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The thinking actor UTPAL DUTT's interesting connection with AMITABH BACHCHAN's illustrious career from 1969 to 2007. (Did You Know - 75)

15 Jul, 2014 | Did You Know!

Utpal Dutt and Amitabh Bachchan Interlinked Careers

The veteran thinking artist Utpal Dutt has been a part of few Amitabh Bachchan projects right from the beginning in 1969 to the late 80s. But interestingly there exists a quite unique kind of inter-connection between the two stalwarts which has not been noticed by many (as it seems) stated below.

To begin with, the millennium star Amitabh Bachchan had two kinds of debuts in Hindi films. One when he was introduced as a narrator with his famous baritone voice in Mrinal Sen’s BHUVAN SHOME in the year 1969. And two, when he was introduced as a young energetic actor in K. A. Abbas’s SAAT HINDUSTANI (1969 only), playing one of the seven key characters in its script. Now the first and the most significant point to be noticed is that in both these prestigious projects the lead role was played by none other than Utpal Dutt.

Secondly, Dutt played the unusual negative role of the main villain in very few Hindi films wherein again the two key ventures happened to be Amitabh starrers i.e. THE GREAT GAMBLER (1979) in which the Bengali veteran played the smuggler/gangster. And other being the controversial INQUILAAB released in 1984 wherein Dutt portrayed the character of a corrupt politician cum businessman.

Thirdly Utpal Dutt probably gave his only screen (cameo) appearance as a Sikh Military officer in a Hindi film IMAAN DHARAM (1977), which again had Amitabh playing one of the lead characters along with Shashi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar. A simply outstanding act worth watching, in which Dutt suddenly interrupts a politician’s speech and sings a stage song along with his whole military jawaans group, spiritedly. And the song sequence honestly gives you goose bumps even today, as Dutt loses his artificial leg while dancing on the energetic ‘Dhol’ beats and then goes crawling all the way to pick it up on his own with Sanjeev Kumar sportingly playing the ‘Dufli’ to inspire him.

Incidentally, Amitabh too made a cameo appearance in Utpal Dutt’s GOL MAAL directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee two years later in 1979.

However, amazingly this hidden relationship between the two veterans continued post Dutt’s sudden demise too when Amitabh Bachchan featured as the lead actor in Rituparno Ghosh’s THE LAST LEAR in 2007 which was an English film based on Utpal Dutt’s play AAJKER SHAHJAHAN talking about an eccentric Shakespearean actor.

Plus as destiny had planned, the film won the National Award for Best Feature Film in English in 2008, completing an evident circle of Karma after almost four decades since their first film together BHUVAN SHOME was also awarded the National Award for Best Hindi Film in 1969. In addition where Utpal Dutt won the Best Actor National Award for BHUVAN SHOME, there Amitabh won the Most Promising Newcomer National Award for SAAT HINDUSTANI in the same year.

Hence the two did have an exceptional connection between their individual careers undeniably.

Cheers!

Tags : The amazing connection between Utpal Dutt and Amitabh Bachchan, Unknown Facts of Hindi Films by Bobby Sing, Did You Know Trivia about Bollywood at bobbytalkscinema.com, Utpal Dutt and Amitabh Bachchan Debut Hindi Films

15 Jul 2014 / Comments ( 4 )

KennyG

submitted on 19 July 2014

Hi Bobby,
One of my all time favourite Utpal Dutt was a truly natural and gifted actor.
I still love watching all his comedy movies specially with Amol Palekar.
Shaukeen is my Favourite where he acted his best as a miser Landlord and in Kissi Se Na Kehna with Faroque Sheikh and Deepti Naval.

I would like to add some information to this article regarding the connection between him and Amitabh Bachchan. They acted in two other movies in early 80\'s.
1) Ram Balram- played a Professor.
2) Barsaat Ki Ek Raat- Played a greedy merchant and father of Amjad Khan.

Bobby Sing

submitted on 18 Jul,2014

Dear Kenny G,
Yes as mentioned in the article he was there in other Amitabh movies too, but I have added only those where he played the main villain.

However I strongly disagree and oppose to the term 'COMEDIAN' used for the veteran every now and then. Actually this word is used for Dutt only by the writers who dont know about his other bigger side of the persona at all. And I was also one of those ignorant ones a few years back.

The man known as UTPAL DUTT was much much more and a deep thinking as well as a knowledgeable personality than just being a hindi film comedian. So I would request you to please read my other article on him at the following link and then give it a second thought.

UTPAL DUTT - The actor, theatre-activist, thinker, writer, director and his powerful book 'On Cinema'.
(Did You Know - 74)

http://www.bobbytalkscinema.com/recentpost.php?postid=postid071414144525

Cheers!

KennyG

submitted on 21 July 2014

I dont think so this article only mentions Utpal Dutt\'s Movies where he starred as a Villain. You have mentioned other movies also.

Per the main title of your review- i have mentioned the movies he starred with
Amitabh Bachchan which were no where mentioned in your review.
so i am correct in mentioning those two movies.

No where in my review i have mentioned him as a Comedian as you said. i have seen his Bengali movies also and i know his potential as an actor.
Thank you so much...!!!

Bobby Sing

submitted on 21 Jul,2014

Dear Kenny G,

Firstly I think you took the article title wrongly, so I would like to explain.

The tilte says : "Utpal Dutt's interesting connection with Amitabh Bachhan's illustrious career".
So here we are not talking about all movies where they both have featured together but only some unique or special films which are not just routine projects to put it differently.

So yes you are correct in mentioning those two movies but they are not having any unique feature to be mentioned in the article as per the title.

Secondly regarding the objection on the comedian tag, I mentioned it in my comments since you wrote,

"I still love watching all his comedy movies specially with Amol Palekar.
Shaukeen is my Favourite where he acted his best as a miser Landlord and in Kissi Se Na Kehna with Faroque Sheikh and Deepti Naval."

Now had you mentioned any of his Bengali movies, then I would have clearly got the idea that you have seen his other works too.
But since the above quote only gives the idea about his comedy films so I had to take it that way only.

I hope you would now understand the viewpoint.

Keep Visiting and Writing in,
Cheers!

The thinking actor UTPAL DUTT's interesting connection with AMITABH BACHCHAN's illustrious career from 1969 to 2007. (Did You Know - 75)

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