Chhabi Biswas Family Collection
Home > Chhabi Biswas Family Collection
Chhabi Biswas, the legendary Bengali actor with his grave baritone, is best remembered for his roles as the quintessential aristocratic patriarch as well as the quintessential Kabuliwallah who is adored by all the little Mini-s of the world. On June 11, 1962, at the age of 61, he met with a fatal accident while driving to his ancestral home in Jagulia. This tragic incident marked the end of an era in the Bengali film industry. While paying tribute to the icon, Satyajit Ray had once confessed: “I doubt if I could ever make the film Jalsaghar without an actor of the calibre of Chhabi babu... only a genius like him could portray these myriad emotions. Jalshaghar, Devi, Kanchenjunga were all written with Chhabi Biswas in mind. Ever since he died, I have not written a single middle-age part that calls for a high degree of professional talent.”
Much like his silver screen characters, Chhabi Biswas had an aristocratic lineage in his personal life. He belonged to a rich zamindar family in north Kolkata’s Beadon Street. The family later shifted to a rented house on Dilkhusha Street. During the riots in 1946, he moved to yet another rented house in Bansdroni. Back in those times, people would see the thespian leaning from the balcony or gardening. His charisma, aura and tall persona could be intimidating to many around him but he liked interacting with neighbours, colleagues and family members, willing to extend a helping hand whenever required.
That red brick house is no more. A multi-storied apartment now stands there. His sons, Dilip and Malay, and daughter Manjula too have passed away. His grandson, Sujoy Biswas, owns a flat in this apartment and runs a tea and snacks joint — Shokaler Adda — on the ground floor. Though he has never met the icon, Sujoy has interesting stories to share about his grandfather. These have been passed down the generations. His wife, Seema, carefully preserves some old albums of the legendary actor. One can see a huge photograph of his grandfather along with his grandmother, Niharbala Biswas, on the wall of Sujoy’s living room. “In early childhood, my grandfather developed a flair for acting in plays,” Sujoy told BFA. “Dadu performed at the local clubs during his stay at his maternal house in Goabagan; this passion became his profession in the later years. He left Presidency College and joined Vidyasagar College to be closer to the doyen of modern Bengali theatre, Sisir Bhaduri.” What’s surprising is that he apparently never encouraged aspirants to take up acting as a career. “At home, we have always heard that Dadu never wanted us to pursue this profession. That’s why no one in our generation ever contemplated taking up acting seriously,” he added.
Surprisingly, Chhabi’s reservations never showed when he performed in front of the camera. Ever since his acting debut in 1936 with Annapurnar Mandir, he has remained an “institution” by himself. It’s not acting alone that interested him. Sujoy goes on to add that his grandfather had varied interests in the creative arts. That included painting too. “I have heard stories of him staying awake till late night to follow his artistic pursuits. At my parent’s wedding, he stayed up all night to design the ‘tatya’ decoration,” he said. Tucked in some corner of his flat lie those art works. The family had hoped that the metro station close to their residence or the road adjacent to their flat would be named after him. But that now seems like a distant dream. All that remains are some precious photos in their private collection that BFA now has access to.
Much like his silver screen characters, Chhabi Biswas had an aristocratic lineage in his personal life. He belonged to a rich zamindar family in north Kolkata’s Beadon Street. The family later shifted to a rented house on Dilkhusha Street. During the riots in 1946, he moved to yet another rented house in Bansdroni. Back in those times, people would see the thespian leaning from the balcony or gardening. His charisma, aura and tall persona could be intimidating to many around him but he liked interacting with neighbours, colleagues and family members, willing to extend a helping hand whenever required.
That red brick house is no more. A multi-storied apartment now stands there. His sons, Dilip and Malay, and daughter Manjula too have passed away. His grandson, Sujoy Biswas, owns a flat in this apartment and runs a tea and snacks joint — Shokaler Adda — on the ground floor. Though he has never met the icon, Sujoy has interesting stories to share about his grandfather. These have been passed down the generations. His wife, Seema, carefully preserves some old albums of the legendary actor. One can see a huge photograph of his grandfather along with his grandmother, Niharbala Biswas, on the wall of Sujoy’s living room. “In early childhood, my grandfather developed a flair for acting in plays,” Sujoy told BFA. “Dadu performed at the local clubs during his stay at his maternal house in Goabagan; this passion became his profession in the later years. He left Presidency College and joined Vidyasagar College to be closer to the doyen of modern Bengali theatre, Sisir Bhaduri.” What’s surprising is that he apparently never encouraged aspirants to take up acting as a career. “At home, we have always heard that Dadu never wanted us to pursue this profession. That’s why no one in our generation ever contemplated taking up acting seriously,” he added.
Surprisingly, Chhabi’s reservations never showed when he performed in front of the camera. Ever since his acting debut in 1936 with Annapurnar Mandir, he has remained an “institution” by himself. It’s not acting alone that interested him. Sujoy goes on to add that his grandfather had varied interests in the creative arts. That included painting too. “I have heard stories of him staying awake till late night to follow his artistic pursuits. At my parent’s wedding, he stayed up all night to design the ‘tatya’ decoration,” he said. Tucked in some corner of his flat lie those art works. The family had hoped that the metro station close to their residence or the road adjacent to their flat would be named after him. But that now seems like a distant dream. All that remains are some precious photos in their private collection that BFA now has access to.
Authored by: Shaoli Mukherjee
