Utpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright.
24 Facts About Utpal Dutt
2.
Utpal Dutt 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.
3.
Utpal Dutt's plays became an apt vehicle for the expression of his Marxist ideologies, visible in socio-political plays such as Kallol, Manusher Adhikar, Louha Manob, Tiner Toloar and Maha-Bidroha.
4.
Utpal Dutt 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, Satyajit Ray's Agantuk, Gautam Ghose's Padma Nadir Majhi and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's breezy Hindi comedies such as Gol Maal and Rang Birangi.
5.
Utpal Dutt did the role of a sculptor, Sir Digindra Narayan, in the episode Seemant Heera of Byomkesh Bakshi on Doordarshan in 1993, shortly before his death.
6.
Utpal Dutt received National Film Award for Best Actor in 1970 and three Filmfare Best Comedian Awards.
7.
Utpal Dutt graduated with English Literature Honours from St Xavier's College, Calcutta, University of Calcutta.
8.
Utpal Dutt remained an active member of Gananatya Sangha, which performed through rural areas of West Bengal.
9.
Utpal Dutt was a founding member of Indian People's Theatre Association, an organisation known for its leftist leaning, but left it after a couple of years, when he started his theatre group.
10.
Utpal Dutt wrote and directed what he called "Epic Theatre", a term he borrowed from Bertolt Brecht, to bring about discussion and change in Bengal.
11.
Utpal Dutt became one of the most influential personalities in the Group Theatre movement.
12.
Utpal Dutt remained a teacher of English at the South Point School in Kolkata.
13.
Utpal Dutt formed groups like Arjo Opera and Bibek Yatra Samaj.
14.
Utpal Dutt went on to act in many Bengali films, including many films by Satyajit Ray.
15.
Utpal Dutt was an extremely famous comic actor in Hindi cinema, though he acted in only a handful of Hindi films.
16.
Utpal Dutt acted in comedy movies, the most notable ones being Guddi, Gol Maal, Naram Garam, Rang Birangi and Shaukeen.
17.
Utpal Dutt received Filmfare Best Comedian Award for Golmaal, Naram Garam and Rang Birangi.
18.
Utpal Dutt was the Hero in Amitabh Bachchan's maiden venture Saat Hindustani.
19.
Utpal Dutt was a lifelong Marxist and an active supporter of the Communist Party of India, and his leftist "Revolutionary Theatre" was a phenomenon in the contemporary Bengali theatre.
20.
Utpal Dutt staged many street dramas in favour of the Communist Party.
21.
Utpal Dutt started writing Jatra scripts, produced and acted in them, even formed his own Jatra troupe.
22.
Utpal Dutt wrote Louha Manab, in 1964 while still in jail, based on a real trial against a pro-Stalin, ex-Politburo member by supporters of Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow of 1963.
23.
Utpal Dutt directed a number of films such as Megh, a psychological thriller, Ghoom Bhangar Gaan, Jhar, based on the Young Bengal movement, Baisakhi Megh, Maa and Inquilab Ke Baad.
24.
In 1960, Utpal Dutt married theatre and film actress Shobha Sen.