Pramathesh Barua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pramathesh Barua
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Pramathesh Barua and Jamuna Barua in Devdas (1935)
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| Born |
Pramatesh Chandra Barua
24 October 1903 Gauripur, Dhubri, Assam, British India
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| Died | 29 November 1951 (aged 48) |
| Spouse(s) |
Jamuna Barua
Madhuri Lata |
Pramathesh Chandra Barua (born October 24, 1903 – died November 29, 1951) was a very important Indian actor, director, and writer. He made films before India became independent. He was born in Gauripur, Dhubri, Assam.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Pramathesh Barua grew up in Gauripur, Assam. His family was part of the royal family there. He went to Hare School in Calcutta and later studied at Presidency College, Calcutta. He earned a science degree in 1924.
When he was 18, he got married. This marriage was arranged by his family. He later married two more times. One of his wives was the film actress Jamuna Barua.
After college, he traveled to Europe. This trip was his first time seeing how films were made. When he came back, he worked for a short time in the Assam Legislative Assembly. He also joined a political group called the Swaraj Party. But soon, he moved to Calcutta and started working in films. His father was not very happy about this choice.
Filmmaking Career
Pramathesh Barua's journey into films happened by chance. He met Dhirendranath Ganguly while staying in Shantiniketan. Pramathesh Barua began his film career in 1926. He joined a company called British Dominion Films Ltd.
In 1929, he first appeared on screen in a film called Panchashar. This movie was directed by Debaki Kumar Bose. He also acted in Takay Ki Na Hay, directed by Dhiren Ganguly.
Learning Film Techniques Abroad
Around this time, an actress named Irish Gasper (also known as Sabita Devi) encouraged him. She told him to start his own film studio. Pramathesh Barua wanted to learn more about filmmaking. So, in 1930, his father sent him to England for a medical procedure.
After his recovery, he went to Paris. There, he met M Rogers with a letter from Rabindranath Tagore. He learned a lot about cinematography in Paris. He also studied lighting at the Fox Studio. He even watched how films were made at Elstree Studios in London.
Innovations in Indian Cinema
When he returned to Calcutta, he bought special lighting equipment. He set up his own film company, Barua Film Unit, and Barua Studio. His first film was Apradhi (1931). He played the main role, and Debaki Kr. Bose directed it.
Apradhi was a very important film for Indian cinema. It was the first Indian movie ever shot using artificial lights. Before this, Indian films used sunlight reflected with mirrors. Using artificial lights meant he also had to change how actors did their makeup. This new way of working helped change filmmaking in India.
In 1932, he made films like Nisher Dak and Ekada. He wrote the story for Ekada, which was directed by Sushit Mazumder. He also played a villain in Bhagyalakshmi.
Entering the Talkie Era
The "talkie" era, when films had sound, began in 1932. Pramathesh Barua made his first talkie called Bengal-1983. Rabindranath Tagore himself released this film. It was a brave movie because of its topic. The film was made very quickly, in just 8 days. However, Bengal-1983 was not successful. This led Barua to close his company.
Success with New Theatres
In 1933, BN Sarkar invited him to join New Theatres. This was a big turning point for his career. He became excellent in all parts of filmmaking. This included directing, acting, writing scripts, and editing.
He directed Rooplekha, which was the first talkie from New Theatres. He also played the main role in it. Rooplekha was released in 1934. It introduced a new technique to Indian cinema: using flashback for storytelling for the first time.
The Iconic Devdas
Pramathesh Barua then made Devdas. This was not the first time the famous story by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee was made into a film. But Barua's version of Devdas was so real and powerful. It made the sad hero a legend.
He directed both the Bengali and Hindi versions of Devdas. He also played the main role in the Bengali version. Devdas was released in 1935 and was a huge success. Many film experts say it was the first successful social film in India. It changed how Indian social movies were made.
Devdas was also praised for its use of film techniques. These included flashback, closeup, montage, wipe, dissolve, and fade-in and fade-out. It is even considered important in world cinema for introducing the intercut telepathy shot.
