Premankur Atorthy

{{Short description|Indian actor (1890–1964)}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{more citations needed|date=March 2014}}  {{Infobox person | name = Premankur Atorthy | native_name = প্রেমাঙ্কুর আতর্থী | image = | birth_date = {{birth-date|1 January 1890}} | birth_place = Faridpur, British India | death_date = {{death-date and age|13 October 1964|1 January 1890}} | death_place = Calcutta, India | known = | occupation = Novelist, journalist, film director }} '''Premankur Atorthy''' (1890–1964) was an Indian novelist, journalist, and film director. He was involved in Hindi and Bengali cinema.<ref>[https://cinemaofindia.org/wiki/Premankur%20Atorthy ''Encyclopedia of Indian film'' article on Atorthy] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130414142446/https://cinemaofindia.org/wiki/Premankur%20Atorthy |date=14 April 2013 }}</ref>

==Early life== Atorthy's was born in Faridpur and his initial schooling started at Brahmo School, Kolkata. He then studied variously at Duff School, Keshab Academy, City School and Brahma Boys Boarding and Day School, which were then under the University of Calcutta. His father, Mahesh Chandra Atorthy, was a propagator and writer of the ''Brahma Samaj''.

Atorthy was imaginative and fond of adventure from boyhood. Failing to do well in his school, he ran away from home. At Bombay, he learnt to play the sitar under Ustad Karamatullah. Returning to Kolkata, he started working at a sports goods shop in Chowringee. Subsequently, he worked for the Baikali, Yadughar, Hindustan, Bharatvarsha, Sangkalpa, Nachghar and Bharati.

==Works== He was a noted novelist and playwright, author of many books including compilations of short stories, essays (e.g. on silent film, cf. Atorthy, 1990) and plays. His best- known literary work was ''Mahasthavir Jatak'' (1944), a fictional autobiography in four volumes noted for its irreverent portrayal of Calcutta's early 20th-century élites. Among his other novels are ''Anarkali'' (1925), ''Bajikar'' (1922), ''Achalpather Jatri'' (1923), ''Chasir Meye'' (1924), ''Dui Ratri'' (1927) and ''Takht Taus''. Associated with literary journal ''Bharati'', he edited ''Nachghar'', one of the first performing arts journals to take film seriously, with Hemendra Kumar Roy and film- maker Pashupati Chatterjee.

He founded ''Betar Jagat'', the journal of the AIR, Calcutta (1929). He started as scenarist and actor, using the pseudonym Krishna Haldar, at Indian Kinema Arts (''Punarjanma'', 1927; ''Chasher Meye'', 1931). He remade ''Punarjanma'' in 1932. He joined B. N. Sircar's International Filmcraft as writer and assistant to Prafulla Roy (Chasher Meye is based on Atorthy's novel and script). He also scripted Nitin Bose's ''Buker Bojha'' (1930).

Premankur entered the cinema world with a role in the Bangla film ''Punarjanma''. His first directed film, ''Dena Paona'', was New Theatres' first talkie, made in direct competition with Madan Theatres' ''Jamai Sasthi'' (1931). He made several Hindi films as part of New Theatres' effort to enter the North Indian market, including the classic film of Agha Hashar Kashmiri's play ''Misar Kumari'' to ''Yahudi Ki Ladki'' (1933). His film versions of literary classics, e.g. from Saratchandra Chattopadhyay (''Dena Paona''), Rabindranath Tagore (''Chirakumar Sabha'') and Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay (''Kapal Kundala''), established the élite literary film genre intended to distinguish New Theatres' films from routine stage adaptations and remained important signifiers of high art in Bengali cinema. First Bengali film-maker to work in Western India, e.g. for Kolhapur Cinetone (1935) and for Imperial (1936). Credited with the supervision of H. K. Shivdasani's ''Yasmin'' (1935), made by the Krishna Studio.

==Filmography==

===Director=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Film !! Director !! Role |- | 1927||''Punarjanma'' ||Jayagopal Pillai ||Actor |- | 1931||''Chasher Meye'' ||Prafulla Roy ||Actor |- | 1931||''Dena Paona'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1932||''Chirakumar Sabha'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1932||''Subah Ka Sitara'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1932||''Punarjanma'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Actor, director |- | 1932||''Zinda Lash'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1932||''Mohabbat Ke Ansu'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1933||''Kapalkundala'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1933||''Yahudi Ki Ladki'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1935||''Bharat Ki Beti'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1935||''Karwan-E-Hayat'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1935||''Bhikharan'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1936||''Sarala'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1936||''Hind Mahila'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1937||''Dhanwan'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1938||''Dulhan'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1940||''Kalyani'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1941||''Abatar'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1943||''Dikshul'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director |- | 1950||''Sudhar Prem'' ||Premankur Atorthy ||Director. |}

===Writer===

* ''Sarala'' (1936) * ''Bhikharan'' (1935)... aka ''Song of Life'' (India: English title)

===Actor=== * ''Chasher Meye'' (1931) ... aka ''Farmer's Daughter'' (India: English title)

==References==

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0040892}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atorthy, Premankur}} Category:Male actors from British India Category:20th-century Indian male actors Category:Bengali film producers Category:Film producers from Kolkata Category:Bengali film directors Category:Male actors in Bengali cinema Category:Indian male film actors Category:Bengali writers Category:Indian male screenwriters Category:Film theorists Category:Bengali-language writers Category:Film directors from Kolkata Category:University of Calcutta alumni Category:1890 births Category:1964 deaths Category:Screenwriters from Kolkata Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Category:Male actors from Kolkata Category:Brahmos Category:20th-century Indian screenwriters Category:Novelists from West Bengal Category:People from Faridpur District