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ALL TIME GREATS

Utpal Dutta: Portraying a gamut of emotions
It has been almost a decade since the legendary actor Utpal Dutta breathed his last. But his acting excellence is still alive in the minds of his associates and, of course, in the plays and films in which he featured. Besides his immensely popular image as a film actor, it is no secret that the more Utpal Dutta was a man of the stage, the less he was of the cinema. At times he lashed out at cinema as a " medium of capitalist entertainment".
Born on March 29, 1929, in Shillong, Utpal first got an opportunity to act in the lead role of director Madhu Basu's film Michael Madhusudan. However, his learning began with the theatre. He was associated with the Shakespearean International Theatre Company and an active member of Gononatya Shangha. His political bent of mind also influenced him in staging many street plays to propagate the party ideologies. Utpal Dutta established his Little Theatre Group and staged many plays with that group at the Minerva Theatre. He also established People's Theatre Group, Arya Opera and Bibek Jatra Samaj.
Among his popular stage plays are Ghosts, The Russian, Ferari Fouj, Titas Ekti Nodir Naam, Buro Shaliker Gharey Ro, Sirajuddoula, Kollol, Choddoi July, Barricade, Titumir and many others. Utpal Dutta achieved great heights of performance especially in Shakespeare's plays. His characterisation of Othello and Macbeth is regarded as the best. His other Shakespearean plays include The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night.
Utpal Dutta had "an effortless access to a wide range of emotion, from the ridiculous to the sublime, via ruthlessness," says acclaimed filmmaker Mrinal Sen. This coupled with an inborn sense of humour and proportion made Dutta stand out. "I don't think he enjoyed cinema much," says another reputed filmmaker Goutam Ghosh. "But who can forget his portrayal of Dhalakarta in Rajen Tarafdar's Palanka ?" Ghosh mused. "When I began working with him during Paar, I found him to be a 100 percent professional actor. He became one with the vision of Moynadwip", said Ghosh referring to Dutta's sterling performance as the visionary Hosain Miyan in Padma NadirMajhi, in Ghosh's magnum opus based on a critically acclaimed work by Manik Bandopadhyay.
Utpal Dutta acted in hundreds of Bangla and Hindi films including Bangla Amanush, Jukti-Tokko-Gappo, Hirok Rajar Deshey, Harano Shur, Sriman Prithwiraj, Shesher Kobita, Kolkata Ekattor, Ananda Asrom, Gonodebota, KoriDiye Kinlam and Hindi Anari, Ye Desh, Julie, Jan Pehchan, John Johnny Jonardan, EkAdhura Kahaniand Golmal.
Besides performing in a few English and Assamese films, Utpal Dutta also directed five Bangla films: Megh, Ghum Bhangar Gaan, Boishakhi Megh, Jhorand Maa.
For his excellent performance in the film Bhuban Shome, Utpal Dutta received the Bharat Award in 1969. He died on August 19, 1993.
Compiled by Cultural Correspondent