Debaki Bose

Directing

Debaki Bose

Born 1898-11-24 · Burdwan - Bengal - India

Debaki Kumar Bose was an Indian director, writer, and actor who is recognized for his contribution in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. He is known for his innovative use of sound and music in Indian Cinema. He worked first under the banner of British Dominion Films of Dhiren Ganguly and later with Pramathesh Barua's Barua Pictures and finally he joined New Theatres banner in 1932. He started his own production company, Debaki Productions, in 1945. Chandidas (1932), directed by him, contained background music for the first time in Indian Cinema. Raichand Boral, also known as R.C. Boral was the music director. Seeta (1934), made under the banner of East India Film Company, was the first Indian talkie shown in any international film festival. It was shown in Venice Film Festival, where it won an Honorary Diploma. He was the 1st Indian director to receive any international award. Sagar Sangamey (1959) was nominated for Golden Bear at the 9th Berlinale International Film Festival (1959). This film got National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the 6th National Film Awards ceremony in 1959. Arghya (1961) was a very special documentary film, produced by the Government of West Bengal on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore's birth centennial. It was based on four poems of Tagore: Pujarini, Puratan Bhritya, Abhisar and Dui Bigha Jami. He received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Film Direction in 1957. He received Padma Shri in Arts in 1958. His grandson was Kunal Mitra and great great grandson is Suvranil Singha Chowdhury.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Apna Ghar poster
10.0

Apna Ghar tells the story of a middle-class family whose peace is shattered when the father, Narendra, is falsely accused of fraud, forcing him to lose everything. His strong-willed daughter, Mira, becomes unwittingly entangled in the deception. The family's struggles are further complicated by the return of Jeevan, an ex-convict, whose past brings societal judgment. The film explores their fight to maintain their home's integrity and the true meaning of family amidst adversity.

Apna Ghar

1942

Nartaki poster
10.0

Roop Kumari (Leela Desai) a famous court dancer is forbidden entry into a temple monastery run by a strict disciplinarian Priest. The cast listed here is for the Hindi version, there is also a Bengali version with a different cast, but same director and release year.

Nartaki

1940

Life Is a Stage poster
10.0

Set in two historical epochs, 1735 and 1735. The spirited Miss Queen (Khote), performing in a period play, recalls a previous incarnation when she was the actual person she is now acting on the stage. She inherited the throne because the state of Ranigarh had no constitutional male heirs and her horoscope was deemed auspicious. Instead of being merely a figurehead, she opposes the corrupt minister Jairaj and army commander Mubarak and, following the advice of the court poet (Pahelwan), she makes sure the royal court is accessible to the suffering people.

Life Is a Stage

1935

Life Is a Stage poster
10.0

Set in two historical epochs, 1735 and 1735. The spirited Miss Queen (Khote), performing in a period play, recalls a previous incarnation when she was the actual person she is now acting on the stage. She inherited the throne because the state of Ranigarh had no constitutional male heirs and her horoscope was deemed auspicious. Instead of being merely a figurehead, she opposes the corrupt minister Jairaj and army commander Mubarak and, following the advice of the court poet (Pahelwan), she makes sure the royal court is accessible to the suffering people.

Life Is a Stage

1935

Sunehra Sansar poster
8.0

A parable about human suffering and capitalist enterprise. The village head man has bandits attack the house of Ramesh to settle a feud. They kidnap the man's wife Roma, and abandon their infant son in the forest. Years later, Roma works as the nurse of a kind millionaire while the boy Raghunath shares a neighbourhood house with other unemployed youths who collectively dream of starting a soap factory. The father is a beggar on the streets. None of them know of each other's existence until circumstances bring the family together...

Sunehra Sansar

1936

Sunehra Sansar poster
8.0

A parable about human suffering and capitalist enterprise. The village head man has bandits attack the house of Ramesh to settle a feud. They kidnap the man's wife Roma, and abandon their infant son in the forest. Years later, Roma works as the nurse of a kind millionaire while the boy Raghunath shares a neighbourhood house with other unemployed youths who collectively dream of starting a soap factory. The father is a beggar on the streets. None of them know of each other's existence until circumstances bring the family together...

Sunehra Sansar

1936

The Devoted poster
10.0

The legend of Prince Puran, born under King Silwan of Sialkot's curse which binds his parents never to set eyes on him until he is 16. Accused of leading a debauched life by an evil general and by the king's second wife, Puran is sentenced to death. Rescued by the mystic Gorakhnath, he becomes an ascetic. When the king is overthrown, Purna rises from his meditations to depose the general who has seized power, before returning to his life of renunciation.

