Haridhan Mukherjee

Haridhan Mukherjee (10 November 1907 — 26 December 2004) was an Indian actor and singer who is known for his work in Cinema of Bengali cinema as well Bengali theatre. He was known for his versatile acting and portrayal of the next door common man, on screen as well as on stage. Characters with different shades were brought to life with his unique acting style, which made him very popular among the greatest directors of his time.
Haridhan Mukherjee was born on 10 November, 1907 in Khatua village near Gobardanga, 24 Parganas, British India. His real name was Deenbandhu Mukherjee. His parents were Bhubanmohan and Giribala. His father passed away at a very early age after which his mother raised him. He completed schooling at A V school Shyambazar. He used to play small roles in school dramas and one day was praised by play writer Amrita Lal Basu, who was also his school secretary.
He didn't study further after school and tried many odd businesses in order to become self sufficient. After failing in many ventures, he started selling potatoes in local market. He had a knack for singing and acting from young age and learnt Ramayana gaan on his own. He became a popular singer in his neighbourhood and people used the moniker 'Haridhan' (Wealth of Hari) to address him, which later became his stage name.
With his singing he impressed the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Ashutosh Mukherjee and Mahatma Gandhi. It is said that Rabindranath gifted him a katha-stitched shawl upon hearing his singing.
Haridhan used to act in plays organized in neighbourhood functions and family functions. His performance in initial days were noted and appreciated by the likes of Shishir Kumar Bhaduri and Pramathesh Barua. In early 1940s Shishir Bhaduri offered him a role in the play 'Maya' in 'Srirangam' theatre. This initiated a five decades long acting career, where he had worked in multiple plays at 'Natyabharati', 'Star', 'Rangmahal' and 'Kalika' theatre. His famous plays include, Kabi, Ulka, Adarsha Hindu Hotel, Ami mantri habo, Krishnakanter will, Samadhan, Debdas, Saheb Bibi Golam and Ramer sumoti.
His acting career in movies started in 1943 with the movie Khasdakhal. In 1944 he played a comic role in Sandhi where he proved his mettle as a comedian. What ensued was an illustrious career filled with great performances in different roles. He turned himself as director's choice for roles involving deep emotional churn, comic timing, wicked demeanour or a simple amiable personality.
He got associated with famous directors like Satyajit Ray, Tarun Majumdar and Arabinda Mukhopadhyay.
== Selected Filmography ==
Year	Film 	Director 	Role
1943	Sahar Theke Durey 	Shailajanandan Mukherjee	Baul singer
1950	Vidyasagar 	Kali Prasad Ghose 	Brahmin Pandit in Radhakanta's court
1950	Maryada 	Digambar Chatterjee 	
1953	Raja Krishnachandra 	Sudhirbandhu Bannerjee 	
1953	Sharey Chuattor 	Nirmal Dey 	Boarder Shib Babu
1955	Joy Maa Kali Boarding 	Sadhan Sarkar 	
1956	Shyamali 	Ajoy Kar 	
1957	Harishchandra 	Phani Burma 	
1958	Parash Pathar 	Satyajit Ray 	Subodh Perceval Chatterjee
1958	Jamalaye Jibanta Manush	Prafulla Chakraborty 	Village elder
1962	Kanchenjungha 	Satyajit Ray 	Shiv Shankar Roy
1963	Palatak 	Tarun Majumdar 	Manager of Jhumur dal
1965	Mahapurush 	Satyajit Ray 	Ganesh Mama
1965	Abhaya o Srikanta 	Haridas Bhattacharya 	Manohar Babu
1967	Balika Bodhu 	Tarun Majumdar 	
1967	Antony Firingee 	Sunil Bannerjee 	Thakurdas Singha
1968	Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne 	Satyajit Ray 	Village elder
1969	Bibaha Bibhrat 	Ashim Bannerjee 	
1971	Dhanyee Meye 	Arabinda Mukhopadhyay 	Gobardhan's advisor
1973	Basanta Bilap 	Dinen Gupta 	Landlord
1973	Shriman Prithviraj 	Tarun Majumdar 	Sidhu Khuro
1974	Thagini 	Tarun Majumdar 	
1974	Fuleswari 	Tarun Majumdar 	Signal man
1975	Agnishwor 	Arabinda Mukhopadhyay 	Store Babu
1977	Bhola Moira 	Piyush Kanti Ganguly 	
1979	Ghatkali 	Bimal Roy Jr. 	
1980	Hirak Rajar Deshe 	Satyajit Ray 	Royal Astrologer
Category:1907 births
Category:2004 deaths
Category:Indian actors
Category:Bengali male actors