Mitra, born in Khulna district, now in Bangladesh in 1938 shifted to Kolkata in 1950 as refugees and had his college education in Scottish Church College where his talent in writing and acting took shape. He was active in college theatre activities and made friends like Rudra Prasad Sengupta and Parthapratim Chowdhury who also later became widely known in the theatre scene of Bengal. Mitra got his M.A. in philosophy from Calcutta University in 1960 and taught for some time in college as a lecturer. He also became the head of the drama department in Rabindra Bharati University later.
Mitra started acting in dramas in 1957 and made his film debut in 1979. His first play, Mrityur Chokhe Jal, was written in 1959, but he gained fame with the 1972 drama Chak Bhanga Madhu. He founded a theatre group called Sundaram, later left to create another group named Ritayan, but returned to Sundaram soon after. Mitra is known for several popular plays, including Absanna Prajapati, Neela, Mrityur Chokhe Jal, Singhdwar, and Fera. He was prolific in his work in the last four decades of 20th century playing, directing and acting in plays as also in films.
He was an all-rounder as a writer...He wrote a number of short stories that have been published in different magazines and translated into various languages.. He served as the President of Paschim Banga Natya Academy for a period till 2019.
Mitra has so far has written over a hundred plays, including Sajano Bagaan, Chokhe Angul Dada, Kaalbihongo, Parabas, Alokanandar Putra Kanya, Narak Guljar, Aswathama, Chakbhanga Madhu, Mesh O Rakhash, Noisho Bhoj, Chhayar Prashad, Galpo Hekim Saheb, Rajdarshan, Debi Swarpamasta, Munni O Saat Chowkidar, Ranger Haat, and Ja Nei Bharatey.
Mitra is best known for his lead role in Tapan Sinha’s film Banchharamer Bagan, which was based on his play Sajano Bagaan (The Arranged Garden). He also appeared in Satyajit Ray’s films Ghare Baire and Ganashatru. Mitra has played both comedic and villainous roles in many Bengali movies. He acted in Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak and Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s films also.
Manoj Mitra began his theatre activities at a time when the theatre groups in Bengal were dominated by the left groups and most of the plays tried to convey some political message, sometimes overtly. Apart, some of the groups took up adaptations of the famous western playwrights like Brecht, Pirandello and Arthur Miller. Mitra took a path of his own and wrote and directed original plays focusing on the dilemma of the individuals in the Bengali society in the second half of the last century. Some of his plays conveyed the hopes and aspirations of people through humour. His plays gave a new pleasure to many theatre goers who were looking for alternative to the dominant political theatre of those days. His form was different though in terms of content, he was on lines with the objectives of other theatre groups.
The theatre lovers in Bengal will miss Manoj Mitra’s style of presentation of characters which mesmerized them for over five decades. The young directors and actors will also miss a brilliant teacher who gave guidance to hundreds of theatre workers in Bengal covering Kolkata and the districts. (IPA Service)
PLAYWRIGHT AND ACTOR MANOJ MITRA WAS AN ICON IN BENGALI THEATRE FOR FIVE DECADES
HIS DRAMAS HAD ITS UNIQUE WAY OF EXPRESSING THE HOPES AND STRUGGLES OF INDIVIDUAL
Satyaki Chakraborty - 12-11-2024 10:43 GMT-0000
Leading playwright and actor of Bengal, Manoj Mitra dominated the Bengali theatre scene for more than five decades making his distinctive mark as a writer, actor, teacher and director. He passed away at the age of 86 in Kolkata on November 10 morning following a brief illness. His demise was mourned by both the educated cultural community as also the common people of cities and villages since some of his plays like ‘Sajano Bagan’ and ‘Narak Gulzar’ were appreciated throughout the state covering all sections of the population.