240:'s tragic hero of the Bengali classic was adapted in Indian films, but Barua's portrayal of Devdas was so lively that the made the tragic hero a legend. He directed both the Bengali and Hindi versions and played the lead role in the Bengali version. It has been said that Pramathesh Barua's lifestyle made it possible for him to act the role of Devdas so convincingly. Devdas was released in 1935 and it was an instant commercial success. Cine scholars have said that it was the first successful social film in India and it changed the entire outlook of Indian social pictures. Devdas was also admired by cine scholars for the appropriate use of 'flashback', 'closeup', 'montage', 'wipe','dissolve', and 'fade-in and fade-out'. Devdas is also considered a landmark in the world cinema for the introduction of the technique of 'intercut telepathy shot'.
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of Indian cinema as it was the first Indian film that was shot under artificial lights. Prior to that Indian films were shot with the help of reflected sunrays. While using artificial lights, he also made necessary changes in the makeup process to suit the lighting. This experimentation led to a wastage of 50,000 feet of 'picture negative' and another 1,000 feet of 'picture negative' was wasted with experimentation of make-up of artists. Apradhi thus brought radical changes to the technical environment for
Directors in Indian cinema.
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social criticism reached such an extent that the film advocated class struggle. The use of symbolism was highly admired. Pramathesh Barua also made a brave attempt by trying to blend Indian classical music with a
Western symphony. Encouraged by him, Timirbaran performed the blending successfully which was thought to be nearly impossible.
247:
was first used successfully in the film. Pankaj Mallik also composed the music for one of the poems of
Rabindranath Tagore, 'Diner Sheshe ghumer Deshe'. Another important aspect of this film was that a major part of the film was shot outdoors. It took almost two decades after this film that realistic
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In 1932, when the talkie era came he made his first talkie named Bengal-1983. Released by
Rabindranath Tagore, it was a brave attempt by him due to the subject matter. It was shot in 8 days, which showed the tenacity and single-mindedness of Pramathesh Barua. The film was a disaster which left Barua
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He returned to
Calcutta after purchasing lighting equipment and set up Barua Film Unit and Barua Studio in his own residence in Calcutta. He then made the first film Apradhi (1931) where he was the main lead role and it was directed by Debaki Kr. Bose. Apradhi is a very important film in the history
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Around this time, an actress of the silent era named Irish Gasper (Screen Name: Sabita Devi) urged
Pramathesh Barua to go independent and build his own studio. Pramathesh Barua wanted to go to Europe and get a practical knowledge of the art and craft of film-making. In 1930, his father Raja Prabhat
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In most of his previous films, Pramathesh Barua had a tragic hero. But, in 1939, he made a movie Rajat
Jayanti that made people burst out with laughter. This film is considered to be the first Indian comedy talkie. In the same year, he made Adhikaar which ushered new thoughts in Indian cinema. His
232:
In 1933, he was invited by BN Sarkar to join New
Theatres and this led him to the zenith of his career as a film-maker. He excelled in all technical aspects of film-making – direction, acting, script writing, photograph composition, editing or any other necessary skills. He now directed Rooplekha,
169:. One of his wives, either Madhuri Lata or Amalabala, and singer Meena Kapoor's mother were sisters. In other words, one of his wives was Meena Kapoor's aunt. After his graduation, he travelled to Europe, where he received his first exposure to films. After returning, he served for a time in the
255:
In 1940, Pramathesh Barua made
Shapmukti for Krishna Movietone. Shapmukti greatly appealed to viewers tremendously for its highly tragic scenes. The film ended with 3 death sequences which Barua depicted with 'cut-shot' technique. Noted French film critic
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In 1932, he produced films like Nisher Dak and Ekada. The story of Ekada was written by him and it was directed by Sushit
Mazumder. He played a villain in the film Bhagyalakshmi which was directed by Kali Prasad Ghosh for Indian Cinema Arts.
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the first talkie of New Theatres, and also played the lead role opposite Umashashi. Released in 1934, Rooplekha introduced another new technique. For the first time in Indian cinema, flashback was used for storytelling.
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Mukti was another bold film made by Pramathesh Barua. Mukti was the modern version of Devdas depicting the nostalgia of a man. The film was shot in the backdrop of the scenic beauty of Assam.
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as the leading man. The Hindi version became a craze all throughout India; it cemented Barua as a top-notch director and Saigal as the top-notch hero of Indian films. The
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His film Uttrayan which was released in 1941 was also a path-breaking film in its own right. Prior to this film, stories of Indian films would start after the credits.
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Chandra Barua sent Pramathesh to England for the removal of a kidney stone. After the successful operation, he went to Paris with a letter of introduction from
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in 1924. At age 18, while still studying in college, he got married. It was arranged by the family. He had two more marriages. His third wife was film actress
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highly admired Pramathesh Barua for his brilliant use of 'cut-shot' technique which was also a pioneering effort in the early days of Indian cinema.
