''Mahapurush'' ( bn, মহাপুরুষ; ) is a 1965 film directed by

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

, based on a short story ''Birinchibaba'' (বিরিঞ্চি বাবা) by

Rajshekhar Basu Rajshekhar Basu ( bn, রাজশেখর বসু; better known by the pen name Parashuram; 16 March 1880 – 27 April 1960) was a Bengali chemist, author and lexicographer. He was chiefly known for his comic and satirical short storie ...

Plot

After the death of his wife, Gurupada Mitra (Prasad Mukherjee), an advocate, has not been at peace. He and his daughter Buchki (Gitali Roy), meet Birinchi (Charuprakash Ghosh). Birinchi Baba claims to be ageless. He tells stories from the past; about his arguments with 'Plato' about time, how he taught E=mc² to Einstein, and was on first-name terms with Jesu (Christ) and Gautam (Buddha). Birinchi Baba has a growing band of rich devotees. Gurupada decides to patronize the holy man and become his disciple. Daughter Buchki is disappointed with her lover Satya. To teach him a lesson, she tells Satya that she is going to leave him and become a disciple of Birinchi Baba. Satya turns to his friend Nibaran for his help. It does not take Nibaran long to realize that Birinchi Baba is a fraud. Nibaran and friends expose Birinchi Baba. The devotees feel foolish and perhaps have learnt a lesson.

Cast

* Charuprakash Ghosh as Birinchi Baba, the self-proclaimed Godman and the con-artist *

Rabi Ghosh Robi Ghosh ( bn, রবি ঘোষ) (24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema. He is known for his comic appeal, though his versatile acting talent brought him success in various kin ...

as Birinchi Baba's assistant, his disciple/(originally) his nephew Kyabla * Somen Bose as Nibaran da *

Satya Bandopadhyay ''Satya'' (Sanskrit: सत्य; IAST: ''satya)'' is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth, essence. A. A. Macdonell, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Asian Educational Services, , pp. 330–331 It also refers to a virtue in Indian relig ...

as Nitai da * Haridhan Mukherjee as Ganesh Mama * Satindra Bhattacharya as Satya *

Santosh Dutta Santosh Dutta (Bengali: সন্তোষ দত্ত; 2 December 1925 – 5 March 1988) was a Bengali actor, best known for playing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movie series ''Sonar Kella'' and '' Joi Baba Felunath''. Ear ...

as Professor Nani * Geetali Roy as Buchki/Neelima, Gurupada's younger daughter * Prasad Mukherjee as Gurupada Mittir * Renuka Roy as Nani's wife/Gurupada's elder daughter

Preservation

The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

preserved ''Mahapurush'' in 2005.

References

External links

Mahapurush (SatyajitRay.org)
* 1965 films Films directed by Satyajit Ray Bengali-language Indian films Films about religion Films with screenplays by Satyajit Ray 1960s Bengali-language films {{1960s-Bengali-film-stub