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Madhusree Dutta
Madhusree Dutta
A graduate in economics from Jadavpur University, Madhusree studied dramatics from the National School of Drama. She produced and directed several plays in Bengali, Hindi and Gujarati for Kolkata and Mumbai proscenium theatre and street theatre. Since early 90s, she began to make non-fiction films, both as director and as producer. After another decade, she found herself in the arena of curating and exhibition making. And these overlapping practices eventually have expanded into writing and editing.
In Kolkata, she founded a theatre group called Anarjya (non-Aryans) and was the director of the group in 1983-1987. Thereafter, she shifted to Mumbai in 1987 and co-founded Majlis, ...
Deep Focus
Filmography
- I Live in Behrampada (1993)
- Her Memories of Fear (1995)
- Sundari: An Actor Prepares (1997)
- Scribbles on Akka (2000)
- Made In India (2002)
- From Here to Here (2005)
- Seven Islands and A Metro (2006)
Awards
- I Live in Behrampada won the Filmfare award in 1994 and the second best film award at Trivandrum's International Video Fest in 1995.
- Her Memories of Fear won the Best Film on Social Issues at the 43rd National Awards that acknowledged the best of Indian cinema in 1995. As a director, she won a Silver Lotus (Rajat Kamal) for "exposing with insight the fear psychosis and humiliation of women in the patriarchal Indian society".
- In 2000, Scribbles on Akka won the National Award for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic film at the 48th National Awards. As a director, Madhusree won a Silver Lotus (Rajat Kamal) for "exploring the life of a 12th century Karnataka ascetic poet Mahadevi Akka, who was an exponent of individual independence. The relevance of this rebellious poet is treated dramatically, in the context of contemporary times". It also won the Best Script award in Shanghai international film festival and Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) award.
- At the 59th National Awards, Madhusree won a Silver Lotus (Rajat Kamal) for producing Fried Fish, Chicken Soup and a Premiere Show which was selected as the Best Arts/ Cultural Film for 2011.
Did You Know?
Madhusree had received three National Film Awards for her films. Following a countrywide protest led by filmmakers against the state-sponsored rightwing interference into art education institutions in India she publicly relinquished the awards in 2015.
Research by: Geety Sahgal
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