Veteran Bengali actor Santosh Dutta once made the great Satyajit Ray toss a coin to choose between two exceptionally well executed takes of a scene, Ray’s son, filmmaker Sandip Ray, recalled at the centenary celebration of Dutta in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Dutta, who played Lalmohan Ganguly ‘Jatayu’ in Ray’s Feluda film series, often shared his suggestions on shots and scenes with Ray, said Sandip.
On one such occasion, despite Ray’s approval, Dutta gently requested another take for a scene. And he delivered it “so brilliantly” that Ray found himself torn between the two versions. “Baba (Ray) was so confused he actually tossed a coin to decide which shot to keep — something he never did,” Sandip said, drawing laughter from the audience at Mahajati Sadan.
In a career spanning several decades, Dutta acted in several Bengali classics like Hirak Rajar Deshe, Jana Aranya, Marjina Abdulla and Parash Pathar.
Ray and Dutta’s paths crossed at Dutta’s stage play Cholochitro Chacchori. Ray was captivated by Dutta’s performance as Bhaba Dulaal, said Sandip.
Apart from being an actor, Dutta was also a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court.
Arjuna awardee bodybuilder and actor Moloy Roy, who played the iconic ‘Viswashri’ Gunamoy Bagchi in Ray’s 1979 film Joy Baba Felunath, shared anecdotes about Dutta and reminisced about sharing screen space with him in Feluda.
He highlighted Dutta’s extraordinary commitment to craft and generosity as a colleague, remembering him as someone who brought sharp intelligence, spontaneity and warmth to every role he played.
The event was also attended by Santosh Dutta’s grandson Biraj Pramanick.
Be it the brief role like Hiralal in Jana Aranya or the Shundi Raja in Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Dutta delivered every scene with remarkable precision, adding his own improvised magic to each dialogue in a way no director ever imagined, said Sandip.
Sandip, who has assisted father Satyajit Ray in several films, recalled another incident where Dutta was afraid of riding a camel for a scene in Sonar Kella. He was also nervous before shooting the iconic ‘knife-throwing scene’ in Joy Baba Felunath, recalled Sandip.
“I remember he (Dutta) was so frightened to give that shot that he told his wife, ‘Listen, I’m going for the shooting. I don’t know whether I’ll return or not.’ So, the petrified expression you see on Jatayu’s face on screen was a hundred per cent authentic, because Santosh daa couldn’t hide his fear,” Sandip said.
The panel discussion was followed by a screening of the newly restored version of Joy Baba Felunath.