Harisadhan Dasgupta

2021-04-16T10:20:07Z

2402:3A80:A93:DBA2:1737:533A:79C3:11F: #suggestededit-add 1.0

{{Short description|Indian Film Director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{notability|Biographies|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Harisadhan Dasgupta
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1923
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = 19 August 1996 (aged 72-73)
| death_place = [[Shantiniketan]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| nationality = India
| other_names =
| occupation = Film director
| years_active = 1948 to 1984
| known_for = Documentary film-making
| notable_works =
}}

'''Harisadhan Dasgupta''' (1923–1996) was an Indian film director from [[Calcutta]] who was most prolific in the 1950s and 1960s. Dasgupta specialized in surveying subjects of fascination to the [[Bengali people|Bengali public]].

Dasgupta attended the [[University of Southern California]] and later the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] to study film-making.<ref name = vaid>[http://bengalibaidyas.co.in/VaidyaEntertainment/HarisadhanDasgupta.html Harisadhan Dasgupta.] Bengali Vaidyas.</ref> He studied for a time under Hollywood producer [[Irving Pichel]]. Upon completing an apprenticeship, he returned to Calcutta to produce documentaries.

Over a lengthy career, Dasgupta produced many documentaries, long and short. He was best known for his English language documentaries on the Bengali people's situation, including such works as ''Panchthupi: A Village in West Bengal'' (1955), ''Panorama of West Bengal'' (1961), ''Glimpses of India'' (1965), and ''The Automobile Industry in India'' (1969).<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0201870/ Harisadhan Dasgupta.] IMDB.</ref> He became most well known for his classic documentary commissioned by [[Tata Steel]], India's largest private corporation, titled ''Tata: The Story of Steel''.<ref>[https://www.telegraphindia.com/1070308/asp/jamshedpur/story_7488218.asp Celluloid touch to centenary celebrations.] The Telegraph.</ref> As with several of his films, this documentary was scripted by [[Satyajit Ray]]. Throughout his career, Dasgupta also worked with several other leading lights involved in Calcutta's film-making renaissance, including [[Hrishikesh Mukherjee]], [[Claude Renoir]], [[Jean Renoir]], [[Ravi Shankar]], [[Chidananda Dasgupta]], and [[Asit Sen (director)|Asit Sen]].<ref name = vaid /> In 1947, Dasgupta co-founded the [[Calcutta Film Society]] along with [[Satyajit Ray]], [[Chidananda Dasgupta]], RP Gupta, [[Bansi Chandragupta]] and others.<ref>Suman Ghosh. [https://www.telegraphindia.com/1121004/jsp/calcutta/story_16050515.jsp Let’s talk about films – again!] ''The Telegraph''.</ref>

Dasgupta was involved in a highly publicized incident when his wife Sonali left their marriage and their six-year-old son for Italian film director [[Roberto Rossellini]].<ref>Rinki Roy Bhattacharya.
[http://www.rediff.com/news/report/remembering-sonali-dasgupta-rossellini/20140612.htm Remembering Sonali Dasgupta-Rossellini.] Rediff.</ref><ref>Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay.
[http://www.frontline.in/other/obituary/an-affair-to-remember/article6145106.ece An Affair to Remember.] Frontline.</ref><ref>[https://www.telegraphindia.com/1080601/jsp/7days/story_9348365.jsp The scandal that rocked Calcutta.] The Telegraph.</ref> Their son Raja later expressed relief when she passed due to their estrangement.<ref>Subhro Niyogi. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Ma-didnt-miss-me/articleshow/36264228.cms 'Ma didn't miss me.'] ''The Times of India''.</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasgupta, Harisudhan}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Bengali film directors]]
[[Category:People associated with Santiniketan]]
[[Category:Film directors from Kolkata]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian film directors]]

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Harisadhan Dasgupta