Personal Info
Birth date
1909-10-19 (115 Years)
Day of death
1992-04-29
Gender
Female
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India
Also known as
-Chandrabati Devi
Biography
Chandrabati Devi defied societal norms, pursuing a career in Hindi and Bengali cinema. Born on 19th October 1909, in Muzaffarpur, she moved to Kolkata, where she graduated in Bengali literature and trained in music under the guidance of Dinendranath Tagore. Her entry into the silent film industry was facilitated by her husband, Bimal Pal, with whom she founded 'Movie Pictures', making her debut in the silent film "Piyari" ' (1929), being catapulted to stardom and possibly becoming the first female film producer in Bengal. Despite challenges, she earned acclaim for roles like Meera in Debaki Bose's cult classic "Meerabai" (1933), Chandramukhi in the 1935 cult classic "Devdas", and "Dakshayagna", with her portrayal of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s heroines leaving a lasting impact. As her career progressed, she transitioned to character roles, with memorable performances in "Agni Pariksha" and "Ami Sirajer Begum". A talented writer and editor, Chandrabati remained committed to the purity of art throughout her life. She died on 22nd April, 1992.
Filmography
The Philosopher's Stone
6.8
Overview:
An underpaid middle-aged clerk finds a stone that changes iron to gold on touch. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2007.
Indrani
NYR
Overview:
Indrani Mukherjee the only daughter of a staunch brahmin in a village studies at Kolkata and stays in a girls' hostel. She meets Sudarshan Dutta, who had a brilliant career as a student and is doing his PhD. They fall in love, and Indrani wants to get married with him as soon as possible. She goes back to her village and informs her father of her intention to get married, Indrani's father takes umbrage as Sudarshan is not a Brahmin and also unemployed. Sudarshan too warns Indrani that he won't be able to provide for her. Indrani marries Sudarshan and is tormented at Sudarshan's house by his mother and sisters in law because of several emotional strains at play. To avoid further complications at home, Indrani gets a job as a teacher in Dinajpur. One day, after a heated exchange between two people that started their journey fiercely loving and trusting one another, Sudarshan leaves Indrani and goes in search of a job elsewhere.
My Sister
NYR
Overview:
Set against the backdrop of WW II in Calcutta, "Meri Bahen" is the story of a schoolteacher and his young sister. The film followed his rise to fame as a singer and the changes in his relationships following a bomb-raid.
Harano Sur
7
Overview:
An amnesiac man escapes the hospital he has been admitted to and is aided by doctor Roma Banerjee, who takes him to her father's country house. While treating him she falls for him and he for her. They marry, but an accident makes him remember his life as a rich man in Calcutta and completely forget the time spent with Roma. Roma follows him to Calcutta.
Jay Jayanti
2
Overview:
Jayanti takes up a job of a governess in the Roy family. Sanjoy Roy, the uncle of the five kids, is an arrogant man. Soon, Jayanti wins the kids' hearts and Sanjoy's respect.
Marutirtha Hinglaj
8
Overview:
While on their way to Hinglaj, Maharaj and his companions meet Kunti, who was raped by dacoits, and Thirumal, whom she left her family for. Together, they set out to seek the blessings of God.
Rodon Bhara Basanta
NYR
Overview:
Shipra is a poor woman who is molested and killed as she witnesses corruption. The police and lawyer Somnath take up the case and slowly dig into it. He traces the corrupted policeman and comes to know that Karuna, the head lady of the orphanage where Shipra used to live is equally involved in female trafficking. However, when he sees Karuna his world is turned upside down. Karuna is Shukla, Somnath’s long-lost wife. Circumstances had led her to become a puppet in the hands of the gangsters. However, she is to keep mum about the entire conspiracy, lest they kill her only daughter. Somnath gives assurance to Karuna to speak the truth. She does that and, in the end, the entire gangster network is caught. Karuna’s daughter is proved to be Somnath’s daughter. They get together again.
