Mamata Shankar
{{Short description|Indian actress and dancer (born 1955)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Mamata Shankar
|image = Mamata Shankar.jpg
|caption = Shankar in November 2014
|native_name = মমতা শঙ্কর
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|01|7|df=y}}
|birth_place = Calcutta, West Bengal, India
|death_date =
|death_place =
|nationality = Indian
|other_names =
|occupation = {{hlist|Dancer|Choreographer|Actor}}
|known_for = Acting, Dance, Udayan Kalakendra
|spouse = Chandrodoy Ghosh
|children = Ratul Shankar
Rajit Shankar Ghosh
|parents = Uday Shankar (father)
Amala Shankar (mother)
|relatives = Ananda Shankar (brother)
Ravi Shankar (uncle)
}}
Mamata Shankar (born 7 January 1955) is an Indian actress and dancer. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has acted in films by directors including Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh. In addition to being an actress, she is a dancer and choreographer.{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Shamayita |title=Ma's dance moves had a message: Mamata Shankar {{!}} Kolkata News |date=25 July 2020 |website=The Times of India |language=en |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mas-dance-moves-had-a-message-mamata-shankar/articleshow/77164671.cms |access-date=15 January 2022}} She was the niece of musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. Her brother, Ananda Shankar, was an Indo-Western fusion musician.{{cite web |title=Mamata Shankar, Pt Tejendra Narayan among 9 Padma awardees from Bengal |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mamata-shankar-pt-tejendra-narayan-among-9-padma-awardees-from-bengal/articleshow/117559588.cms |website=The Times of India |date=25 January 2025}}
In January 2025, Mamata Shankar was honored with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India.{{cite web |title=Padma Award Winners 2025 Full List: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri |url=https://www.brutimes.com/news/social/padma-awards-2025-arijit-singh-ajith-kumar-shekhar-kapur-and-late-pankaj-udhas-honored-for-excellence |website=Bru Times News |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Padma Awards 2025 announced |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2096285 |website=pib.gov.in}}
Early life and education
Mamata Shankar was born on 7 January 1955 to the dancers Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar.
She was the niece of musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. Her brother, Ananda Shankar, was an Indo-Western fusion musician.
She received her training in dance and choreography at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre, Calcutta under Amala Shankar.[http://www.mamatashankardancecompany.org/mamata_shankar_milestone.htm Milestones] Official biography.
Career
Shankar made her film debut with Mrigayaa in 1976, directed by Mrinal Sen. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film for the year.
Shankar is married, and runs the Udayan - Mamta Shankar Dance Company, which was founded in 1986, and which travels extensively throughout the world, with the 'Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe'. The troupe was founded in 1978, and performed its first production, based on a Rabindranath Tagore work, Chandalika, in 1979.Dialogues in dance discourse: creating dance in Asia Pacific, by Mohd. Anis Md. Nor, World Dance Alliance, Universiti Malaya. Pusat Kebudayaan. Published by Cultural Centre, University of Malaya, 2007. {{ISBN|983-2085-85-3}}. Page 63. It was followed by Horikhela, Aajker Ekalabya, Milap, Shikaar, Mother Earth, Amritasyaputra and Sabari.[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060327/cth1.htm#6 She enjoys the reputation of a classic ‘modern’ dancer] The Tribune, 27 March 2006.
