The father of Bengali cinema is Dhirendranath Ganguly, popularly known as DG, who holds the distinction of being the producer of the first Bengali silent film, Bilat Ferat (1921). Besides, he has the prestige of establishing not 1 but 3 production houses, viz., Indo-British Film Company, British Dominion Films, and Lotus Film Company.
Dhirendranath Ganguly took education at Shantiniketan under the guidance of Rabindranath Tagore. His passion for arts and dramatics developed his interest in photography, which ultimately resulted in Ganguly setting up the first Bengali production house, called the Indo-British Film Company, in 1918. The ‘first’ film made in Bengali was Bilat Ferat, aka The England Returned.
Ganguly’s Groundbreaking Contributions
Unlike filmmakers like Dadasaheb Phalke and Dadasaheb Torne, who primarily made mythological films, Dhirendranath Ganguly brought sophistication to Indian cinema and made films that took on social subjects and were contemporary. His first film, Bilat Ferat, for instance, was a political satire ridiculing the foreign-educated Indians who, after acquiring degrees from European countries, adopted the English lifestyle in India. It was a hilarious film with a strong message. The film was a huge success.
His films touched the society and took on burning issues of dowry, the atrocity of the landlords, and farmers’ issues, and above all, spoke against the British Raj! His movies were a shift from the domain of religion and mythology, adventure, and fantasy.
Ganguly is the first filmmaker who introduced the art of ‘facial expression’ in cinema, an art that he learned from Hollywood cinema and taught his artists to portray in his films. To make his artists understand the kind of expression he wanted on the screen, Ganguly would draw the expression on a piece of paper and instruct his artist to deliver the same expression.
The Birth of Bengali Cinema: A Legacy
The other bigger contribution of Ganguly was inventing the art of makeup in cinema. A master of makeup, he would craft looks so fabulous that recognizing the artist became a challenge. Meticulous about minute details and every nuance, his work was unparalleled. No shot was taken until he was satisfied with every detail, showcasing his perfectionism
Ganguly was a multi-faceted artist; besides being a director/producer, he was an artist, dialogue writer, screenwriter, and makeup artist. He ruled for 30 years in Bengali cinema and made 49 films; most of his films were based on the freedom of Indian independence. Readers would be surprised to know that Ganguly cajoled Indian freedom fighter Debaki Kumar Bose to join cinema, as films are a better medium to reach a wider audience.
The government of India bestowed upon him the Padma Bhushan, India’s highest civilian award, in 1974 and the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his enormous contribution to Indian cinema in 1975.
“Dhirendranath Ganguly made some memorable films, including Yashoda Nandan (1922), Hara Gouri (1922), Indrajeet (1922), Bimata (1923), Chintamani (1923), The Marriage Tonic (1923), Sati Simantini (1923), Vijay And Basanta (1923), Yayati (1923), Abhisarika (1938), Path Bhule (1940), Karmakhali (1940), Ahuti (1941), Daabi (1943), Srinkhal (1947), Shesh Nibedan (1948), and Cartoon (1949).”
Dhirendranath Ganguly died on 18 November 1978 in Kolkata.
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