Other Notable Films
Mukti was another bold film by Pramathesh Barua. It showed a man's feelings of longing. The film was shot in the beautiful natural settings of Assam. It was also the first film to successfully use Rabindra Sangeet (songs by Rabindranath Tagore). A large part of Mukti was filmed outdoors. This was unusual for the time.
Most of his earlier films had sad heroes. But in 1939, he made Rajat Jayanti, a comedy that made people laugh a lot. This film is thought to be the first Indian comedy talkie. In the same year, he made Adhikaar. This film brought new ideas to Indian cinema. It talked about social problems and class differences. The film also tried to mix Indian classical music with Western symphony music.
In 1940, Pramathesh Barua made Shapmukti. This film was very popular for its sad scenes. It ended with three death scenes, which Barua showed using a "cut-shot" technique. A famous French film critic, Georges Sadoul, admired Barua for his great use of this technique. This was a new and important effort in early Indian cinema.
His film Uttrayan, released in 1941, was also groundbreaking. Before this film, Indian movie stories would only start after the opening credits. But in Uttrayan, the story began before the credits.
Barua's big success with New Theatres came with Devdas in 1935. He made the film first in Bengali, playing the main role himself. Then he remade it in Hindi as the 1936 film Devdas, with K.L. Saigal as the lead actor. The Hindi version became very popular across India. It made Barua a top director and Saigal a top hero. The Devdas (Assamese) was Barua's last of the three language versions.
After Devdas, Barua made Manzil in 1936, Mukti in 1937, Adhikar in 1938, Rajat Jayanti in 1939, and Zindagi (which reunited him with Saigal) in 1940. Phani Majumdar, who later became a famous film director, started his career with Barua at New Theatres.
Many of Barua's films were filmed by Bimal Roy. Bimal Roy later became a very successful director himself.
Barua left New Theatres in 1939 and worked independently after that. However, among his films after New Theatres, only Shesh Uttar/Jawab (1942) stood out. He had plans for an Indian version of The Way of All Flesh, but it was never made.
Filmography
Director
- Bengal 1983 (1932)
- Roop Lekha/Mohabbat Ki Kasauti (1934)
- Devdas (1935)
- Maya (1936/II)
- Maya (1936/I)
- Manzil (1936)
- Grihadah (1936)
- Devdas (1936)
- Devdas (1937)
- Mukti (1937/II)
- Mukti (1937/I)
- Adhikar (1938)
- Rajat Jayanti (1939)
- Adhikar (1939)
- Zindagi (1940)
- Shap Mukti (1940)
- Mayer Pran (1941)
- Uttarayan (1941)
- Jawab (1942)
- Shesh Uttar (1942)
- Rani (1943)
- Chander Kalanka (1944)
- Subah Shyam (1944)
- Ameeree (1945)
- Pehchan (1946)
- Iran Ki Ek Raat (1949)
- Maya Kanan (1953)
Actor
- Maya kanan (1953)
- Subah Shyam (1944)
- Chander Kalanka (1944)
- Rani (1943)
- Jawab (1942) .... Manoj
- Sesh Uttar (1942).... Manoj
- Uttarayan (1941) .... Salil
- Mayer Pran (1941) .... Satish
- Shap Mukti (1940) .... Ramesh
- Adhikar (1939) .... Nikhilesh
- Rajat Jayanti (1939) .... Rajat
- Adhikar (1938) .... Nikhilesh
- Mukti (1937/I) .... Prasant
- Mukti (1937/II) .... Prasanta
- Grihadah (1936) .... Mahim
- Manzil (1936) .... Mahim
- Devdas (Hindi) (1935)....Mohan
- Devdas (1935) .... Devdas
- Roop Lekha (1934) .... Arup in the Bengali version
- Bengal 1983 (1932)
- Aparadhi (1931)
- Charitraheen (1931)
- Takay Ki Na Hay (1931)
Writer
- Adhikar (1939) (writer)
- Rajat Jayanti (1939) (writer)
- Adhikar (1938) (writer)
- Mukti (1937/I) (writer)
- Mukti (1937/II) (writer)
- Devdas (1936 film) (writer)
- Maya (1936/I) (writer)
- Maya (1936/II) (writer)
- Devdas (1935 film) (writer)
- Ekada (1932) (screenplay) (story)
Cinematographer
- Zindagi (1940)