Quoting, Jennifer Dunnings of New York Times :- "A vibrant theatrical experience. What distinguished the work was its way of telling a story so that the most jaded dance goers in the audience were lulled into rapt absorption." This was in 1983, while she reviewed; "Aajker Ekalabya"; a ballet on the theme of Guru-Disciple relationship as prevalent in the present day society.{{cite web |url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/events2001-02/2001-02udayshankar.htm |title=SNA: Events 2001-2002:: |work=sangeetnatak.gov.in |access-date=1 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104842/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/events2001-02/2001-02udayshankar.htm |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.mamatashankardancecompany.org/dance_company_activities.htm |title=Mamata Shankar |work=mamatashankardancecompany.org |access-date=1 September 2015}}
Awards
- 1992: National Film Award – Special Jury Award (Feature Film) for Agantuk
- 1993: BFJA Award – Best Supporting Actress Award for Shakha Proshakha
- 2000: BFJA Award – Best Supporting Actress Award for Utsab
- 2018: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2018 – Best Supporting Actress for Maacher Jhol
- 2023: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2023 – Best Supporting Actress for Projapoti
- 2025: Padma Shri{{cite news |title=Mamata Shankar, Pt Tejendra Narayan among 9 Padma awardees from Bengal |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mamata-shankar-pt-tejendra-narayan-among-9-padma-awardees-from-bengal/articleshow/117559588.cms |access-date=26 January 2025 |work=The Times of India |date=25 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126060556/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mamata-shankar-pt-tejendra-narayan-among-9-padma-awardees-from-bengal/articleshow/117559588.cms |archive-date=26 January 2025}}
- 2025: Filmfare Awards Bangla 2025 – Best Actress (Critics') for Bijoyar Pore{{cite web|url=https://www.filmfare.com/awards/filmfare-bangla-and-glamour-style-awards-2025/bangla-winners |title=Filmfare Awards Bangla 2025 Winners - Complete List Out! }}
Filmography
- Mrigayaa (The Royal Hunt, 1976)
- Oka Oori Katha (The Marginal Ones or The Outsiders, 1977)
- Dooratwa aka Distance (1978)
- Ek Din Pratidin (And Quiet Rolls the Dawn or One Day Like Another (USA), 1979)
- Bapika Bidai (1980)
- Kalankini (1981)
- Kharij (The Case Is Closed, 1982)
- Grihajuddha (Crossroads, 1982)
- Dakhal (The Occupation, 1982)
- Grihajuddha (Crossroads, 1982)
- Nishante (1985)
- Neelkantho (1985)
- Shakha Proshakha (The Branches of the Tree or Les Branches de L'arbre, 1991)
- Agantuk (The Stranger aka Le Visiteur, 1991)
- Sunya Theke Suru (A Return to Zero, 1993)
- Prajapati (1993)
- Sopan (1994)
- Dahan (Crossfire, 1997)
- Utsab (The Festival, 2000)
- Waaris (2004)
- The Bong Connection (2006)
- Samudra Sakshi (2006)
- Ballyganj Court (2007)
- Drishti Pradip (2008)
- Abohomaan (The Eternal, 2010)
- Jaani Dyakha Hawbe (2011)
- Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona (2011)
- Jaatishwar (2014)
- Agantuker Pore (2015)
- Pink (2016)
- Maacher Jhol (2017)
- Flat No 609 (2018)
- Shah Jahan Regency (2019)
- Shesher Golpo (2019)
- Antardhaan (2021)
- Bhotbhoti (2022)
- Antarleen
- Flat No. 609
- Projapoti (2022)
- Shibpur (2023)
- Palaan (2023)
- Pradhan (2023)
- Bijoyar Pore (2024)
- Projapoti 2 (2025)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|0788164}}
- [http://www.mamatashankardancecompany.org/ Mamta Shankar Dance Company, website]
- [http://www.mamatashankarballettroupe.org/ Mamata Shankar Ballet Troupe website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227042528/http://www.mamatashankarballettroupe.org/ |date=27 December 2017 }}
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art|state=collapsed}}
{{National Film Award Special Mention feature film}}
{{Shankar family}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar, Mamata}}
Category:Indian film actresses
Category:Indian female dancers
Category:Indian women choreographers
Category:Indian choreographers
Category:Actresses from Kolkata
Category:Actresses in Bengali cinema
Category:Gokhale Memorial Girls' College alumni
Category:University of Calcutta alumni
Category:Dancers from West Bengal
Category:20th-century Indian actresses
Category:21st-century Indian actresses
Category:Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners
Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award