Late Actor & Former MP Tapas Paul’s Greatest Hits at a Glance

He was 61 while he suffered a cardiac arrest in Mumbai, and that was how the end was destined to veteran actor Tapas Paul. The Bengali film industry and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee have shared their condolences.

 

Let us take a trip down the memory lane, remembering the actor’s greatest hits, along with the clips from the best of Tapas Paul!

 

Year 1980, it was a transition phase in Bengali cinema. Bengali has recently lost its first and most beloved superstar Uttam Kumar on July 24, 1980, and still hasn't been able to cope with the tremendous loss! The Bengali film industry desperately needed a new leading face, a male protagonist for its new generation mainstream films.

 

One of the most well known and respected directors of that time, Tarun Majumdar, was looking for a new face for his next family drama. A young lad from Chandannagar, Hooghly district, Tapas Paul, who of course was a newcomer, seemed promising to Tarun Majumdar. 

 

Director Tarun Majumdar

 

Interestingly, the hunt was for the male lead, or as we put it, for the hero of the film to be cast opposite Mahua Roychoudhury, who, by the time has already established herself as a promising leading actress.

 

The role was challenging of course! Much different from the usual on-screen heroic personas, Tapas had to portray a shy, apparently idiotic, introvert yet an individual with earnest values. And he did it with so much hard work and devotion, that not only the film, but his character went on to win tens of thousands Bengali hearts. ‘Dadar Kirti’, as the film was known by, released in November 1980 became a blockbuster!

 

Later his performances were much appreciated by the audiences in the films like ‘Saheb’(1981), ‘Parabat Priya’ (1984), ‘Bhalobasha Bhalobasha’(1986), ‘Anurager Chowa’(1986), ‘Guru Dakshina’(1987) amongst others.

 

Tapas Paul also made his Bollywood debut opposite the graceful Madhuri Dixit in the film ‘Abodh’ in 1984. The film also happens to be Madhuri’s first in Hindi cinema.

 

 

Although toward the late 80s and thereafter, his film choices were disapproved of by the larger Bengali viewers followed by his controversial political career, his earlier works will always be celebrated by the fans.

 

Let us know in the comments which is your favourite Tapas Paul film. Follow Scrabbl on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for more!