About

Known credits:
93
Birthday:
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Place of birth:
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Website:
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Tapan Sinha

Overview

Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time who made more than 40 feature films in Bengali, Hindi and Oriya in a career spanning nearly half a century. A contemporary of West Bengal's cinema icons - Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen - Sinha was an equally powerful storyteller who, like his favourite novelist, Charles Dickens, won a large and appreciative audience by dealing with the problems that confront ordinary people.

Born in Kolkata, Sinha was the fifth child of Tridibesh and Pramila Sinha. He attended schools in Bhagalpur and Bankura. As a student at Patna University, Bihar, Sinha responded sympathetically to Mahatma Gandhi's Quit Indiamovement, launched against the British in 1942. However, when he moved to Kolkata University, where he was studying for an MSc in physics, he fell under the spell of British and American film-makers, particularly John Ford, Billy Wilder, Frank Capra and Carol Reed. He later claimed that it was Jack Conway's 1935 version of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities that motivated him to become a film-maker.

After gaining his master's in 1946, Sinha joined the New Theatres studios, Kolkata, as a trainee sound engineer. Two years later, he moved to the Kolkata Movietone studio and, in 1950, he received an invitation to the London film festival and an opportunity to work at Pinewood studios, near London, where he took a job in the director Charles Crichton's unit as a sound engineer. While in London, he was exposed to the works of Italian directors Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. On returning to India, Sinha made his first film, Ankush (The Goad, 1954), which featured an elephant belonging to a zamindar (tax collector) as the central character. His final film was released in 2001.

Sinha, whom many critics regarded as India's David Lean, was honoured at international festivals in Berlin, Venice, London, Moscow and San Francisco and had received the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest cinema honour from the Indian government in 2008.

Known for

Acting
1994 Filmmaker for freedom Actor Archival footage N/A
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Directing
2001 Daughters of This Century Directing Director N/A
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2000 The Magic Pearl Directing Director 59
Average
1998 Strange Tale of a Strange Village Directing Director 59
Average
1998 Ajab Gayer Ajab Katha Directing Director N/A
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1994 Wheel Chair Directing Director 59
Average
1991 Disappearance Directing Director N/A
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1990 Death of a Doctor Directing Director 58
Average
1989 Didi Directing Director N/A
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1988 Today's Robin Hood Directing Director 59
Average
1986 Terror Directing Director N/A
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1985 Baidurya Rahasya Directing Director N/A
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1984 Man and Woman Directing Director 59
Average
1982 The Law and a Lady Directing Director N/A
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1980 The Garden of Bancharam Directing Director 59
Average
1979 Sabuj Dwiper Raja Directing Director 58
Average
1977 Ek Je Chhilo Desh Directing Director N/A
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1977 The White Elephant Directing Director 59
Average
1976 Harmonium Directing Director N/A
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1974 Sagina Directing Director N/A
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1973 Crossing the Darkness Directing Director N/A
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1972 Zindagi Zindagi Directing Director N/A
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1971 Sagina Mahato Directing Director 59
Average
1971 Ekhonee Directing Director N/A
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1968 Apanjan Directing Director N/A
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1967 The Market Place Directing Director 59
Average
1966 Galpo Holeo Satti Directing Director 59
Average
1965 Atithi Directing Director N/A
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1964 Arohi Directing Director N/A
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1964 A Burnt House Directing Director N/A
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1963 The Desolate Beach Directing Director 58
Average
1962 Aamar Desh Directing Director N/A
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1962 Hansuli Banker Upakatha Directing Director N/A
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1961 The Prisoner of Jhind Directing Director 59
Average
1960 Hungry Stones Directing Director 59
Average
1959 Khaniker Atithi Directing Director N/A
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1958 Kalamati Directing Director N/A
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1958 Iron Door Directing Director N/A
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1957 Kabuliwala Directing Director 58
Average
1956 Tonsil Directing Director N/A
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1955 Upahar Directing Director N/A
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1954 Ankush Directing Director N/A
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Writing
2009 Teen Murti Writing Screenstory N/A
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2009 Teen Murti Writing Story N/A
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2009 Teen Murti Writing Screenplay N/A
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1990 Death of a Doctor Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1988 Today's Robin Hood Writing Writer 59
Average
1986 Terror Writing Dialogue N/A
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1986 Terror Writing Writer N/A
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1986 Terror Writing Screenplay N/A
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1985 Baidurya Rahasya Writing Lyricist N/A
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1985 Baidurya Rahasya Writing Screenplay N/A
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1980 The Garden of Bancharam Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1979 Sabuj Dwiper Raja Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1977 Ek Je Chhilo Desh Writing Lyricist N/A
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1977 Ek Je Chhilo Desh Writing Screenplay N/A
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1976 Harmonium Writing Screenplay N/A
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1976 Harmonium Writing Lyricist N/A
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1974 Sagina Writing Screenplay N/A
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1972 Bawarchi Writing Writer 59
Average
1971 Ekhonee Writing Screenplay N/A
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1971 Ekhonee Writing Lyricist N/A
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1967 The Market Place Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1966 Galpo Holeo Satti Writing Story 59
Average
1966 Galpo Holeo Satti Writing Writer 59
Average
1965 Atithi Writing Screenplay N/A
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1964 Arohi Writing Screenplay N/A
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1964 A Burnt House Writing Screenplay N/A
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1963 The Desolate Beach Writing Screenplay 58
Average
1963 The Desolate Beach Writing Adaptation 58
Average
1962 Aamar Desh Writing Story N/A
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1962 Hansuli Banker Upakatha Writing Screenplay N/A
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1960 Hungry Stones Writing Screenplay 59
Average
1956 Tonsil Writing Screenplay N/A
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1954 Ankush Writing Screenplay N/A
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Production
1988 Today's Robin Hood Production Producer 59
Average

Sound
2009 Teen Murti Sound Music N/A
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2001 Daughters of This Century Sound Music N/A
N/A
1988 Today's Robin Hood Sound Music 59
Average
1986 Terror Sound Music N/A
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1985 Baidurya Rahasya Sound Music N/A
N/A
1980 The Garden of Bancharam Sound Music 59
Average
1979 Sabuj Dwiper Raja Sound Music 58
Average
1977 Ek Je Chhilo Desh Sound Music N/A
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1976 Harmonium Sound Music N/A
N/A
1971 Ekhonee Sound Music N/A
N/A
1968 Apanjan Sound Music N/A
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1967 The Market Place Sound Music 59
Average
1966 Galpo Holeo Satti Sound Music 59
Average
1965 Atithi Sound Music N/A
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1951 Datta Sound Sound Designer N/A
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1951 Barjatri Sound Sound N/A
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1949 Paribartan Sound Sound N/A
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