The Devoted

1933

Chandidas poster
5.7

This film is about Chandidas, a legendary 15th-C. Bengali Vaishnavite poet whose biography remains obscure but was an influence on the better documented Chaitanya (1486-1533), a school teacher who promoted the Vaishnavite ideology in Bengal, mostly through hymns about the Radha-Krishna legend.

Chandidas

1932

Chandidas poster
5.7

This film is about Chandidas, a legendary 15th-C. Bengali Vaishnavite poet whose biography remains obscure but was an influence on the better documented Chaitanya (1486-1533), a school teacher who promoted the Vaishnavite ideology in Bengal, mostly through hymns about the Radha-Krishna legend.

Chandidas

1932

Kavi poster
8.0

A railway porter, Nitai, gains a reputation as a poet after participating in many debates. However, his life is filled with tragedy when he gets involved with women he is not supposed to be with.

Kavi

1949

Kavi poster
8.0

A railway porter, Nitai, gains a reputation as a poet after participating in many debates. However, his life is filled with tragedy when he gets involved with women he is not supposed to be with.

Kavi

1949

No artwork available
8.0

The story of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu .

Chaitanya : devotee of Krishna

1953

Karwan-e-Husn poster
8.0

An early Indian romantic musical drama, likely following a "caravan of beauty" and exploring themes of love and allure.

Karwan-e-Husn

1935

Rajrani Meera poster
10.0

Meera is immersed in her love and devotion to Lord Krishna since a young age. When she grows older, her family get her married to the Rana of Mewar. Misunderstandings occur when her devotional poetry is thought to be love songs for someone. Several hardships are inflicted on her by her husband and her in-laws. She takes to sitting in the temple and singing bhajans (sacred songs) composed by her. Her brother-in-law tries to have her killed many times, but fails. She finally renounces her life in the palace and wanders from place to place singing devotional songs.

Rajrani Meera

1933

Rajrani Meera poster
10.0

Meera is immersed in her love and devotion to Lord Krishna since a young age. When she grows older, her family get her married to the Rana of Mewar. Misunderstandings occur when her devotional poetry is thought to be love songs for someone. Several hardships are inflicted on her by her husband and her in-laws. She takes to sitting in the temple and singing bhajans (sacred songs) composed by her. Her brother-in-law tries to have her killed many times, but fails. She finally renounces her life in the palace and wanders from place to place singing devotional songs.

Rajrani Meera

1933

Inquilab poster
7.5

A drama set amid an earthquake in Bihar. Miss Renee (Khote) looks after the victims while her lover, the businessman Sardar (Mohanned), wants to make money from the disaster.

Inquilab

1935

Inquilab poster
7.5

A drama set amid an earthquake in Bihar. Miss Renee (Khote) looks after the victims while her lover, the businessman Sardar (Mohanned), wants to make money from the disaster.

Inquilab

1935

Nabajanma poster
10.0

The story revolves around Basanthi who is constantly criticized by her in-laws for being childless. Her husband believes that she is having an affair with his sister's husband and plans to kill her.

Nabajanma

1956

Nabajanma poster
10.0

The story revolves around Basanthi who is constantly criticized by her in-laws for being childless. Her husband believes that she is having an affair with his sister's husband and plans to kill her.

Nabajanma

1956

Meghdoot poster
10.0

A mythological or fantasy drama inspired by Kalidasa's classic Sanskrit poem, featuring a lonely lover sending a cloud as a messenger to his beloved, exploring themes of separation, longing, and nature's role in conveying emotions

Meghdoot

1945

Sapera poster
9.0

Adapted from a story by Kazi Nazrul Islam this film concerns love and revenge among a tribe of snake charmers led by Jahar (Nawab) who is searching for his 100th poisonous snake so as to show how he can magically cure its deadly bite.

Sapera

1939

Sapera poster
9.0

Adapted from a story by Kazi Nazrul Islam this film concerns love and revenge among a tribe of snake charmers led by Jahar (Nawab) who is searching for his 100th poisonous snake so as to show how he can magically cure its deadly bite.

Sapera

1939

The Holy Island poster
7.0

The story of a relationship between a wealthy widow and a frivolous young girl.

The Holy Island

1959

The Holy Island poster
7.0

The story of a relationship between a wealthy widow and a frivolous young girl.

The Holy Island

1959