Jiban Jigyasa
NYR
Overview:
Indra and Radha's love is short-lived when he decides to go abroad. Soon enough, Radha's life takes an ugly turn when her child with Indra, born out of wedlock, dies and she is accused of murder.
Jiban Trishna
NYR
Overview:
A philanderer, the only son of a wealthy doctor, is attracted to a poor orphaned artist. Her stepbrother loathes rich people, and would go to any extent to get money off them. What would happen if the roles reversed?
Chinna Patra
NYR
Overview:
Starring Uttam Kumar in a double role. One is the unruly, rich and spoilt brat who is killed by his enemies, while the other, a good guy, reaches the dead man's house and is compelled to take his place
One Night
NYR
Overview:
This film revolves with miscommunication and misunderstanding of two couples and their family which cause series of laughter. Sushavan Dutta and his wife, Anita, were invited at their relative Digbijay babu's house. While in journey Anita misses train and Sushavan has to journey with another lady Santana. Santana is the wife of famous political leader Shailesh. At night they take shelter as husband and wife in Gosaiji's hotel, Harimatar Panthashala because Gosaiji allows married couples only. Santana carries a puppy with her, which run away from the garden of the hotel and Sushovan has to chase it at night. When Anita's mother comes to know that Sushavan is untraced, she becomes angry and make chaotic situation.
Baradidi
NYR
Overview:
Suren, prevented by his family from pursuing a university career, leaves home and becomes a tutor to Pramila. He falls in love with her widowed elder sister Madhavi who, although returning his love, has him sacked to save the situation.
Devdas
NYR
Overview:
Devdas, the son of a zamindar, and Parvati, his neighbour's daughter, are childhood sweethearts. However, class and caste differences prevent their marriage. Devdas is sent off to Calcutta, while Paro is married off to an aged rich widower. In Calcutta, as remorse drives him to alcohol, Devdas meets Chandramukhi, a prostitute. All Indian prints of this Bengali version were destroyed in a fire that ravaged New Theatre’s studios. Today, only one copy of the film survives which belongs to the Bangladesh Film Archives. Of that copy almost forty percent is destroyed.
Deep Jele Jaai
6
Overview:
A nurse at a psychiatric ward gets a bit too involved in the well-being of a patient.
Saugandh
NYR
Overview:
A father worries for his younger son and asks his elder son to promise that he will do everthing in his power to ensure Arun does not go astray, educates himself and becomes an independent man. However, fate has other plans. When Arun commits an unthinkable crime, his brother fulfills the promise made to their father and shields his younger sibling from all harm.
Dui Bon
NYR
Overview:
Ananda, an upcoming writer leaves his village to pursue his writing career in Kolkata
Bicharak
NYR
Overview:
The plot revolves around a series of flashbacks that reveal a judge's past and hidden secrets. Gyanendra, a judge, lives with his wife Sarama. Being the Judge, every time he has a trial of similar cases he remembers his past, the truth about his questionable actions. Gyanendra always recalls when he was a popular lawyer, married to Sumoti, a suspicious and rude lady. But he had a weak feeling for his professor's daughter Sarama. One day Gyanendra's house was burnt and his first wife Sumoti died. Gyanendra could not make any attempt to save her, perhaps he was unable to bear Sumati further. Thereafter he marries Sarama and becomes a judge but he realizes his crime and his past haunts him much.
Chandranath
NYR
Overview:
Feeling lonely after his father's death, Chandranath meets and falls in love with a poor widow's daughter during his travels. Later, secrets from her past come to haunt him.
Bratacharini
NYR
Overview:
Jyotirmoy rejects Sita and marries Anuva without his grandfather's approval. As a result, he gets deprived from his wealth and the entire property goes to Sita. Will Sita help Jyotirmoy?
Prithibi Amare Chay
10
Overview:
A 1957 Indian film about an aspiring singer and the son of a reputed businessman. His stepmother accuses him of indecency and throws him out of his house to inherit all the property of her husband. The female protagonist suffers a similar fate as her stepmother forces her to leave. They both decide to commit suicide and go to a riverbank where they meet and the cupid strikes.
