Victor Banerjee

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Victor Banerjee
Victor Banerjee at the Closing Ceremony of the North East Films, during the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2013), in Panaji (cropped).jpg
Banerjee in 2013
Born (1946-10-15) 15 October 1946 (age 78)
Jalal Pur, Bengal Province, British India (present-day West Bengal, India)
OccupationActor
Years active1977–present
SpouseMaya Bhate Banerjee
Children2
Honors Padma Bhushan (2022)

Victor Banerjee (born 15 October 1946) is an Indian actor who appears in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese language films. He has worked with directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, and Montazur Rahman Akbar. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Ghare Baire . He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2022 for his contribution to cinema by the Indian Government in the field of art. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Banerjee was born in a Zamindari Bengali Hindu brahmin family.

Banerjee completed his schooling from St. Edmund's School, Shillong. He completed his graduation in English literature from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta; Banerjee was a Western Classical Radio Jockey at All India Radio. He then finished his post graduation in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University.

Personal life

While in Calcutta, Banerjee performed in plays for the British Council, British Women's Association and the theatre group Amateurs. He was the lead tenor in the Calcutta Light Opera Group production of The Desert Song,. During his time in Bombay he performed for the Cambridge Society, director Arun Sachdev and also played Jesus in Bombay Theatre's first ever musical production, Godspell . He also played senior division hockey and football in the Bengal League in the 1960s.

He has a daughter who was a VFX supervisor for 16 years. [3]

Art aficionado

Banerjee established The Calcutta Art Gallery in the late 1970s which was the first commercial art gallery in the city. [4]

Film career

In 1984, Banerjee portrayed Dr. Aziz Ahmed in David Lean's film of A Passage to India , bringing him to the attention of western audiences. [5] He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for the role in 1986, and won the Evening Standard British Film Award and NBR Award (National Board Review, USA) for it. In April 1985, Banerjee received the "Show-a-Rama Award" from the Motion Picture Association of America as "New International Star."[ citation needed ]

He acted in Merchant Ivory Productions Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures , Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari and Ghare Baire and in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithivi. On the set of Gunday starring Priyanka Chopra, Banerjee has said that he feels "all work is a challenge and therefore fun." [6]

He was also cast in the critically acclaimed role of God in the 1988 production of the York Mystery Plays, by director Steven Pimlott. He was the first Asian to play a lead role in British Theatre. [7]

In 1991, BBC and CBC of Canada produced a documentary titled Return Journey, directed by John McGreevy. Banerjee, Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jackie Stewart were featured as celebrities who refused to live away from their home countries.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Civilian Awards

Film awards

YearAwardFilmCategoryResultRef.
1986 BAFTA Awards A Passage to India Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated [10]
1986 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Ghare Baire Best Actor Won
1997 Lathi Won
1985 Evening Standard British Film Awards A Passage to India Best ActorWon
1984 National Board of Review Awards Best Actor Won [11]
1985 National Film Awards Ghare Baire Best Supporting Actor Won [12]

Political career

Banerjee unsuccessfully contested the 1991 Lok Sabha election in Calcutta North West from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He got 89,155 votes and stood third. [13]

As an active member of the BJP, he was critical of Mulayam Singh Yadav's order to shoot the Karsevaks who had once climbed the Babri Masjid prior to its demolition. [14]

He has been highly critical of what he called Navjot Singh Sidhu's pacifist attitude to terrorism exported from Pakistan. [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Padma Awards 2022: Complete list of recipients". mint. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Padma Honours: Victor Banerjee To Receive Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri For Sonu Nigam". NDTV. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Victor Banerjee's daughter walks a different road - bollywood news : glamsham.com". www.glamsham.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Calcutta becomes new vogue-city in business of art, Bengal painters emerge from the shadows". India Today. 15 November 1989. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "The return of Victor Banerjee - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 July 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "I have a kitchen to run: Victor Banerjee defends his brief role in 'Gunday'". News18. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Schafer, Elizabeth (2019). Theatre and Christianity. London: Macmillan International, Higher Education Red Globe Press. p. 53. ISBN   978-1-352-00557-8.
  8. ↑ Pisharoty, Sangeeta Barooah (17 April 2014). "A struggle still". The Hindu . Delhi. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Padma Awards 2022 List: CDS General Bipin Rawat among recipients; Full List of Padma Awards winners". Jagranjosh.com. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Awards Database: Search our record of winners & nominees, Year of Presentation: 1986, Award: Film". British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  11. ↑ National Board of Review of Motion Pictures :: Awards for 1984
  12. ↑ "32nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "PC: Calcutta North West 1991". Indiavotes.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Banerjee, Victor. "A CHRISTENING IN BLOOD". The Telegraph . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Victor Banerjee Slams Navjot Singh Sidhu". Business Standard India. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
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