The first definitive biography of Soumitra Chatterjee covers the complete arc of Soumitra Chatterjee’s extraordinary life and captures the many facets of his talent as a creative artist and all-round icon of the Bengal cultural sphere. From his work as an actor of international renown and his long partnership with Satyajit Ray to his forays into poetry, editorship and art, Soumitra Chatterjee and His World by Sanghamitra Chakraborty, covers captures the richness and complexity of his journey and explores the turbulent times that shaped him.
With photographs capturing his personal and professional life and interviews with over 75 sources, including Sandip Ray, Shyam Benegal, Goutam Ghosh, Sharmila Tagore, Supriya Pathak, along with a number of film scholars and film directors, this is an essential book for legions of his fans, it introduces his legacy to a pan-India audience and a new generation of film lovers.
ADVANCE PRAISE:
“The hero of my first film was erudite, witty, a great raconteur and a gentleman—and it made me genuinely happy that he and my husband had struck up a wonderful friendship. Often, when Tiger was in Kolkata, they got together over drinks and adda. My husband always looked forward to meeting Soumitra, and I too considered him the best adda companion and would return from our catch-ups heartily entertained—and enriched.
….I had started my career as a precocious teenager and in the past sixty years I have worked with a number of male actors. Soumitra stood out for me with his wit, wisdom and sensitivity. He was so well-read, yet he would never talk down or bore anyone with lectures, he was always engaging and entertaining.
….The legacy of Soumitra is enduring—both at home and globally. I consider myself blessed that I knew him and called him a friend. I am glad you are holding a copy of this book. I believe you will get to know him, and his world, a little better. You will be enriched knowing Soumitra Chatterjee just as I have been.”
– Sharmila Tagore
‘A pioneering biography . . . This deeply researched, highly readable, and at times moving, book explores all of Chatterjee’s life and career in Bengal over more than half a century.’
– Andrew Robinson, author of Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye andand Satyajit Ray: A Vision of Cinema
About The Author:
Sanghamitra Chakraborty
In a career spanning thirty years, Sanghamitra Chakraborty has been the editor of India Today Group magazines Reader’s Digest, Prevention and Women’s Health, and worked at several other leading publications at the start of her career, including the Times of India, Outlook, the Statesman and Sunday, writing on cinema, gender, health and environment, apart from news reporting. She lives and works in New Delhi.