Didi
NYR
Overview:
A famous Saigal musical narrating a strange love story set against 1930s industrialization and worker-management relations. The 16-year-old Prabhavati inherits a mill and turns it into an extremely profitable enterprise. Prakash is a worker who designs a more efficient machine for the factory for which he first gets sacked and then is re-employed. He falls in love with Prabhavati's sister Sheila, who later makes way for Prabhavati who is also in love with Prakash. Her withdrawal distresses Prakash, causing him to bully the workers who then go on strike.
Raja-Saja
8
Overview:
Trouble ensues when an eccentric but simple-minded villager discovers he is the only living heir of a royal estate.
Tasher Ghawr
NYR
Overview:
When a wealthy man accidentally stumbles upon his lookalike who is poor, the two of them decide to swap places in a bid to escape from their problems. Things take quite an interesting turn after that.
Agni Pariksha
NYR
Overview:
Love story of Tapasi and Kiriti in the backdrop of social and cultural conflict regarding marriages and progressiveness.
Moner Mayur
NYR
Overview:
Anu and Binay love each other and wish to get married but face opposition from her greedy uncle. They decide to elope but are caught and separated due to unforeseen circumstances.
Two Generations
NYR
Overview:
One of the early films of Chhabi Biswas featuring him as a leading man, before he came to be associated with the dominating patriarch roles that have become iconic in Bengali cinema, the film is a tale of the love, relationships and ideals of two generations. Nutubihari is an idealist who has given up his love for Kalyani for the sake of his beliefs. He marries Bimala and becomes a lawyer, fighting for the rights of the poor against the feudal lords. Meanwhile, Kalyani comes to ask refuge after she becomes a widow and is inexplicably accepted by Bimala with a lot of warmth. As the years pass Kalyani's daughter Mamata and Nutu's oldest son Arun fall in love and wish to get married. However, the new-found fame and fortune turns his head and Nutu begins to resemble all the ideals and vices that he had always despised. On the other hand in an ironical turn of events, Arun comes to occupy the position once held by his father, highlighting the generational conflict of ideals.
Sakher Chor
NYR
Overview:
Indra catches a thief Kaanta in the night and tricks him into believing he's a famous thief himself who has made away with large sums of money in high-profile heists and thefts. Later, Indra enters a bet with his friends who bait him into pulling off a theft and he seeks Kaanta's help.Acting
TBAThe Lost Tune as Alok's mother
1974Rodon Bhara Basanta as Somenath's Mother
1973Agnibhramar as Unknown
1972Chinna Patra as Unknown
1971Jiban Jigyasa as Indranil's Aunt
1971Jay Jayanti as Jayanta's Grandmother
1960Sakher Chor as Mrs. Khasnobis (Guest Appearance)
1960Raja-Saja as Unknown
1959Sashibabur Sansar as Unknown
1959Deep Jele Jaai as Matron
1959Bicharak as Unknown
1959Marutirtha Hinglaj as Bhairabhi
1958Indrani as Sudarshan Dutta's mother
1958The Philosopher's Stone as Guest at Cocktail Party
1957Jiban Trishna as Suprabha
1957Chandranath as Unknown
1957Harano Sur as Alok's Mother
1957Tasher Ghawr as Unknown
1957Prithibi Amare Chay as Unknown
1956Putrabadhu as Unknown
1956One Night as Unknown
1956Laksha-Heera as Unknown
1955Bratacharini as Unknown
1955Raikamal as Unknown
1955Dui Bon as Unknown
1954Agni Pariksha as Unknown
1954Moner Mayur as Unknown
1949Iran Ki Ek Raat as Unknown
1945Two Generations as Bimala
1944My Sister as Rekha
1942Saugandh as Unknown
1939Baradidi as Unknown
1937Didi as Unknown
1935Devdas as Chandramukhi
1934Dakshayagna as Sati