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129:(24 October 1903 – 29 November 1951) was an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter of Indian films in the pre-independence era, born in
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Pramathesh Barua's stepping into the world of films was accidental. He was introduced to Dhirendranath Ganguly during his stay in
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and met M Rogers. He received thorough training in cinematography in Paris. He learned a lot about lighting in studios at the
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739:"Presidency University bicentenary celebrations: Independent thinking in varsities under threat, says Manmohan Singh"
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Ltd. In 1929, he appeared for the first time on the silver screen in a film named Panchashar which was directed by
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who later became a noted film director in his own right, started his film career with Barua at New Theatres.
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Barua left New Theatres in 1939 and freelanced thereafter. However, of his post-New Theatres films, only
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304:) was Barua's last of three language versions. Barua followed up Devdas with
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1024:"Devdas Comes Home: India Acquires Bengali Version of PC Barua's 1935 Film"
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1071:"Pramathesh Chandra Barua was the original Devdas, on and off the screen"
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767:"Remembering playback singer Meena Kapoor on her 1st death anniversary"
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and later began a career in films, much to the chagrin of his father.
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Pramathesh-Barua then came to Devdas. It was not the first time that
337:, who would later become an accomplished director in his own right.
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193:. Pramathesh Barua started his film career in 1926 as a member of
217:. He also observed the production of Elstree Studios in London.
998:"Barua: Bangla to gift India print of Barua's Bengali 'Devdas'"
281:
280:, with Barua himself in the title role; he then remade it in
201:. He also acted in Takay Ki Na Hay, another film directed by
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1230:"Pramathesh Chandra Barua-The First Star in Bengali Cinema"
153:, where he was born and spent his childhood. He studied at
976:"Pramathesh Barua: A Forgotten Hero of Indian Cinema -"
151:
Gauripur (belongs to Gauripur Rajvanch), Dhubri,Assam
16:
Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (1903–1951)
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248:filmmakers were more interested to shoot outdoors.
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597:Roop Lekha (1934) .... Arup in the Bengali version
348:(1942) stood out. He planned an Indian version of
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1236:P.C. Barua at cinema section of Calcuttaweb.com
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161:and then Bachelor of Science graduated from
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326:(which reunited him with Saigal) in 1940.
31:
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713:"Indian Cinema : The Platinum Touch"
149:Barua was the son of the royal family of
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229:with no choice but wind up his company.
1228:Chatterji, Shoma A. (15 October 2009).
686:"Calcuttaweb Cinema – Pramathesh Barua"
1243:
921:Pallab Bhattacharya (21 August 2015).
1266:Presidency University, Kolkata alumni
780:Shoma A. Chatterji (1 January 2008).
688:. www.calcuttaweb.com. Archived from
715:. www.bfjaawards.com. Archived from
276:in 1935. The film was first made in
266:Although, Barua's breakthrough with
1217:Pramathesh Barua profile, (Bengali)
871:"Past perfect and promising future"
333:Barua's films were photographed by
13:
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782:"The Maxing Of A Creative Artist"
652:Ekada (1932) (screenplay) (story)
842:Anit Mukerjea (1 January 2017).
788:. SCB Distributors. p. 43.
1291:20th-century Indian male actors
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817:"Immortal visions on celluloid"
567:Rajat Jayanti (1939) .... Rajat
1296:Indian male silent film actors
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588:Devdas (Hindi) (1935)....Mohan
408:Roop Lekha/Mohabbat Ki Kasauti
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1281:Male actors in Bengali cinema
1276:University of Calcutta alumni
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622:Rajat Jayanti (1939) (writer)
576:Mukti (1937/II) .... Prasanta
570:Adhikar (1938) .... Nikhilesh
564:Adhikar (1939) .... Nikhilesh
561:Shap Mukti (1940) .... Ramesh
558:Mayer Pran (1941) .... Satish
144:
923:"A grand cinematic exchange"
844:"Recalling an era of screen"
163:Presidency College, Calcutta
7:
1316:Film directors from Kolkata
1311:Cinematographers from Assam
1271:People from Dhubri district
1126:"Radiating with brilliance"
1002:Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
573:Mukti (1937/I) .... Prasant
555:Uttarayan (1941) .... Salil
552:Sesh Uttar (1942).... Manoj
395:
10:
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1301:20th-century Indian people
1096:"The Assam Tribune Online"
1050:"Obituary: Phani Majumdar"
579:Grihadah (1936) .... Mahim
171:Assam Legislative Assembly
1306:Film directors from Assam
1286:People from British India
1157:Chatterji, Shoma (2008).
