Birendranath Sircar (also Sarkar; 5 July 1901 – 28 November 1980) was an Indian film producer and the founder of New Theatres Calcutta. He made Bengali-language films that were noted for introducing many film directors who later became famous. He was awarded the

Dada Saheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadc ...

in 1970 and the third highest civilian award in India, the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, in 1972.

Early life

B. N. Sircar was born in Bhagalpur to the then Advocate-General of Bengal, Sir N. N. Sircar. After completing his study at

Hindu School, Kolkata Hindu School is a state government-administered school in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest modern educational institution in Asia (then known as ''Hindu College''). The institution played a key role during Bengal R ...

, he studied Engineering at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and on returning to India he was asked to build a cinema. The project caused him to develop a keen interest in film and he proceeded to build a cinema for the screening of Bengali-language films. Called Chitra, this was opened in Calcutta by Subhas Chandra Bose on 30 December 1930 and was followed by the construction of New Cinema, which showed Hindi films. He then decided to involve himself in making of two silent films.

Career

On 10 February 1931, he founded New Theatres Calcutta. A stickler for quality, Sircar attracted directors such as

P.C. Barua Pramathesh Chandra Barua (24 October 1903 – 29 November 1951) was an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter of Indian films in the pre-independence era, born in Gauripur, Assam, Gauripur, Dhubri district, Dhubri, Assam. Early life Barua wa ...

, Premankor Atharthi, Debaki Bose, Dhiren Ganguly, Bimal Roy and

Phani Majumdar Phani Majumdar was a pioneering Indian film director, who worked in Hindi cinema, most known for his film '' Street Singer'' (1938) starring K.L. Saigal noted for its song, ''Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye'', Meena Kumari classic ''Aarti'' (19 ...

under his wings. Actors such as KL Saigal, Pahadi Sanyal, Amar Mullick, Kanan Devi, Chandrabati Devi, Lila Desai

Leela Desai Leela Desai, aka Lila Desai, was an Indian actress in the 1930s and 1940s. She was the daughter of Umedram Lalbhai Desai and his second wife Satyabala Devi, a musician of the early 1900s. Desai was born in Newark, New Jersey when her parent ...

and Prithviraj Kapoor were on his payroll. Technicians like Mukul Bose (Sound Recordist- Director), Yusuf Moolji (Cameraman), Nitin Bose (Cameraman-Director) and Subodh Mitra (Editor) were well aware of the various technical innovations being introduced in Hollywood and Europe and were able to adapt many of these within the limitations of the New Theatres Studio lot. Music composers and singers such as RC Boral, Timir Baran and Pankaj Mullick too were associated with New Theatres productions. He was the President of the BMPA in the late 1940s

New Theatres

Dena Paona ''Dena Paona'' ( bn, দেনা পাওনা) () is a 1931 Bengali film directed by Premankur Atorthy, starring Amar Mullick, Durgadas Bannerjee, Jahar Ganguly, Nibhanani Devi, and Bhanu Bandopadhyay. Based on a novel by Sarat Chan ...

'', a Bengali talkie, was released in 1931, directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

and produced by New Theatres. The musician Raichand Boral composed the music for this movie. In 1935,

directed and acted in ''

Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidd ...

'', based on

Saratchandra Chatterjee Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, alternatively spelt as Sarat Chandra Chatterjee ( bn, শরৎচন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়; 15 September 1876 or ৩১ শে ভাদ্র ১২৮৩ বঙ্গাব্দ � ...

's novel ''

'', and this film became phenomenally successful. In 1935,

playback singing A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

was first used in India in the Bengali film '' Bhagya Chakra'' by

Nitin Bose Nitin Bose (26 April 1897 – 14 April 1986) was an Indian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter of the nation's film industry. He was born in Calcutta and died in the same city. In the 1930s and early 1940s, he worked with New Theatr ...

. The singers were K C Dey, Parul Ghosh and Suprabha Sarkar. '' Dhoop Chhaon'', Hindi remake of this film, was the first Hindi film to use playback singing.

