Revisiting some iconic performances by Utpal Dutt on his 92nd birth anniversary
Mar 29, 2021
New Delhi [India], March 29 : Late Indian actor, director, and playwright Utpal Dutt was widely known as an elite personality whose mere presence could single-handedly brighten up the scenes. Be it using wit, humour, or grump, he was a true master of art whose versatility amazed the viewers.
One of the tallest theatre personalities in India, Dutt was conscious and revolutionary in his expression of art, who in a career spanning over four decades amazed the audience with the way he played all his characters with effortless finesse.
His ability to mold himself into distinct avatars with utmost perfection made Dutt indispensable to filmmakers and helped him in being a part of some iconic creations by legendary directors.
On the occasion of his 92nd birth anniversary, let's revisit some of his defining performances in cinema.
This Hrishikesh Mukherjee's directorial had Dutt portray an eccentric Bhavani Shankar, who is known for his bristling anger and trademark moustache. Without a doubt, it was one of Dutt's most loved performances in Hindi cinema and even got the legendary actor a Filmfare award for Best Comedian.
Directed by Basu Chatterjee, this movie had Dutt take on the role of a harsh middle-aged conservative man dragged into an adventure by his friends, basically a 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' for seniors. The film was quite unlike his other portrayal as he would occasionally choose roles that veered off his strict patriarch typecast.
The thespian made his mark shining with his performance as the shrewd villain in his Feluda film. The character of a corrupt and powerful businessman Maganlal Meghraj was made immortal by Dutt's dexterity. Speaking in broken Bengali he combined manipulation and deviousness. Unlike other villains he was not overtly violent or threatening, in fact, Maganlal was sly and preferred to harm in silence.
In this Amrit Nahata's burning satire on the Emergency, Dutt, who was known for often playing a bumbling fool in films, portrayed a manipulative politician who wants to keep his constituents under his thumb. Unfortunately, this movie couldn't be widely watched by the audience because, during the emergency, the ruling party secretly destroyed multiple prints of the film.
Depicting the role of an aging landlord, Dutt's chemistry with Hrishikesh Mukherjee was quite evident. The actor stole the show with his exemplary comic timing that won him yet another Filmfare Award for Best Comedian.
