitra Sen, whenever her films like Kar Pape opposite Asit Boron, Upahaar opposite Uttam Kumar, etc., are revisited it will be inferred that she was one of the most dynamic actresses of Bengali films during the classic period. According to critics, other than Suchitra Sen and Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey had the most dynamic personality and for those reasons her films should be preserved and restored.

Asitboron - the unsung hero of Bengali film industry.

Asitboron – the unsung hero of Bengali film industry.

Asitboron was the most enterprising hero of Bengali films before Uttam Kumar ruled the industry. He had various qualities like singing, playing the table, etc. He created a permanent position of prestige in the minds of producers and directors with his devotional performance in the film Joydev.

At that time Robin Mojumdar was the main hero of Bengali films. As Robin Mojumdar was both a singer and an actor the producers used his talent to perfection in the films like Bhangagara, Jogajog, Kobi, etc. But Asitboron was smart, handsome and in urbanized roles became the automatic choice of the modern directors. His film Kar Pape stormed Bengali industry in the early 50s. The film was made with a bold subject of Asitboron being infected with syphilis and the contagious disease was spread his wife Manju Dey. Chabi Biswas, the doctor in the film warned Asit Boron not to marry any one before the disease was fully cured. He did not listen to him and the disease spread to Manju Dey. At the end of the film Manju Dey fired Asitboron when he went to marry another girl. The powerful performance of Chabi Biswas and Manju Dey stands out as one of their most dynamic performances of any performer in Bengali films.

Asitboron was sublime in the role of Mathur, in the film Rani Rashmoni. He was the son-in-law of Malina Debi, and educated during Colonial period. His western thoughts did not allow him to believe that Sri Ramkrishna was an avatar. But he was convinced by Malina Debi at the end of the film. Asitboron did extremely well in the role of Munsef in Uttam Kumar’s film Khokababur Protyaborton. It was based on the epic literature of Tagore, and Asitboron expressed the relationship of a master with his servant to perfection during the relevant period.

Asitboron played the role of famous kabiyal Bhora Moira, in Uttam Kumar’s film Antony Firingi. He contested against him in the musical competition where Antony Firingi defeated him. His performance in Tapan Sinha’s film Harmonium also requires special mention. He played the role of a Zaminder whose harmonium was sold in auction by his daughter Arundhuti Debi, and after the harmonium changed different hands it was resold back to Arundhuti Debi, at the of the film.

His other famous films include Bondhu opposite Mala Sinha, Brotocharini, Badhu, Shilpi, Sriti Tuku Thak opposite Suchitra Sen, to name a few. He had a number of basic discs in his own voice, too. He had acted in more than 100 films in a span of 30 years. It is really sad that he died unwept, unsung, unlamented and unrecognized. The viewers forgot his contribution in Bengali films during the pre-Uttam Kumar period when his effortless performance attracted the urbanized youth of the early 50s. His films should be restored and preserved.

My father Ex. Chief Public Prosecutor, Bankshall Court, North, met Asitboron near Glass House in Paikpara (North Kolkata) in the early 50s, when he used to come for playing tennis with actress Manju Dey, and fishing activities in a lake where the modern Metro Rail is situated near Dum Dum Station. Asitboron disclosed to my father that Uttam Kumar once told Asitboron that kaloda (that was his nickname), can you lend me your walking style. Later Uttam Kumar developed his own walking style which was imitated by many heroes of contemporary period.

Manju Dey - the towering actress of Bengali films

Manju Dey – the towering actress of Bengali films.

Manju Dey was considered one of the towering actresses of Bengali films of the 50s and 60s. Along with an enterprising screen presence she also had a mellifluous voice. She mesmerized the viewers with her powerful performance in the film Jighansha, directed by renowned Bengali director Ajoy Kar. The film was based on the detective story of Arthur Conan Doyle titled The Hound Of Baskervilles. In the early 50s, the black –white classic took the Bengali audience by storm.

Manju Dey played the role of the daughter of Bikash Roy, who was one of the successors of the princely estate who was deprived of his right over property. He stayed in the same estate in the disguise of an old botanist. He used Manju Dey, his daughter to act as witch who sang spooky songs around marshy land and drew the prince towards that area when Bikash Roy hired a serial killer to kill him. The detective in the film played by Shishir Botobyal, who played the same role as Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Baskervilles detected the identity and solved the mystery. The same film was remade in hindi with the title Bees Saal Baad, where Wahida Rehman played the role of Manju Dey and Biswajeet played the role of the prince.

Manju Dey impressed the viewers with her role in Mrinal Sen’s film Neel Akasher Niche. She played the role of wife of Bikash Roy, a middle-class Bengali and was sympathetic towards Kali Banerjee, a Chinaman in the film who came from China and settled in the streets of Kolkata to sell his produce. The film required the depth of acting from Manju Dey in respect of showing compassion towards a foreigner who had come from a distant place and struggled to earn his livelihood in Kolkata.

She was sublime in the film Biyallish (42), opposite Pradeep Kumar. The film was based on the Indian freedom struggle and how the domestic wives of the nation participated in the freedom movement. She and her husband Pradeep Kumar was tortured by British officer played by Bikash Roy and yet she was firm in her commitment.

She established herself as a successful director with the film Abhishapto Chambal based on the novel by Tarun Bhadhuri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri. She acted in the film and showed her powerful personality. She learned horse-riding and acted along with other dacoits like Shekhar Chatterjee and others. Pradeep Kumar played the role of the husband of Manju Dey in the film and impressed with his manly performance. He died and after that it was left upto Manju Dey to take revenge against the alleged offenders. Her other successfully directed film included Shajarur Kanta (Porcupine’s thorn), which was a crime-thriller and impressed the viewers again.

Manju Dey also contributed in the classic films in the 50s including Tapan Sinha’s film Kabuliwala based on the epic novel of Rabindranath Tagore. She played the role of the mother of the little girl Mini, who had attachment towards an Afghan fruit-seller played by Chabi Biswas. Later on Chabi Biswas was imprisoned and after being released from jail came to their house. All preparations were made for the marriage of Mini. Manju Dey advised her husband played by Radha Mohan Bhattacharya to give the money that was saved for the lighting in the marriage to be given to Chabi Biswas so that he could go back to his own country and meet his own daughter who was of same age of Mini.

Manju Dey was used in off-beat films and experimental roles in her illustrious career and although her position was not same as the greatest actress of Bengal, that is Suchitra Sen, whenever her films like Kar Pape opposite Asit Boron, Upahaar opposite Uttam Kumar, etc., are revisited it will be inferred that she was one of the most dynamic actresses of Bengali films during the classic period. According to critics, other than Suchitra Sen and Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey had the most dynamic personality and for those reasons her films should be preserved and restored.