Kanan Devi Kanan Devi (22 April 1916 – 17 July 1992) was an Indian actress and singer. She was among the early singing stars of Indian cinema, and is credited popularly as the first star of Bengali cinema. Her singing style, usually in rapid tempo, was ...

was the first popular star actress, who appeared in many films produced by New Theatres. Also there was a group of talented actors with New Theatres like

K.L. Saigal Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal's time, but is ...

K. C. Dey Krishna Chandra Dey (24 August 1893 – 28 November 1962), better known as K.C. Dey, was an Indian music director, music composer, musician, singer, actor, and music teacher born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was S.D. Burman's first musical te ...

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...

Chhabi Biswas Chhabi Biswas (''Chabi Biśbās'') (13 July 1900 – 11 June 1962) was an Indian actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's '' Kabuliwala'' and Satyajit Ray's films '' Jalshaghar'' (''The Music Room'', 1958), '' Devi'' ...

Bikash Roy Bikash Roy (16 May 1916 – 16 April 1987) was an Indian actor and filmmaker who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He is well known for his character roles and for his own style of acting in Bengali films from the late 1940s until the mi ...

Pahari Sanyal Pahari Sanyal (22 February 1906 – 10 February 1974) was an Indian actor and singer who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. Sanyal acted in many Bengali films, such as '' Harano Sur'', ''Bhanu Goenda Jahar Assistant'', and ''Shilpi''. ...

Basanta Choudhury Basanta Choudhury (also Chowdhury; 5 May 1928 – 20 June 2000) was an Indian actor in Bengali and Hindi films. He worked with directors Asit Sen, Rajen Tarafdar, Ajay Kar and Bijay Bose, often in leading roles. He is a former Sheriff of Kolk ...

. Top directors like

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

Debaki Bose Debaki Bose (1898–1971), also known as Debaki Kumar Bose, was an Indian director, writer, and actor who is recognized for his contribution in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. He was born on 25 November 1898 in Akalposh, (now East Burdwan), Bu ...

and

worked in New Theatres films. The musicians who worked there include R. C. Boral,

Pankaj Mullick Pankaj Kumar Mullick (10 May 1905 – 19 February 1978) was an Indian music composer, playback singer and actor, who was a pioneer of film music in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema at the advent of playback singing, as well as an early expone ...

and

Timir Baran Timir may refer to: * Timir Biswas (born 1982) Indian singer in Bengali and Hindi * Timir Chanda (born 1978) Indian cricketer * Timir Datta, an Indian-American physicist * Timir Pinegin (1927-2013) Russian-Soviet sailor * Timir mine, Sakha, Ru ...

. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema give by Government of India in 1970, and in 1972 he was awarded the

, by Government of India.

Filmography

Sircar's films include: * ''

'' (Released 30 December 1931) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Natir Puja'' (Released 22 March 1932) * '' Punarjanma'' (Released 2 April 1932) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Mohabbat Ke Ansu'' Urdu, (Released 1932) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Zinda Lash'' Urdu, (Released 1932) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* ''

Chirakumar Sabha ''Chirakumar Sabha'' (English: ''A Conference of Bachelors'') is a 1932 Indian Bengali drama film directed by Premankur Atorthy. The music of the film was composed by R. C. Boral who used Tagore's songs as lyrics. It was one of the first of Ra ...

'' (Released 28 May 1932) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Pallisamaj'' (Released 1 July 1932) – Directed by

Sisir Bhaduri Shishir Kumar Bhaduri or Sisir Kumar Bhaduri (2 October 1889 – 30 June 1959) was an Indian stage actor and theatre founder, who commonly referred to as the pioneer of modern Bengali theatre, where he was an actor, director, playwright and eve ...

* ''

Chandidas Chandidas (born 1408) was a medieval poet of Bengal, or possibly more than one. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the ''bhanita'' of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, ...

'' (Released 24 September 1932) – Directed by

* ''

Kapalkundala ''Kapalkundala'' ( bn, কপালকুণ্ডলা) is a Bengali romance novel by Indian writer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Published in 1866, it is a story of a forest-dwelling girl named Kapalkundala, who fell in love with and married ...