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631:Mukti (1937/II) (writer)
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238:Sarat Chandra Chatterjee
177:but ultimately moved to
127:Pramathesh Chandra Barua
1201:Pramathes Chandra Barua
643:Maya (1936/II) (writer)
628:Mukti (1937/I) (writer)
625:Adhikar (1938) (writer)
619:Adhikar (1939) (writer)
57:Pramatesh Chandra Barua
1161:. Delhi: Wisdom Tree.
640:Maya (1936/I) (writer)
609:Takay Ki Na Hay (1931)
537:Chander Kalanka (1944)
518:Iran Ki Ek Raat (1949)
503:Chander Kalanka (1944)
390:
389:'s 1936 Hindi version.
195:British Dominion Films
948:"Notes from the Past"
371:
37:Pramathesh Barua and
1222:7 March 2016 at the
711:Bhanja, Manujendra.
692:on 24 September 2008
464:Rajat Jayanti (1939)
351:The Way of All Flesh
769:. 22 November 2018.
606:Charitraheen (1931)
211:Rabindranath Tagore
1261:Hare School alumni
953:The Indian Express
744:The Indian Express
647:Devdas (1935 film)
635:Devdas (1936 film)
600:Bengal 1983 (1932)
594:(1935) .... Devdas
534:Subah Shyam (1944)
506:Subah Shyam (1944)
494:Shesh Uttar (1942)
391:
1168:978-81-8328-104-1
1075:Thereel.scroll.in
1069:Shoma Chatterji.
978:. 20 January 2016
875:Millenniumpost.in
795:978-81-8328-226-0
747:. 21 January 2017
585:(1936) .... Mahim
549:(1942) .... Manoj
531:Maya kanan (1953)
521:Maya Kanan (1953)
482:Mayer Pran (1941)
479:Shap Mukti (1940)
369:
284:as the 1936 film
199:Debaki Kumar Bose
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73:, Dhubri, Assam,
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877:. 11 May 2017
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1151:Bibliography
1136:. Retrieved
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1108:. Retrieved
1104:the original
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1078:. Retrieved
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1032:. Retrieved
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897:"The Island"
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879:. Retrieved
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853:. Retrieved
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825:. Retrieved
821:the original
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799:. Retrieved
785:
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749:. Retrieved
742:
733:
721:. Retrieved
717:the original
706:
694:. Retrieved
690:the original
680:
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377:Jamuna Barua
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268:New Theatres
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175:Swaraj Party
167:Jamuna Barua
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113:Jamuna Barua
87:(1951-11-29)
42:
39:Jamuna Barua
18:
1256:1951 deaths
1251:1903 births
1208: [
1159:P. C. Barua
801:4 September
402:Bengal 1983
373:K.L. Saigal
358:Filmography
342:Shesh Uttar
292:K.L. Saigal
155:Hare School
97:West Bengal
1245:Categories
1192:P.C. Barua
786:P.C. Barua
723:23 October
696:23 October
672:References
387:P.C. Barua
270:came with
215:Fox Studio
145:Early life
118:Amalabala
63:1903-10-24
1205:Sapere.it
1131:The Hindu
901:Island.lk
455:(1937/II)
422:(1936/II)
335:Bimal Roy
318:in 1938,
314:in 1937,
310:in 1936,
108:Spouse(s)
1220:Archived
1196:AllMovie
649:(writer)
637:(writer)
435:Grihadah
396:Director
302:Assamese
179:Calcutta
159:Calcutta
131:Gauripur
93:Calcutta
71:Gauripur
1138:15 June
1110:15 June
1080:15 June
1034:15 June
1008:15 June
982:17 July
960:15 June
932:15 June
906:15 June
881:15 June
855:15 June
827:15 June
751:15 June
664:Zindagi
513:Pehchan
474:Zindagi
468:Adhikar
324:Zindagi
316:Adhikar
290:, with
278:Bengali
1165:
792:
667:(1940)
614:Writer
592:Devdas
583:Manzil
543:(1943)
515:(1946)
500:(1943)
491:(1942)
476:(1940)
470:(1939)
449:(1937)
447:Devdas
443:(1936)
441:Devdas
437:(1936)
431:(1936)
429:Manzil
416:(1935)
414:Devdas
410:(1934)
404:(1932)
382:Devdas
307:Manzil
297:Devdas
287:Devdas
273:Devdas
185:Career
135:Dhubri
47:(1935)
44:Devdas
1212:]
547:Jawab
526:Actor
489:Jawab
453:Mukti
346:Jawab
312:Mukti
282:Hindi
139:Assam
101:India
1187:IMDb
1163:ISBN
1140:2017
1112:2017
1082:2017
1036:2017
1010:2017
984:2024
962:2017
934:2017
908:2017
883:2017
857:2017
829:2017
803:2015
790:ISBN
753:2017
725:2008
698:2008
541:Rani
498:Rani
420:Maya
375:and
82:Died
53:Born
1203:at
1194:at
1185:at
379:in
41:in
1247::
1210:it
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137:,
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