Sisir Bhaduri

Shishir Kumar Bhaduri or Sisir Kumar Bhaduri (2 October 1889 – 30 June 1959) was an Indian stage actor and theatre founder, commonly referred to as the pioneer of modern Bengali theatre. He was an actor, director, playwright and scenic designer.^[1] After Girish Chandra Ghosh, he introduced realism and naturalism in Indian theatre.^[2]

Sisir Bhaduri
A scene from Seeta, 1933
Born	Sisir Kumar Bhaduri 2 October 1889 Midnapore, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	30 June 1959(1959-06-30) (aged 69) Baranagar, West Bengal, India
Occupation(s)	Theater and stage actor

Life

Born in Midnapore, West Bengal,^[1] he studied at Scottish Church College Kolkata, where he began participating in theatre. He was also a professor of Metropolitan College (today's Vidyasagar College). In 1921, he left his job to become a full-time stage actor.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour by the Government of India in 1959.^[3] He refused the award, saying that if he accepted it would send a wrong signal that the Government has helped to promote theatre culture in the country.

The 2013 play Nihsanga Samrat, directed by Debesh Chattopadhyay, is based on the 2005 Bengali novel of the same name, written by Sunil Gangopadhyay, on the life of Bhaduri.^[4]

Filmography

Director

• Chanakya (1939)
• Talkie of Talkies (1937)... a.k.a. Dasturmoto Talkie
• Seeta (1933)
• Palli Samaj (1932)
• Bicharak (1929)... a.k.a. The Judge
• Andhare Alo (1922)... a.k.a. The Influence of Love
• Barer Bazar (1922)... a.k.a. Marriage Market (India: English title)
• Kamale Kamini (1922)... a.k.a. Maid of the Lotus
• Mohini (1921)... a.k.a. Ekadashi... a.k.a. Triumph of Fate

Actor

• Chanakya (1939) .... Chanakya
• Talkie of Talkies (1937) (as Sisir Bhaduri) .... Prof. Digambar Majumdar... a.k.a. Dasturmoto Talkie
• Seeta (1933) .... Ram
• Palli Samaj (1932) .... Ramesh
• Bicharak (1929)... a.k.a. The Judge
• Andhare Alo (1922) .... Satyendra... a.k.a. The Influence of Love
• Kamale Kamini (1922)... a.k.a. Maid of the Lotus
• Mohini (1921)... a.k.a. Ekadashi... a.k.a. Triumph of Fate

Bibliography

• The Lonely Monarch, by Sunil Gangopadhyay. tr. by Swapna Dutta, Hachette UK, 2013. ISBN 978-93-5009-628-4.