Suman Mukhodpadhyay is Bengali filmmaker and also a veteran theatre director, popular for directing Bengali films like Herbert,
Chaturanga, and
Kangal Malsat.
Early Life
Suman Mukhopadhyay was born on November 20th, 1966 in Howrah in West Bengal. He is the son of noted Bengali playwright
Arun Mukhopadhyay.
Personal Life
Suman is married to film producer Mallika Jalan.
Theatre career
Suman Mukhopadhyay is a Bengali theatre veteran who was part of the theatre group Chetana. Raja Lear, Sunyo Sudhu Sunyo Noy, Bisarjan, Teesta Paarer Brittanto and Samay Asamayer Brittanto can be held as his major plays.
Movie Career
Suman’s debut film as a director came with the Bengali movie Herbert in 2005, which was based on the novel of the same name by Nabarun Bhattacharya. It is the tale of a Herbert Sarkar, played by
Subhasish Mukhopadhyay, who was once the butt of local jokes, but becomes a local sensation after his prediction about the remains of his long dead cousin comes true. The film explores his life in flashbacks. It won the National Award for the Best Bengali film.
His second film Chaturanga (2008) was again based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The film is a complex story of Sachish, who chooses the spiritual path to search the meaning of life, but his newfound ideals are in conflict with his love for two women. It had
Rituparna Sengupta,
Anjan Dutt and
Sreelekha Mitra in the lead roles. The film won the Grand Prix award at Bridge Fest, Sarajevo, Best Director award at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival and the Golden Palm at Mexico International Film Festival.
The 2010 release
Mahanagar@Kolkata, directed by Suman, is about the city of Kolkata and the people living in it. The movie was made by sewing together three stories of Bengali writer Nabarun Bhattacharya. Suman’s Kangal Malsat (2013) was a delicate love story of an Oxford educated barrister and a girl who is the epitome of simplicity, and how their conflicting personalities get them closer to each other. It stars
Rahul Bose and
Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead role.
Sumon Mukhopadhyay’s 2017 release includes Asamapta.