Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutt (; 29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in
Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern
Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little Theatre Group" in 1949. This group enacted many English,
Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period now known as the "Epic theatre" period, before it immersed itself completely in highly political and radical theatre. His plays became an apt vehicle for the expression of his Marxist ideologies, visible in socio-political plays such as ''Kallol'' (1965), ''Manusher Adhikar'', ''Louha Manob'' (1964), ''Tiner Toloar'' and ''Maha-Bidroha''. He also acted in over 100
Bengali and
Hindi films in a career spanning 40 years, and remains most known for his roles in films such as
Mrinal Sen’s ''
Bhuvan Shome'' (1969),
Satyajit Ray’s ''
Agantuk'' (1991),
Gautam Ghose’s ''
Padma Nadir Majhi'' (1992) and
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy Hindi comedies such as ''
Gol Maal'' (1979) and ''
Rang Birangi'' (1983). He also did the role of a sculptor, Sir Digindra Narayan, in the episode ''Seemant Heera'' of
Byomkesh Bakshi (TV series) on
Doordarshan in 1993, shortly before his death.
He received
National Film Award for Best Actor in 1970 and three
Filmfare Best Comedian Awards. In 1990, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre, awarded him its highest award, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to theatre.
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