'' (Released 20 May 1933) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Mastuto Bhai (short)'' (Released 20 May 1933) – Directed by

Dhirendranath Gangopadhyay Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (26 March 1893 – 18 November 1978), better known as Dhiren Ganguly or D.G, was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning and Padma Bhushan recipient film entrepreneur/actor/director of Bengali Cinema. He had set up a number of ...

* ''

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

'' (Released 26 October 1933) – Directed by

* ''

Mirabai Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

'' (Released 11 November 1933) – Directed by

* ''

Excuse Me Sir In jurisprudence, an excuse is a defense to criminal charges that is distinct from an exculpation. Justification and excuse are different defenses in a criminal case (See Justification and excuse).Criminal Law Cases and Materials, 7th ed. 20 ...

(short)'' (Released 30 March 1934) – Directed by

* '' Ruplekha'' (Released 14 April 1934) – Directed by

* '' P.Brothers (Cartoon)'' (Released 23 June 1934) – Directed by Raichand Boral * ''

Mahua Mahua Acharya Mahua or Mahuaa may refer to: Botany * '' Madhuca longifolia'' or mahua, a tree in the family Sapotaceae * ''Mahua'' (moss), a genus of mosses in family Hypnaceae Culture and entertainment * Mahua (snack), a Chinese fried dough twi ...

'' (Released 31 August 1934) – Directed by Hiren Bose * ''

'' (Released 30 March 1935) – Directed by

* '' Abaseshe (short)'' (Released 24 August 1935) – Directed by Dineshranjan Das * '' Bhagyachakra'' (Released 3 October 1935) – Directed by

* '' Grihadaha'' (Released 10 October 1936) – Directed by

* '' Mando Ki (short)'' (Released 21 October 1936) – Directed by

Tulsi Lahiri Tulsi Lahiri (7 April 1897 – 22 June 1959) was a Bengali actor, director and play writer. Early life Lahiri was born in 1897 in a zamindar family of Naldanga village, Rangpur of British India. He passed B.A and B.L and started his lawyer caree ...

* ''

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

'' (Released 23 December 1936) – Directed by

* ''

Didi Didi may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Didi" (song), a song by Khaled * Didi, the principal character in ''Didi's Comedy Show'', a German comedy television show * Didi Pickles, mother of Tommy and Dil in the cartoons ''Rugrats'' and ''All ...

'' (Released 3 April 1937) – Directed by

* '' Mukti'' (Released 18 September 1937) – Directed by

* ''

Arghya ( sa, तर्पण, bn, তর্পণ, kn, ತರ್ಪಣ, ta, தர்ப்பணம்) is a term in the Vedic practice that refers to an offering made to divine entities. It refers to the act of offering as well as the substance us ...

(short)'' (Released 25 September 1937) * '' Bidyapati'' (Released 2 April 1938) – Directed by

* '' Abhignan'' (Released 11 June 1938) – Directed by Prafulla Ray * '' Desher mati'' (Released 17 August 1938) – Directed by

* '' Achinpriya'' (Released 29 October 1938) – Directed by

* '' Sathi'' (Released 3 December 1938) – Directed by

* '' Adhikar'' (Released 12 January 1939) – Directed by

* '' Baradidi'' (Released 7 April 1939) – Directed by Amar Mullik * '' Sapure'' (Released 27 May 1939) – Directed by

* '' Rajat Jayanti'' (Released 12 August 1939) – Directed by

* '' Jiban Maran'' (Released 14 October 1939) – Directed by

* '' Parajoy'' (Released 22 March 1940) – Directed by Hemchandra Chandra * '' Daktar'' (Released 31 August 1940) – Directed by

* '' Abhinetri'' (Released 30 November 1940) – Directed by Amar Mullik * '' Nartaki'' (Released 18 January 1941) – Directed by

* '' Parichoy'' (Released 25 April 1941) – Directed by

* '' Pratishruti'' (Released 14 August 1941) – Directed by Hemchandra Chandra * '' Shodhbodh'' (Released 28 March 1942) – Directed by Soumen Mukhopadhyay * ''

Minakshi Meenakshi (Sanskrit: ; Tamil: ; sometimes spelled as Minakshi; also known as , and ), is a Hindu goddess and tutelary deity of Madurai who is considered an avatar of the Goddess Parvati also referred to as Durga. She is the divine consort o ...

