Personal Details

• 🎂 Date of Birth
• 29 March 1929
• 🌍 Place of Birth
• Barisal Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Bangladesh)
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family
• Father: Girijaranjan Dutta
• Spouse: Shobha Sen
• Children: Bishnupriya Dutt
• 🎓Education
• Early schooling at St. Edmund's School, Shillong. Completed Matriculation (1945) from St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata. Graduated with English Literature Honours (1949) from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, University of Calcutta

Early Career

• Utpal Dutt began his career as a teenager in the 1940s, performing primarily in English theatre. In 1947, he founded a theatre group called The Shakespeareans, staging Shakespeare’s Richard III, where he played the title role. His performance impressed critics and theatre veterans alike. During this period, he was noticed by Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Kendal of the Shakespeareana Theatre Company, who hired him for two year-long tours (1947–49, 1953–54) across India and Pakistan. There, he performed major Shakespearean roles, including Othello, and gained widespread acclaim.

Career Journey

• Utpal Dutt was a multi-faceted Indian personality renowned for his powerful acting, directing, and playwriting, leaving an indelible mark on Indian theatre and cinema.
• 🏛 Little Theatre Group (LTG) and Bengali Theatre
• After the Kendals left India in 1949, Dutt renamed his group the Little Theatre Group (LTG). Initially, the group staged English plays by writers such as Ibsen, Shaw, Tagore, and Gorky, but soon transitioned to producing Bengali plays. These productions focused on socially and politically relevant themes, reflecting Dutt’s growing interest in revolutionary ideas. Notable plays during this period included Angar (1959), which highlighted the exploitation of coal miners, and Kallol (1965), based on the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny.
• ✊ Revolutionary & Political Theatre
• As a lifelong Marxist, Utpal Dutt used theatre as a medium to express leftist ideologies and reach the masses. He pioneered “Revolutionary Theatre” through street plays, poster plays, and Jatra Pala, performing in open spaces and rural areas to bring theatre directly to the people.
• His political plays often faced censorship, and he was jailed in 1965 due to the subversive message of Kallol. Other significant works in this phase included Manusher Adhikar (1968), Tiner Toloar, and Dusswapner Nagari.
• 🎬 Transition to Cinema
• Utpal Dutt’s first film role came when filmmaker Madhu Bose cast him in Michael Madhusudan (1950) after seeing his stage performance as Othello. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he acted in over 100 films in Bengali and Hindi, balancing serious roles with comic performances. Some landmark films included Bhuvan Shome (1969), Gol Maal (1979), Rang Birangi (1983), Agantuk (1991), and Padma Nadir Majhi (1992).
• 🎬 Film Career
• Utpal Dutt had a prolific film career spanning over four decades, acting in more than 100 Bengali and Hindi films.
• He made his debut with Michael Madhusudhan (1950) and appeared in notable Bengali films like Vidyasagar (1950), Angar (1959), Calcutta 71 (1971), Jana Aranya (1976), Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980), Padma Nadir Majhi (1992), as well as acclaimed Hindi films including Bhuvan Shome (1969), Gol Maal (1979), Rang Birangi (1983), Naram Garam (1981), Shaukeen (1981), Agantuk (1991), and Saat Hindustani (1969). He excelled in both comic and serious roles, and his last film, Mera Damad, was released posthumously in 1995.
• 🎭 Notable Plays
• He was a pioneering playwright and theatre director who wrote and staged numerous influential plays, often reflecting social and political themes. Some of his most notable works include Mirkassim, Tiner Talowar, Ferari Fauj, Boniker Rajdando, Barricade, Chayanat, Kangor Karagare, Kallol, Ongaar, Aajker Shahjahan, Lohaar Bheem, Mahusher Adhikarey, Ebar Rajar Pala, and Danrao Pathikbar. These plays combined revolutionary ideas, Marxist ideology, and innovative theatrical techniques, establishing him as a central figure in modern Bengali and Indian theatre.
• 📚 Literary Works
• Utpal Dutt was not only a theatre and film personality but also a prolific writer and scholar. His notable works include “Girish Chandra Ghosh” (1992), “The Great Rebellion, 1857 (Mahabidroha)” (1986), “On Theatre” (2009), “Towards a Revolutionary Theatre” (2009), and “On Cinema” (2009). He also authored “Rights of Man (Manusher Adhikare)” (2009), “3 Plays” (2009), and his collected prose in “Gadya Sangraha” (Volumes 1 & 2). Additionally, Dutt translated and selected theatrical stories in “Encore” and published a collection of his poems titled “Sahhensha Tomar Puraskar Tomar-i Thak”. He also acted in the Byomkesh Bakshi Episode 3: Seemant Heera, showcasing his versatility in both literary and performing arts.

Achievements and Milestones

• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship – Lifetime contribution to theatre 1990
• National Film Award for Best Actor for Bhuvan Shome 1970
• Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award: Best Actor for Agantuk 1993
• Filmfare Best Comedian Award: Gol Maal (1980), Naram Garam (1982), Rang Birangi (1984)