Veteran Bengali actor Manoj Mitra passes away
Famous Bengali film and theatre personality Manoj Mitra passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86 in Kolkata. He was known mainly for writing and directing farces and fantasies to highlight social and political issues. His plays also underscored the struggle of the oppressed common man.
A legendary actor, he immortalised the character of Banchharam in Tapan Sinha's 1980 film 'Banchharamer Bagan' (The Garden of Banchharam). This dark comedy on the oppression of the peasants by the zamindars was adapted from a play by Mitra. Mitra had around 100 one-act and full-length plays to his credit besides film scripts. Mitra has also acted in the legendary director Satyajit Ray's classics such as 'Ghare Baire' and 'Ganashatru'.
Here are some of the films he is well known for:
1. Banchharamer Bagan (1980): Adapted from his play 'Sajano Bagan' (1977), Manoj Mitra essayed the role of the 90-year-old protagonist when he was in his 40s. He bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the movie.
2. Ghare Baire (1984): Written and directed by Satyajit Ray, the film is based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. Mitra played the role of a headmaster in the film set in the pre-Independence era.
3. Ganashatru (1990): It is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play An Enemy of the People. Satyajit Ray adapted the play to an Indian setting: a flourishing township in which a temple attracts devotees as well as tourists.
4. Hothat Brishti (1998): He portrayed a memorable role in the 1998 film which was a collaborative production between Bangladesh and India. It is a romance film made under the direction of Basu Chatterjee. It is a remake of the 1996 Tamil film Kadhal Kottai. It was produced by both Bangladesh and India and featured Ferdous Ahmed and Priyanka Trivedi.
5. Shatru (1984): An honest and brave police officer, Shubhankar Sanyal (Ranjit Mullick), decides to nab a notorious leader, Nishikanta Saha (Manoj Mitra), and his associates for creating an environment of terror in Haridevpur. After this superhit potboiler in which he essayed the role of the notorious leader, Mitra got a chance to act in Bollywood films. He, however, rejected that proposal apprehending that it would impact his involvement in theatre.
