From 'Udayer Pathey' (1936) to 'Benazeer' (1965), the Bimal Roy era in Indian cinema spans three decades of dedicated filmmaking. Before wielding the megaphone, Bimal Roy was cinematographer for P. V. Rao's 'Nalla Thangal' (Tamil), Barua's 'Devdas' (Bengali & Hindi,) 'Manzil', 'Mukti' and Amar Mullick's 'Bari Didi'. Bimal Roy was noted for his marked restraint. He evolved a subtle, normal mode, contributing to the richness of the tapestry of the realistic theme of his films. The visual brilliance of the filmmaker is apparent in his pre-directorial works. Even when an independent cameraman worked for him, he would come to the set, look through the lens, and ask for the camera to be shifted at least nine or ten times. His language was painted in every possible shade of gray, white and black. His narrative was unhurried, lingering, yet never tended to drag. The number of Filmfare awards 'Madhumati' won, remained a record for a long time.
(Mini Biography by journalist and author Shoma A Chatterji. She has authored 16 published books of which seven are on cinema, five are on gender issues, three are short fiction and one is urban history. Shoma has won the National Award for the Best Writing on cinema twice. Her lucid narratives reflect her immense knowledge and passion for movies.)
From 'Udayer Pathey' (1936) to 'Benazeer' (1965), the Bimal Roy era in Indian cinema spans three decades of dedicated filmmaking. Before wielding the megaphone, Bimal Roy was cinematographer for P. V. Rao's 'Nalla Thangal' (Tamil), Barua's 'Devdas' (Bengali & Hindi,) 'Manzil', 'Mukti' and Amar Mullick's 'Bari Didi'. Bimal Roy was noted for his marked restraint. He evolved a subtle, normal mode, contributing to the richness of the tapestry of the realistic theme of his films. The visual brilliance of the filmmaker is apparent in his pre-directorial works. Even when an independent cameraman worked for him, he would come to the set, look through the lens, and ask for the camera to be shifted at least nine or ten times. His language was painted in every possible shade of gray, white and black. His narrative was unhurried, lingering, yet never tended to drag. The number of Filmfare awards 'Madhumati' won, remained a record for a long time.