Rabi Ghosh

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Rabi Ghosh (Robi Ghosh Dastidar; 24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema. He was famous for his comic timing but could handle a wide range of roles, and he is remembered as one of the early Bengali character actors who used method acting.

Born in Calcutta, his family traced back to East Bengal (now Bangladesh). He studied at South Suburban Main School and Asutosh College, and worked at Bankshall Court from 1953 to 1959. He made his film debut in Ahoban (1959). His breakthrough came with Galpo Holeo Satti, and his portrayal of Bagha Byne in Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1968) became a landmark in his career. He also led the cast representing Berlin at the Berlin Film Festival in 1969 for Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne and later appeared regularly in Satyajit Ray’s films.

Notable movies include Abhijan (1962), Aranyer Din Ratri (1970), Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980), Goopy Bagha Phire Elo (1991), and Padma Nadir Majhi (1992). He was a prominent theatre personality, a student of Utpal Dutta’s Little Theatre Group, and the founder of the theatre group Chalachal. His play Angar earned the Ultorath Award in 1960.

In television, he played Badridas in the Byomkesh Bakshi episode Amrit ki Maut on Doordarshan. He also traveled abroad for performances in Berlin (1969), Mauritius (1988), and the USA/Europe (1995). He directed the film Nidhiram Sardar.

Personal life: He was married to actress Anubha Gupta until her death in 1972, and later married Baishakhi Devi in 1982. Rabi Ghosh died on 4 February 1997 in Kolkata at the age of 65.