Ajoy Kar

{{Infobox person

| image =

| name = Ajoy Kar

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|3|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|1|25|1914|3|27|df=yes}}

| death_place = Calcutta, West Bengal, India

| occupation = Cinematographer, film director

| known_for =

Saptapadi
Atal Jaler Ahwan
Saat Pake Bandha
Malyadan
Datta{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/atal-jaler-ahwan-2004|title=ATAL JALER AHWAN|website=bbfc.co.uk|access-date=5 September 2018|archive-date=5 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905224427/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/atal-jaler-ahwan-2004|url-status=dead}}

| yearsactive = 1937–1983

}}

Ajoy Kar (Bengali:অজয় কর; 27 March 1914 – 25 January 1985) was an Indian film director and cinematographer who is known for his Classic film,Saptapadi (1960).

He directed 26 films between 1949 and 1983. His 1961 film Saptapadi was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival. Ajoy Kar provided a whole new expression to Bengali cinema.{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1963 |title=3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963) |access-date=25 November 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116210707/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1963 |archive-date=16 January 2013}} He was a Pioneer of Bengali Romantic Drama.Saptapadi retrospectively at the 45th International Film Festival of India in the "homage section" of Indian panorama. His 1971 film Malyadan won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. Kar made Harano Sur which film was based on 1942 Oscar nominated film Random Harvest which itself based on the novel of same name written by James Hilton.His contemporary filmmakers are Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Asit Sen, Tarun Majumdar. Alongside, Guru Dutt in Bollywood.

Early life

Ajoy Kar was born on 27 March 1914, in Calcutta, British India. He left college in 1931 to become a professional photographer, and took up cinematography a few years later.{{cite book|editor-last1=Rajadhyaksha|editor-first1=Ashish|editor-last2=Willemen|editor-first2=Paul|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|date=1999|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn|location=London|isbn=1-57958-146-3|page=1824|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&q=indian+film+laboratory+calcutta+ajoy+kar&pg=RA1-PA1824|access-date=15 October 2020|archive-date=11 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311091948/https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&q=indian+film+laboratory+calcutta+ajoy+kar&pg=RA1-PA1824|url-status=live}}

Career

After initially working as an assistant to Jatin Das, Kar became a cinematographer at Indrapuri Studios, Calcutta, in 1938. Over the next four decades, he shot more than 80 feature films. He also shot a number of documentary films.

Kar's first film as director was Ananya (1949), made by the Sabyasachi collective launched by Kanan Devi. The first film for which he received individual directorial credit was Bamuner Meye (1949).{{cite web|title=Ajoy Kar - IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438649/#director|website=IMDb|access-date=15 December 2017|archive-date=14 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414203156/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438649/#director|url-status=live}} During the 1950s and early 1960s, he emerged as a key figure in mainstream Bengali cinema, with a string of commercially successful films such as Shyamali (1956), {{Lang|bn-latn|Harano Sur}} (1957), Saptapadi (1961) and Saat Pake Bandha (1963). Of these, {{Lang|bn-latn|Harano Sur}} and Saptapadi involved the popular romantic pair of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. These films also received critical acclaim.

Filmmaking style

From the late 1960s onwards, he made a number of films which were adaptations of well-known literary works, especially those by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. Some of these are Parineeta (1969), Malyadan, Datta (1976) and Naukadubi (1979). In all, he directed 26 films, the last being Bishabriksha (1983). He was influenced by western literature and western Movie. His spectacular camera work created him a Different Personality than other Bengali Filmmakers.

Legacy

Malyadan and Saat Pake Bandha

has been restored and digitised by the National Film Archives of India.{{cite web |title=Digitized and Restored Films List |url=https://nfai.nfdcindia.com/upload/circleIconPdf/1499148501_Digitized%20and%20Restored%20Films%20List.pdf |website=nfai.nfdcindia.com |publisher=National Film Archives of India |access-date=21 June 2018 |archive-date=30 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630135159/https://nfai.nfdcindia.com/upload/circleIconPdf/1499148501_Digitized%20and%20Restored%20Films%20List.pdf |url-status=live }} Goutam Ghose says that Mrinal Sen was compelled to write scripts for directors like Ajay Kar’s Kanch Kata Heera.His works impact and influence on South Indian filmmakers like C. V. Sridhar and P. S. Ramakrishna Rao.{{Cite magazine |last=Ramachandran |first=T. M. |date=2 April 1966 |title=Some Recent Releases |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.20950/page/n725 |magazine=Sport and Pastime |volume=20 |page=52}} and Bollywood filmmaker like Anil Ganguly and Partially influence on Bengali Filmmaker like Tarun Majumdar{{cite book |author1=Gulazar |last2=Nihalani |first2=Govind |last3=Chatterjee |first3=Saibal |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT673 |year=2003 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |page=431}}

Awards and honours

18th National Film Awards – Malyadan won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali.
5th National Film Awards – {{Lang|bn-latn|Harano Sur}} received a Certificate of Merit for 3rd best film in Bengali{{cite web|title=5th National Film Awards|url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm5thNFAAward.aspx|website=Directorate of Film Festivals|publisher=Government of India|access-date=16 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105753/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm5thNFAAward.aspx|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}
9th National Film Awards – Saptapadi received a Certificate of Merit for 2nd best film in Bengali{{cite web|title=9th National Film Awards|url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm9thNFAAward.aspx|website=Directorate of Film Festivals|publisher=Government of India|access-date=16 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202115652/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm9thNFAAward.aspx|archive-date=2 December 2016|url-status=dead}}
Saptapadi was homage at International Film Festival of India, 2022
11th National Film Awards – Saat Pake Bandha received a Certificate of Merit for 2nd best film in Bengali{{cite web|title=11th National Film Awards|url=http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm11thNFAAward.aspx|website=Directorate of Film Festivals|publisher=Government of India|access-date=16 December 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170502124428/http://iffi.nic.in/Dff2011/Frm11thNFAAward.aspx|archive-date=2 May 2017|url-status=dead}}
BFJA Awards 1972—Best Indian Films for Malyadan.{{cite web|title=BFJA Awards (1972)|url=http://www.gomolo.com/7/bfja-awards-1972|website=gomolo|accessdate=21 November 2017|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215001709/http://www.gomolo.com/7/bfja-awards-1972|url-status=live}}
Silver Prize for Best Actress: Suchitra Sen at Moscow International Film Festival for Saat Pake Bandha.
Grand Prix [Nominee] for Ajoy Kar at Moscow International Film Festival, (1963) for Saptapadi.