Amit Bose
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2008) |
Amit Bose | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 26 February 1930 |
| Died | 13 December 2019(aged 89) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Visva-Bharati University |
| Occupation | filmmaker |
| Spouse | Monica |
| Mother | Meera Devi |
Amit Bose(26 February 1930 – 13 December 2019) was an Indian filmmaker, film director and editor, who directed all-time classics likeAbhilasha(1968) and, as an Editor, worked on movies likeMadhumati(1958),Sujata(1959),Parakh(1960),Usne Kaha Tha(1960),Kabuliwala(1961),Prem Patra(1962),Bandini(1963) andShakespeare Wallah(1965). He worked as Chief Film Editor forBimal Royand with several other directors includingSanjay Khan.
Early life
[edit]Bose was born inJamshedpur/Bihar,India. His grandfather was the geologistPramatha Nath Bose,who discovered rich iron ores, that made the Empire ofJ.R.D. Tatapossible, which today belong to theTata Group.Eminent economic historian and civil servantRomesh Chunder Duttwas his great grandfather. Dutt's daughter Kamala Dutt Bose, a renowned educator who founded the "Kamala Girls School" atBallygungewas married to Pramatha Nath Bose and was his grandmother. His mother Meera Devi (born Sharma) was a Bengali actress. After her first marriage ended in divorce, she married the classical singer and actorPahari Sanyal), who was like a father to Bose. Amit's name was given byRabindranath Tagore,who was a cousin of Bose's mother inKolkata.
First steps in filmmaking
[edit]
As a child Bose was a student inRabindranath Tagore's open-air institutionVisva BharatiinBolpur,Santiniketan.As a young man he took his first steps in the film industry in 1946 inKolkata.He worked as an assistant to the film director Nimai Ghosh during the making ofChinna Mul("Broken Branch"- a movie reflecting the up-rooting of the nation during the Great Famine). This film won several awards, both in India and abroad. It is still hailed as one of the great classics of Indian Cinema. Bose then went toMumbaiand worked as an assistant to the DirectorPhani MajumdaratBombay Talkies StudiosinMalad,in 1947. He also appeared in a bit-part in Majumdar's filmTamasha,which starred the Great Indian Screen Heroine of all time,Meena Kumari.
In 1952, Bose went to England, where he did an apprenticeship atPinewood StudiosandA.B. Pathé.
In 1953 he directed and performed inSharat Chandra Chatterji'sclassic novel,Devdas,as Devdas on stage (in English, translated by Monica Sen).
During the next few years he did his diploma in film direction, screenplay writing and film editing atCentro Sperimentale di CinematografiainRome,Italy. During that period in Rome he also was an apprentice assistant toLuigi Zampa(during the making ofRagazze d'oggi/"Girls of Today",1955),Vittorio De Sica(Stazione Termini/"Terminal Station",1953 &Il Tetto/"The Roof",1956) andMario Soldati(Guerra e Pace/"War And Peace",1956).
Life and work
[edit]On his return to India, and after his marriage in Kolkata in September 1957, Bose settled inMumbai,where he worked as the Chief Film Editor forBimal Roy.He edited films likeMadhumati(1958, the shorter English version for entry to the AmericanOscars),Sujata(1959),Parakh(1960),Usne Kaha Tha(1960),Kabuliwala(1961),Prem Patra(1962) andBandini(1963), which he left before completion, because of an opportunity to direct a Children's Film, for which he was awarded the Best Director Award in the same year.
In India, he worked with directors fromBimal RoytoSanjay Khan,Krishna Shah,Firoze Khan, Kewal Kashyap and many others, knowing actors likeSunil Dutt,Nutan,Sadhana,Meena Kumari,Shashi Kapoor,Raaj Kumar,Felicity Kendal,Rex Harrison,John Saxon,Sulochana,Kamini Kaushal,DharmendraandRehmanclosely.
Abroad he worked in theUnited Kingdom,United States,Italy,France,Germany,Cyprus,MauritiusandLebanon,amongst many other countries. He directed and/or edited more than thirty feature films around the world, working with such prestigious directors asVittorio De Sica,Luigi Zampa,Franco Zeffirelli,Louis Malle,James Ivoryand many other well known Filmmakers around the world.
