Sukhen Das

Sukhen Das (28 July 1938 – 4 April 2004) was an Indian actor,^[4][5] director,^[6] screenwriter and story writer of Bengali cinema.

Early life and education

Das was born as Sukhendranath Das in Kolkata.^[7][8] He spent parts of his childhood in an orphanage i.e The Ramkrishna Society-Anath Bhandar. He did not finish his education because of financial problems.^[3] Later he fled the orphanage and took shelter in a doctor's chamber. During this time he roamed around near film studios, and he was spotted by director Debnarayan Gupta who gave him a role as a child actor (Master Sukhen) in the movie Dasiputra (1949).^[9]

Career

Das acted in many commercially successful movies^[5][10] including Pratishodh (1981)^[11] and Maa Ek Mandir (1988).^[11] His roles in the movies Lalu Bhulu (1959), Dhonyi Meye (1971), Rajnandini (1980) and Dadamoni (1984) earned him critical acclaim. He also directed a large number of movies, including Milan Tithi, Sayani,^[12] Maan Abhiman (1978)^[13] and Singhaduar (1978), and wrote scripts for a number of others.^[4] His play 15th July was translated into Hindi. He acted in a large number of jatras as well.

Das was typecast in tragic roles,^[14] although he sometimes played comic roles as well,^[15] as exemplified by his role in Dhonyi Meye. A typical role for him would be a man who became handicapped in an accident while trying to rescue younger brother or friend, and who was being ill-treated by others. His role in Pratisodh, where he played the role of an action hero, was unusual.

Personal life

Das married twice. His son Rajat Das was an actor and a director. His brother Ajay Das ( 22 January 1941 – 15 April 2013 ) was a music director, and scored the music in many of Das' movies.

He died on 4 April 2004 in a nursing home in Kolkata due to cardiac arrest.^[16]

Filmography

Actor

Director

Screenplay/Story

• Pratisodh (1981)
• Rajnandini (1980)
• Sunayani (1979)^[24]

References