Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
| Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay | |
|---|---|
 Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay | |
| Born |
30 March 1899 Jaunpur, British India |
| Died |
22 September 1970 (aged 71) Pune, India |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Bengali |
| Notable work(s) | Byomkesh Bakshi stories, Baroda, the Ghost Hunter |
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay (Bengali: শরদিন্দু বন্দোপাধ্যায়; 30 March 1899 – 22 September 1970) was a well-known literary figure of Bengal. He was also actively involved with Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. His most famous creation is the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi.
He wrote different forms of prose: novels, short stories, plays and screenplays. However, his forte was short stories and novels. He wrote historical fiction like Kaler Mandira, GourMollar (initially named as Mouri Nodir Teere), Tumi Sandhyar Megh, Tungabhadrar Teere (all novels), Chuya-Chandan, Maru O Sangha (later made into a Hindi film named Trishangni) and stories of the unnatural with the recurring character Baroda, the Ghost Hunter. Besides, he wrote many songs and poems.
Personal life and education
He was born to Tarabhushan and Bijaliprabha Bandyopadhyay at his maternal grandparents' home in Jaunpur, United Province, India. The family hailed from Purnea, Bihar, India. He passed the matriculation examination in 1915 and took admission in Vidyasagar College, Calcutta. While studying there, he published his first work, Jaubansmriti, a collection of poems, at the age of 20. In 1919, he passed the B.A. examination. He studied law in Patna and then devoted his time to writing.
Critical review
Bandyopadhyay wrote short stories, historical as well as social novels, poems, songs, essays, etc. Besides, he also wrote several screen plays, some of which is of his own writings. His writings are always very short and generally have a twisty ending and in these regards, he can be compared to another great author, Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay, a.k.a. Bonoful. Humor, witty comments and satires are prevalent in his creations. The main theme of most of his writings is romance, basically it is the beautiful relationship between a man and a woman. He was very selective and a perfectionist.
Career
The first Byomkesh Bakshi work appeared in 1932. One of his earliest stories, Raktasandhya, appeared in Bengali in 1939. It was later included in The Scarlet Dusk (2003), a collection of 5 of his stories translated into English. He moved to Mumbai in 1938 to write screenplays for Bombay Talkies and other film banners. He gave up ties with the film industry in 1952, and moved to Pune, to concentrate on writing. He wrote several ghost stories, historical romances and children's stories in Bengali over the next 18 years.
Characters
Byomkesh Bakshi
Byomkesh Bakshi is a Satyanweshi, i.e., a truth-seeker.Baroda
Baroda is a ghost-hunter. Like the Mejokorta of Premendra Mitra, he has direct interactions with ghosts. In Byomkesh O Baroda, the two characters meet.
Bibliography
Novels
Historical
- Kaler Mandira [কালের মন্দিরা] (1951)
- GaurMallar [গৌড়মল্ললার] (1954)
- Tumi Sandhyar Megh [তুমি সন্ধ্যার মেঘ] (1958)
- Kumarsambhaber Kabi [কুমারসম্ভবের কবি] (1963)
- Tungabhadrar Teere [তুঙ্গভদ্রার তীরে] (1965)
Social
- Jhinder Bondi [ঝিন্দের বন্দী]
- Dadar Kirti [দাদার কীর্তি]
Short stories
- Jatismar [জাতিস্মর] (1933)
- Chuya-Chandan [চুয়া-চন্দন] (1935)
- BishKonya [বিষকন্যা] (1942)
- Sada Prithibi [সাদা পৃথিবী] (1948)
- Emon Dine [এমন দিনে] (1963)
- ShankhaKankan [শঙ্খকঙ্কণ] (1963)
- Kortar Kirti [কর্তার কীর্তি]
- Timingil [তিমিঙ্গিল]
- Protidwondee [প্রতিদ্বন্দী]
- Adim Nrityo [আদিম নৃত্য]
- Kutub Shirshe [কুতুব শীর্ষে]
- Vendeta [ভেনডেটা]
- Mone Mone [মনে মনে]
- Jhi [ঝি]
- Toothbrush [টুথব্রাশ]
- Arob Sagorer Rosikota [আরব সাগরের রসিকতা]
- Premik [প্রেমিক]
- Roopkotha [রূপকথা]
- GronthiRohosyo [গ্রন্থিরহস্য]
- Bhutor Chondrobindu [ভূতোর চন্দ্রবিন্দু]
- SondehoJonok Byapar [সন্দেহজনক ব্যাপার]
- Sekalini [সেকালিনী]
- Asomapto [অসমাপ্ত]
- Mukhos [মুখোস]
- Poriksha [পরীক্ষা]
- Vokti Vajon [ভক্তি ভোজন]
- Bohu Bighnani [বহু বিঘ্নানি]
Collected works
- Sharadindu Omnibus [শরদিন্দু অমনিবাস] (in 12 volumes) (edited by Pratul Chandra Gupta, Bandyopadhyay’s friend and published by the Ananda Publishers, Kolkata).
