Prosenjit Chatterjee

Prosenjit Chatterjee is an actor, director and producer who has been a leading star of Bengali cinema for more than forty years. Fans call him Bumba Da, and the press calls him Jyeshthoputro, meaning "The Eldest Son", and Mr. Industry. He is best known for Amar Sangee, Chokher Bali and Dosar, and he received the Padma Shri in 2026. After a few supporting parts, he played his first lead in Duti Pata (1983). Tarun Majumdar's Pathbhola (1986) won him wide notice, and the blockbuster Amar Sangee (1987) made him a top star. Romantic hits such as Chhoto Bou (1988), Amar Prem (1989) and Biyer Phool (1996) followed, along with action films like Badnam (1990) and Bhai Amar Bhai (1997). He earned critical praise for Devdas (2002), Chokher Bali (2003) and Dosar (2006), and moved into parallel cinema with Autograph (2010). His later films include Praktan (2016), Gumnaami (2019), Khakee: The Bengal Chapter (2025) and Devi Chowdhurani (2025). He has made more than 250 films in Bengali, Hindi and Odia, with roles ranging from romantic heroes to a doctor, an alcoholic and a disabled man. He directed Purushottam (1992), and Sasurbari Zindabad (2000) was the first Bengali film to use CinemaScope. His honours include two National Film Awards, one a Special Mention for Dosar, five Filmfare Awards, six BFJA Awards, the Mahanayak Samman in 2013 and the Banga Bibhushan in 2018.