Santosh Dutta (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the ...

: সন্তোষ দত্ত; 2 December 1925 – 5 March 1988) was a Bengali actor, best known for playing the character of

Jatayu Jatayu ( sa, जटायुः, IAST: ) is a demigod in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', who has the form of either an eagle or a vulture. He is the younger son of Aruṇa and his wife Shyeni, the brother of Sampati, as well as the nephew of Garud ...

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 o ...

Feluda Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra itter is a fictional detective, Private investigator created by famous Indian director and writer Satyajit Ray. Feluda resides at 21 Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Calcutta, West Bengal. Feluda first made his a ...

movie series ''

Sonar Kella ''Sonar Kella'' ( bn, সোনার কেল্লা), also ''Shonar Kella'', is a 1971 mystery novel written by by Bengali literature, Bengali writer and filmmaker Satyajit Ray. In 1974, Ray directed a film adaption of the book, also nam ...

'' and '' Joi Baba Felunath''.

Early life

Dutta was a lawyer by profession. Essentially a comedian, he elevated comedy acting to the levels of character roles. Satyajit Ray gave him the first break with a small role in his immortal film '' Parash Pathar''. After ''Sonar Kella'', he became so associated with the role of "Jatayu" that Satyajit Ray later reframed the appearance of Jatayu and started making the sketches of Jatayu resembling Dutta in Feluda novels. After the death of this actor, Ray once remarked that there will be no further movies in the Feluda series as Jatayu cannot be thought of without Santosh Dutta. Though after the death of Ray, the role of Jatayu was later played by artistes, such as Anup Kumar, Bibhu Bhattacharya, and even

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 ...

. these actors agreed that it was impossible to play the character without the influence of Santosh Dutta in mind.

Career

Apart from playing Jatayu, Dutta played crucial roles in Satyajit Ray's masterpieces for children like ''

Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne ''Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne'' ( Bengali: গুপী গাইন বাঘা বাইন ''Gupi Gain Bagha Bain'') is a 1969 Indian fantasy adventure comedy film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and based on a story by his grandfather Up ...

'' and '' Hirak Rajar Deshe''. In ''Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen'', Dutta played dual roles of the kings of "Halla" and "Shundi". In ''Hirak Rajar Deshe'', which is a sequel to ''Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen'', Dutta played the role of a mysterious scientist (known as Gobeshok Gobuchondro Gyanotirtho Gyanorotno Gyanambudhi Gyanochuramoni), in addition to a small appearance for the same 'King of Shundi'. Another milestone in Dutta's career was playing Gopal Bhar in the movie of same name, Gopal Bhar being a humorous character known for centuries in India, particularly the state of West Bengal. The role of Abalakanto in ''Ogo Bodhu Sundari'' has also become legendary. Dutta played important roles in films like ''Teen Kanya'', ''Paras Pathar'', ''Kapurush O Mahapurush'', ''Streer Patra'', ''Marjina Abdallah'', ''Jana Aranya'', ''Char Murti'' and ''Gana Devata''. He played the roles of comedians in some commercial theaters. ''Kone Bibhrat'' was one of the plays in his later years which was a mega hit. He worked in a TV serial called ''Goenda Bhagabandas'' with Rabi Ghosh, another famous actor of his time.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dutta, Santosh Bengali male actors Bengali Hindus Male actors in Bengali cinema 1988 deaths University of Calcutta alumni 1925 births Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Kolkata People from Dhaka