Nabendu Ghosh (27 March 1917 – 15 December 2007) was an Indian author in Bengali literature, and screenwriter. He has written screenplays of classic
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
Devdas
''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden ...
,
Majhli Didi
''Majhli Didi '' is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, ''Mejdidi'' (Middle Sister) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as '' Mejdidi''. ''Majhli D ...
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoo ...
. He has written stories for movies like
Baap Beti
''Baap Beti'' is a 1954 Bollywood film, produced by Gopi Rohra and starring Nalini Jaiwant. It stars Asha Parekh as a child artist.
Reception
The film achieved a 7.7 rating on IMDb.
Songs
#"Duniya Bananewale Ramoji" - Lata Mangeshkar
Lat ...
,
Shatranj
Shatranj ( ar, شطرنج; fa, شترنج; from Middle Persian ''chatrang'' ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins are in the Indian game of chaturaṅga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as i ...
Do Bigha Zameen
''Do Bigha Zamin'' () is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem " Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, it is ...
, ''
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoo ...
'' and
Lukochuri
''Lukochuri'' (Bengali: লুকোচুরি) is a Bengali romantic comedy film directed by Kamal Majumdar and produced in the banner of Kishore Kumar Films. The film stars Kishore Kumar, Mala Sinha and Anita Guha in lead roles. The film wa ...
. Later in his career, he directed four movies as well.
Biography
Nabendu Ghosh was born 27 March 1917 in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
(presently in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
). At the age of 12 he became a popular actor on stage. As an acclaimed dancer in
Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar (8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian cl ...
style, he won several medals between 1939 and 1945. Ghosh lost a government job in 1944 for writing Dak Diye Jaai, set against the
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
launched by
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
. The novel catapulted him to fame and he moved to
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
in 1945. He soon ranked among the most progressive young writers in Bengali literature.
After partition,
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
; thereby banning all Bengali literature and films. It was this political division that prompted Nabendu Ghosh to join
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...
in 1951, when he left
New Theatres
New Theatres is an Indian film studio. It was formed in Calcutta by producer B. N. Sircar (Birendranath Sircar, the recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award of 1970). It was formed on 10 February 1931. Motto of this company was– ''Jivatang Jyotire ...
in Kolkata, to make films for
Bombay Talkies
Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay.
The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After R ...
. Others in the team who also shifted were
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his ca ...
Kamal Bose
Kamal Bose (1915–1995) was an Indian cinematographer, who shot most of Bimal Roy classics, including '' Parineeta'' (1953), ''Do Bigha Zamin'' (1953), '' Bandini'' (1963), ''Devdas'' (1955) and '' Sujata'' (1960). He successful transitioned i ...
and later
Salil Chaudhury
Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This in ...
. After Bimal Roy's death, Ghosh worked extensively with
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his ca ...
.
Nabendu Ghosh has written on all historical upheavals of 1940s – famine, riots, partition – as well as love. His oeuvre bears the distinct stamp of his outlook towards life. His literary efforts are 'pointing fingers.' There is a multi-coloured variety, a deep empathy for human emotions, mysterious layers of meaning, subtle symbolism, description of unbearable life. Love for humanity is also reflected in his writings. He has to his credit 26 novels and 14 collections of short story. He directed the film ''
Trishagni
''Trishagni'' (English: The Sand Storm) is a 1988 Hindi film directed by Nabendu Ghosh. The film was based on a historical short story set some time after the Asokan Missions, ''Moru O Sangho'' written by Saradindu Bandopadhyay, and inspired by ...
'' (1988), based on Saradindu Bandopadhyay's historical short story ''Maru O Sangha''.
He died on 15 December 2007. He is survived by two sons, Dr Dipankar and filmmaker Shubhankar, and daughter
Ratnottama Sengupta
Ratnottama Sengupta (born January 27, 1955) is an Indian film journalist, festival curator/organiser and author. She is a recipient of the National Film Award, and has served on several international film juries. She is the daughter of scriptwrit ...
(film festival curator, author, and former ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' film journalist). His wife Kanaklata had died in 1999. His autobiography, ''Eka Naukar Jatri '' was published in March 2008. His daughter-in-law, Dr Soma Ghosh is an acclaimed classical vocalist, and was conferred with the Padma Shree award in 2016.
To commemorate his birth centenary, an English translation of his science fiction novel, Aami o Aami (1999), was released on 25 March 2017. He had worked on the translation with his grandson, Devottam Sengupta. The book is known as Me and I in English.
