Actors from Bollywood and Bengali cinema took to social media on Thursday to mourn the death of legendary filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta and recall their experiences of being directed by him.
Sharing a throwback black and white photograph with the late filmmaker from one of his shoots, Bollywood veteran Deepti Naval posted on Facebook: “Very saddened to hear about the sudden demise of our dear dear Buddhadev Dasgupta – one of the finest directors of Bengali cinema. I had the good fortune of working with him in a Hindi film called ‘Andhi Gali’ and since have had a huge regard for Buddhadeb Dasgupta not only as a fine director but also as an extremely sensitive poet and a wonderful, gentle human being. My deepest condolences to Buddha Da’s family – I pray that his soul rest in peace.”
Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee tweeted in Bangla: “One by one as if everybody is getting lost somewhere. Buddhadeb Dasgupta was a renowned name not only of Indian cinema but world cinema. I have been fortunate enough to work with him in two of his films and while accompanying him to various film festivals, I learnt how much his cinema is valued at the international level. I feel proud for being a Bengali. Buddhadeb Dasgupta was a great human being also. May you rest in peace. You will continue to survive through your works.”
Rituparna Sengupta posted on Facebook: “Really sad to know that the doyne of Indian cinema has left for a heavenly abode…such a devastating time for all of us… I grew up seeing his films like Grihojuddho voraciously watching the iconic performances by Mamata Sankar, Anjan Dutta and Gautam Ghose…. that time I was not even a teenager but my uncle who is a doctor gave me insights about this huge filmmaker Buddhadeb who was all set to make a difference in the society…
“I personally was privileged to play the pivotal role in Mondo Meyer Upakhyyan which made me evolve as an actor and threw light on huge perspectives an actor should be knowing in this craft…He was a perfectionist and exactly demanded the best out of his actors…Mondo Meyer Upakkhan was a tough call for me and I was completely drained and exhausted after I did that role envisioned by the director of international repute ….it was the initial start of my career and playing and handling a sheer heavyweight of a prostitute and a mother kept me sleepless nights in a row…just thinking how to get my act right,” she added.
“…He was a taskmaster and his cinema spoke volumes of his genius and craftsmanship… He was a torchbearer of his generation and many more to come. He had this fondness for the magic light which only had a very short life during the dusk and the dawn … Buddhadeb Dasgupta appreciated my films later too and always told me he would love to work with me again … My most favorite films of Buddhadeb Dasgupta are …Bagh Bahadur Grihojuddho, Uttara, Tahader Katha, Charachar…An era is gone with him… Rest In Peace,” she further wrote.
Actor Rahul Bose shared in an Instagram post: “This is a tribute to #BuddhadevDasgupta who passed away today. Mithunda and I made ‘Kaalpurush’ with him – one of my most satisfying films (and performances) of my career. Buddhadeb was part poet, part filmmaker. You could see that in the way he approached cinema, in the stories he wrote, the way his movies were photographed, his use of sound.
“Working on ‘Kaalpurush’ was challenging, engrossing. It was a delicate film with tenderness and depth running through it like two best friends. It took time for me to understand Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s style of direction. But once we understood each other the relationship flowed with ease. Sensitive, emotionally acute, with an impish sense of humour, we gradually got to know the other better,” he recalled.
“But more than the filming of ‘Kaalpurush’ what I will miss more is evenings spent with him during shooting, at film festivals – in Kolkata, Bombay, Berlin, Toronto. Eating, drinking, walking new streets, talking, sharing ideas and always laughing, his sense of humour always ready to bubble out in a conversation. It’s a cliche when people pass away that we say – ‘he / she / they will be missed’. But for those who truly love cinema these words will never be truer than now. My thoughts and wishes go out to his family and loved ones,” the actor concluded.
Bengali film actress Sudipta Chakraborty shared in an Facebook post: “Poet and Filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta is no more!! In the post Ray-Ghatak era, he was one of the most celebrated, sought after, respected, treasured and valued Indian (and Bengali) Filmmaker in the International Diaspora.”
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in two of his films… #MondoMeyerUpakhyan and #Kalpurush. It is indeed an irreparable loss for Indian and Bengali film industry and World Cinema at large, of course. We knew that he’s been suffering from health issues since long but we all were hoping that he would fight back, will come back to the shooting floor again and gift us another masterpiece soon… But…. that never happened!! May your soul rest in peace Buddha da. My heartfelt condolences to Buddhadeb’s family and friends,” she added.
Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal posted on Instagram: “Sorry I am at a loss of words and have not been able to talk to anyone – apologies to my friends in Press. I grew up watching his films in Delhi when I was a kid at various film festivals and on Doordarshan. These films included Bagh Bahadur, Uttara, Tahader Kotha and many others. Mithun Chakraborty in Tahader Kotha was beyond extraordinary and the film and his performance won National Awards. Before I became an actor, I was a filmmaker’s fan.
“For a regular Bengali, Buddhadeb was the god of cinema and he leaves behind a great legacy of films. He was in a league of his own. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that at some point in my career, I would actually get to work with him and fortunately or unfortunately I would get to star in his last works and he wanted to make another one with me,” Chandan expressed.
“He (Buddhadeb) first called me for Tope when I was in Venice Film Festival, he asked me just one thing, Will you be comfortable acting with monkeys?! That was the genius to me. And i was atop a tree for 2 weeks acting with monkeys. He was a poet and he had a certain way of explaining a scene. He was a tough director and a man of perfection. He shot his films like he was a poet. When I did his film Urojahaj, I was with him for a month and a half. He directed the film on a wheelchair. His kidneys were failing and he was on dialysis. Yet, he made it to the shoot every day and completed the film. I found it amazing. What a will power!” the actor added.
“He (Buddhadeb Dasgupta) meant to make yet another film with me, which never happened. The greatest trophy for me is that after we finished shooting Urojahaj he told me, Chandan, you deserve an award for this and you have outperformed my expectations which was rare in his dictionary. I bid him farewell. I think he shaped me as an artist and deflected me to another orbit. I will miss you Buddhada. In debt for the art you taught me over the last 4 years. Farewell sir! Yours Truly Goja (in Tope) Bachchu (in Urojahaj) #auteur,” Chandan concluded.