'' (Released 12 June 1942) – Directed by Madhu Bose * ''

Priyo Bandhabi ''Priyo Bandhabi'' is a 1975 Bengali film directed by Hiren Nag. This film written by Prabodh kumar Sanyal. The film has been music composed by Nachiketa Ghosh. This is a drama film. The film starring Tarun Kumar Chatterjee, Bhanu Bannerjee, S ...

'' (Released 23 January 1943) – Directed by Soumen Mukhopadhyay * '' Kashinath'' (Released 2 April 1943) – Directed by

* ''

Dikshul ''Dikshul'' is a 1943 Indian Bengali film directed by Premankur Atorthy. The film was produced by New Theatres Ltd, Calcutta. Its music direction was by Pankaj Mullick and the cinematographer was Rabi Dhar. The lyricist for the film was Kazi Nazr ...

'' (Released 12 June 1943) – Directed by

Premankur Atarthi Premankur Atorthy (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.

* '' Udayer Pathey'' (Released 1 September 1944) – Directed by

Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Parineeta'', '' Biraj Bahu'', ''Devdas'', ''Madhumati'', '' Sujata'', '' ...

* '' Dui Purush'' (Released 30 August 1945) – Directed by Subodh Mitra * ''

Biraj Bou Biraj is an Indian and Nepalese Hindu male given name. Biraj may refer to: * Biraj Bhatta, Nepalese actor * Biraj Maharjan, Nepalese footballer * Andrew Biraj, Bangladeshi photojournalist * ''Biraj Bahu ''Biraj Bahu'' is a 1954 Hindi film produc ...

'' (Released 5 July 1946) – Directed by Amar Mullik * ''

Nurse Sisi Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

'' (Released 27 April 1947) – Directed by Subodh Mitra * ''

Ramer Sumati ''Ramer Sumati'' is a 1985 Bangladeshi drama film starring Bobita and Joy in lead roles. Prabir Mitra plays grandfather's role. This is the debut film of actor Sadek Bachchu. Synopsis Ram is a teenage boy who is very precocious and wicked. He k ...

'' (Released 24 December 1947) – Directed by Kartik Chattopadhyay * ''

Pratibad ''Pratibad'' nglish: ''Protest''is a 2001 Indian Bengali language action drama directed by Haranath Chakraborty. Plot The story is of a middle-class family struggling financially. The family consists of two sisters, mother and father. Prose ...

'' (Released 19 June 1948) – Directed by Hemchandra Chandra * ''

Anjangarh ''Anjangarh'' is a 1948 Bollywood drama film, directed by Bimal Roy Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as '' Do Bigha Zamin'', '' Pa ...

'' (Released 24 September 1948) – Directed by

* '' Mantramugdha'' (Released 14 January 1949) – Directed by

* '' Bishnupriya'' (Released 7 October 1949) – Directed by Hemchandra Chandra * '' Rupkatha'' (Released 13 October 1950) – Directed by Soren Sen * '' Aadur Prem'',New Theatres Is Back
2011 – Directed by Somnath Gupta

External links

www.kundanlalsaigal.com – Comprehensive Resource Website, offering preview of all his songs.www.pankajmullick.com – Comprehensive Resource Website, offering preview of his songs.www.krishnachandradey.com – Comprehensive Resource Website, offering preview of his songs.www.kanandevi.com
*

A short history
of Bengali cinema
A Biography of B N Sircar

An article on New Theatres by Sharmistha Gooptu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sircar, B. N. 1901 births 1980 deaths Bengali Hindus Bengali film producers Film producers from Kolkata Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients 20th-century Indian businesspeople

Early life

Career

New Theatres

Filmography

See also

External links