(See also Byomkesh Bakshi for individual stories featuring this detective)
Filmography
As screenplay writer:
- Durga [দুর্গা] (1939)
- Kangan (1939)
- Navjeevan (1939)
- Azad (1940)
Films based on Sharadindu's writings
Bengali
- Chiriyakhana [চিড়িয়াখানা] —Directed by Satyajit Ray is based on one of the most intricate detective novels ever written in Bengali. It features supersleuth Byomkesh Bakshi
- Shajarur Kanta (1974) directed by actress-turned-director Manju Dey and produced by Star Productions was the second film of the Bakshi series. Satindra Bhattacharya replaced Uttam Kumar as Bakshi while Shailen Mukherjee reprised his role as Ajit.
- Jhinder Bondi [ঝিন্দের বন্দী] —Directed by Tapan Sinha is based on a recreation of Prisoner of Zenda written by Anthony Hope. This novel is categorized as one of Sharadindu's romantic novels.
- Dadar Kirti [দাদার কীর্তি] —Directed by Tarun Majumdar. This full-length feature is based on a short-story of the same name.
- Meghmukti [মেঘমুক্তি] —Directed by Tarun Majumdar. This full-length feature is based on a short-story of named Kortar Kirti.
- Mogno Mainak [মগ্ন মৈনাক] —Directed by Swapan Ghoshal who also directed the two Bengali TV series on the sleuth. The film is featuring several TV actors. TV actor Shuvrajit Dutta is playing Bakshi.
- Byomkesh Bakshi [ব্যোমকেশ বক্সী] —Directed by Anjan Dutt. This movie is based on the story Adim Ripu [আদিম রিপু]. Abir Chatterjee plays Byomkesh Bakshi while Saswata Chatterjee plays Ajit. Swastika Mukherjee plays Shiuli the bar dancer and Chandan Sen plays arms dealer Batul. Dutta plans to make a trilogy.
- Abar Byomkesh [আবার ব্যোমকেশ] —Directed by Anjan Dutt. This movie is based on the story Chitrachor [চিত্রচোর ]. This series is expected to be followed by Kohen Kobi Kalidas .
- Rajadrohee- starring Uttam Kumar and Anjana Bhowmik in lead roles.
- " Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy" (যেখানে ভুতের ভয়), a film directed by Sandip Ray, is based on three separate stories, the last one being Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's 'Bhoot Bhabishyat'(ভুত-ভবিষ্যৎ), starring Saswata Chatterjee and Paran Banerjee in lead roles.
- "Satyanweshi" (সত্যান্বেষী), the last film directed by Rituparno Ghosh and released in 2013, is based on the story "Chorabali" [চোরাবালি, Quick sand]. Sujoy Ghosh played the role of Byomkesh, with Anindya Chattopadhyay as Ajit.
Hindi
- Trishagni (1988) is an award-winning film directed by Nabendu Ghosh, based on Sharadindu's historical short story Moru O Sangho.[1]
- Detective Byomkesh Bakshi! (forthcoming) directed by Dibakar Banerjee. The lead role is played by Sushant and the film is set in 1942.[2]
Awards
Bandyopadhyay was awarded the Rabindra Puraskar in 1967 for the novel Tungabhadrar Tirey. The Calcutta University honoured him with the Sarat Smriti Purashkar in 1967.
See also
References
- Roy, Pinaki. The Manichean Investigators: A Postcolonial and Cultural Rereading of the Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh Bakshi Stories. New Delhi: Sarup Book Publishers, 2008. ISBN 978-81-7625-849-4.
- 2. http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-rituparno-ghoshs-swan-song-satyanweshi-team-attends-premiere/20130906.htm
External links
- Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay at the Internet Movie Database
- 2 short stories
- An English translation of some of the stories
- Another Book