Biraj Bahu
''Biraj Bahu'' is a 1954 Hindi film produced by Hiten Choudhury and directed by Bimal Roy, and based on a Bengali novel by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. The film stars Kamini Kaushal, Abhi Bhattacharya and Pran and has music by Salil Chowdhury. ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Baadbaan
''BaadBaan'' () is a 1954 Indian Bollywood drama film directed by Phani Majumdar and produced by the Bombay Talkies Workers' Industrial Cooperative Society Limited. Baad means storm and Baan means keeping or safeguarding. The film stars Dev An ...
'' (1954)
* ''
Aar Paar
''Aar Paar'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language noir comedy film. Directed by Guru Dutt, it has music by O.P. Nayyar and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. ''Aar-Paar'' stars Johnny Walker, Shyama, Shakila, Jagdeep, Jagdish Sethi. Raj Khosla a ...
'' (1954)
*''
Devdas
''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden ...
'' (1955)
*''
Yahudi
''Yahudi'' (), is a 1958 Hindi-language action drama film directed by Bimal Roy. It starred Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, Nazir Hussain, Nigar Sultana and others. It was based on the play ''Yahudi Ki Ladki'' by Agha Hashar Kashmi ...
'' (1958)
* ''
Insan Jaag Utha
''Insan Jaag Utha'' () is a 1959 Hindi-language social drama film, produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, and written by Nabendu Ghosh and Vrajendra Gaur, based on a story by Saroj Mitra. The film stars Madhubala, Sunil Dutt, Nasir Hussain, ...
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoo ...
'' (1966)
* ''
Majhli Didi
''Majhli Didi '' is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, ''Mejdidi'' (Middle Sister) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as '' Mejdidi''. ''Majhli D ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Sharafat
''Sharafat'' is a 1970 Hindi romantic drama film, directed by Asit Sen, starring Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Hema Malini in lead roles. Hema Malini plays the role of a feisty courtesan Chanda in search of her father, in this satire about society' ...
'' (1970)
* ''
Lal Patthar
''Lal Patthar'' is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language drama film, produced by F. C. Mehra, and directed by Sushil Majumdar. The film is a remake of the Bengali film, ''Lal Pathar'' which released in 1964. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Hema Malini, Raakh ...
Jheel Ke Us Paar
''Jheel Ke Us Paar'' (English: ''On the other side of the lake'') is a 1973 Hindi film produced and directed by Bhappi Sonie. Based on a novel by Gulshan Nanda the film stars Dharmendra, Mumtaz, Prem Chopra, Pran, Yogeeta Bali, Ranjeet and Sha ...
Ganga Ki Saugandh
Ganga Ki Saugandh is a 1978 Hindi-language action drama film produced and directed by Sultan Ahmed. It was released on February 10, 1978. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Pran, I. S. Johar, Bindu, and Anju Mahendru. The t ...
'' (1978)
* ''
Krodhi
Krodhi () is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film was directed by Subhash Ghai and it stars huge cast such as, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman, Hema Malini, Premnath, Pran in pivotal roles. Kalyanji-Anandji's background sco ...
Trishagni
''Trishagni'' (English: The Sand Storm) is a 1988 Hindi film directed by Nabendu Ghosh. The film was based on a historical short story set some time after the Asokan Missions, ''Moru O Sangho'' written by Saradindu Bandopadhyay, and inspired by ...
Bankim Puraskar
Bankim Puraskar ( bn, বঙ্কিম পুরস্কার, Bankim Memorial Award) is the highest award given by the Government of West Bengal for contribution to Bengali fiction. The award was instituted in 1975 in memory of Bankim Chandra ...
from the Bangla Academy, Govt. of West Bengal
*Haraprasad Ghosh Medal from Bangiya Sahitya Parishad
*Bibhuti Bhushan Sahitya Arghya
*Bimal Mitra Puraskar
*Amrita Puraskar
Film awards
* 1997: Honoris Causa conferred by
Film and Television Institute of India
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...
for his "Significant Contribution to Indian Cinema"
*
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
:
National Film Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Superlatives
;Most Awards
*Salim–Javed – 3
*Basu Chatterjee – 3
*Rajkumar Hirani – 3
*Mani Ratnam – 2
*V ...
,
Majhli Didi
''Majhli Didi '' is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, ''Mejdidi'' (Middle Sister) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as '' Mejdidi''. ''Majhli D ...
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Majhli Didi
''Majhli Didi '' is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, ''Mejdidi'' (Middle Sister) by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as '' Mejdidi''. ''Majhli D ...
Teesri Kasam
''Teesri Kasam'' () is a 1966 Hindi language drama film directed by Basu Bhattacharya and produced by lyricist Shailendra. It is based on the short story ''Mare Gaye Gulfam'', by the Hindi novelist Phanishwarnath Renu. The film stars Raj Kapoo ...
'' (1967)
* Film World Award for Best Screenplay ( Do Anjaane)
References
*
* Mukul (2010), 20-minute documentary by Subhankar Ghosh.