He also directed the children's filmFive Puppets (Panch Puthliyan)for theChildren's Film Society India,for which he was awarded best Director by the President of India,Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,in 1964.
Among many other feature films, Bose edited a documentary on theChineseinvasion ofIndia,produced by the Films Division inMumbai,that took place in 1961/1962.
His credits include movies likeChori Chori(1956),Godaan(1963),Kaajal(1965, as Ghost Director and Editor, winner of over 40 awards),Abhilasha(1968),At Five Past Five(1969) (a play about the assassination ofMahatma Gandhi),Chandi Sona(1977) andThe Courtesans of Bombay(1983).
Bose taught film technology in the Film Institute inPune,India.He introduced and helped many unknown actors to stardom and more than 20 editors, from assistantship to full editorship. He helped young talents grow, by telling them all his secrets, asDe Sicaonce upon a time told him.
Bose was retired and lived with his wife Monica inLondon,United Kingdom.In his spare time, he worked, as a volunteer, at the local Association for the Blind. His daughters Roma and Papri-Tara are settled with their families inGermanyandEngland.He has five grandchildren, including television producerSimone Thorogood.He passed away during January 2020.
Selected works
[edit]| Picture/Sound/Music Editor | Year/Country | Production Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shakespeare Wallah | 1965/US | Merchant Ivory Production,that won acclaim all overEuropeandAmerica. |
| Shalimar | 1978/India/US | Directed byKrishna Shah. |
| Cinema Cinema | 1979/India | Directed byKrishna Shah. |
| In Search of God | 1981/Cyprus | Directed byEvangelos Ioannidis. |
| Gathering Storm | 1982/UK | Channel 4production. |
| The Courtesans of Bombay | 1983/UK | Merchant Ivory TV-Production. |
| American Drive-In | 1985/US | Directed byKrishna Shah. |
| Dabbawallahs | 1985/UK | Channel 4production. |
| Street Musicians Of Bombay | 1994/UK | Merchant Ivory Production. |
| Dubbing/Sound Editor | Year/Country | Production Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Summer of the Falcon | 1981/US | AKALovespell. |
| Anna Ballerina (Series) | 1987/Germany | German TV series. |
| Anna Ballerina (Movie) | 1988/Germany | Movie based on the series. |
| Young Toscanini | 1988/Italy/France | Franco Zeffirelliproduction. |
| Milou en mai | 1990/France/Italy | Louis Malleproduction. |
Bose was specialized in dubbing films from different languages to English and vice versa. To name a few, the following is a short list:
| Dubbing | Year/Country | Dubbing Languages | Production Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diva | 1981/Italy/France | French/English | A film byJean-Jacques Beineix. |
| Summer of the Falcon | 1981/US | German/English/German | AKALovespell.FeaturingRichard Burton. |
| The Children of Noisy Village | 1986/Sweden | Dutch/English | Written byAstrid Lindgren. |
| A Boy from Calabria | 1987/Italy/France | Italian/English | A film byLuigi Comencini. |
| Anna Ballerina (Series) | 1987/Germany | German/English/German | German TV series. |
| Anna Ballerina (Movie) | 1988/Germany | German/English/German | Movie based on the series. |
| Franco Zeffirelli's Young Toscanini | 1988/Italy/France | English/Italian/English | FeaturingElizabeth TaylorandSophie Ward. |
| Eurocops | 1988/Spain/Italy/France/Germany/ UK/Austria/Switzerland |
English/French/Italian/ Spanish/German |
TV series 1988–1993. FeaturingHeiner Lauterbach. |
| The Year Of The Black Butterflies | 1989/Germany | German/English | N/A. |
| African Timber | 1989/Germany/France | English/English | FeaturingHeiner Lauterbach. |
| Peter in Magicland | 1990/Germany | German/English/German | Full length Animation film. |
| Louis Malle's Milou en mai | 1990/France/Italy | French/English | US Title:May Fools |
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
