Victor Banerjee
Indian actor (born 1946)
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Victor Banerjee (born 15 October 1946) is an Indian actor who appears in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese language films. He has worked with directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, and Montazur Rahman Akbar. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Ghare Baire. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2022 for his contribution to cinema by the Indian Government in the field of art.[1][2]
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Victor Banerjee | |
|---|---|
Banerjee in 2013 | |
| Born | 15 October 1946 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Maya Bhate Banerjee |
| Children | 2 |
| Honors | Padma Bhushan (2022) |
Personal life
Film career
In 1984, Banerjee portrayed Dr. Aziz Ahmed in David Lean's film of A Passage to India, bringing him to the attention of western audiences.[5] He was nominated for a BAFTA Award for the role in 1986, and won the Evening Standard British Film Award and NBR Award (National Board Review, USA) for it. In April 1985, Banerjee received the "Show-a-Rama Award" from the Motion Picture Association of America as "New International Star."[citation needed]
He acted in Merchant Ivory Productions Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures, Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari and Ghare Baire and in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithivi. On the set of Gunday starring Priyanka Chopra, Banerjee has said that he feels "all work is a challenge and therefore fun."[6]
He was also cast in the critically acclaimed role of God in the 1988 production of the York Mystery Plays, by director Steven Pimlott. He was the first Asian to play a lead role in British Theatre.[7]
Filmography
- Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977, dir. Satyajit Ray) (English Title: The Chess Players) - Prime Minister
- Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978, dir. James Ivory)
- Dui Prithibi (1980, dir. Piyush Bose)
- Pikoo (1981, dir. Satyajit Ray)
- Kalyug (1981, dir. Shyam Benegal)
- Jaipur Junction (1982)
- Arohan (1982)
- Doosri Dulhan (1983)
- Protidan (1983)
- Tanaya (1983)
- Ghare Baire (1984, dir. Satyajit Ray) (English Title: The Home and the World)
- A Passage to India (1984, dir. David Lean) - Aziz
- Pratigya (1985)
- Pratikar (1987)
- Ekanta Apon (1987)
- Foreign Body (1986, dir. Ronald Neame)
- Dadah Is Death (1988)
- Aagoon (1988, Dir. Self)
- Madhuban(1984, Dir. Ajoy Kar)
- Debota (1989)
- Aakrosh (1989)
- Byabodhan(1990)
- Lathi (1996, dir.Prabhat Roy)
- Mahaprithibi (1991, dir. Mrinal Sen)
- Bitter Moon (1992, dir. Roman Polanski)
- True Adventures of Christopher Columbus (1992, TV Series)
- Moner Moto Mon (1998, dir. Montazur Rahman Akbar) (Indo-Bangladesh joint production; also known as Raja Rani in India)
- Dada Thakur (2001 film)
- Manush keno Beiman (2002)
- Deva (2002 film)
- Antarghaat (2002, Dir. Tathagata Bhattacherjee)
- Bhoot (2003)
- Joggers' Park (2003)
- Bow Barracks Forever (2004, dir. Anjan Dutt)
- Bandhan (2004 film)
- Parinam (2005 film)
- Yatna (2005)
- It Was Raining That Night (2005)
- My Brother... Nikhil (2005)
- Amavas (2005)
- Home Delivery (2005)
- Bradford Riots (2006) (TV)
- Ho Sakta Hai (2006)
- The Bong Connection (2006, dir. Anjan Dutt)
- Bandhu (2007 film)
- Chaurahen (2007)
- Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)
- Apne (2007)
- Tahaan (2008) (dir. Santosh Sivan)
- Sarkar Raj (2008) (dir. Ram Gopal Varma)
- Sobar Upore Tumi (2009) (dir. F. I. Manik)
- Gumshuda (2010) (dir. Ashoke Viswanathan)
- Gosainbaganer Bhoot (2011) (dir. Nitish Roy)
- Meherjaan (2011) (dir. Rubaiyat Hossain)
- Delhi in a Day (2012) (dir. Prashant Nair)
- Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xhipare (2012) (Assamese film; dir. Bidyut Kotoky)
- Tor Naam (2012)
- Shabdo (2013) (Kaushik Ganguly)
- Kagojer Nouka (2013)
- Shantiniketan-e (2013) (dir. Ashoke Viswanathan)
- Gunday (2014)
- Children of War (2014) (dir. Mrityunjay Devvrat)
- Jeeya Jurir Xubax (2014) (Assamese film; dir. Sanjib Sabhapandit)[8]
- Unfreedom (2014) (dr. Raj Amit Kumar)
- Chakra (2016) (dir. Zubeen Garg)
- Fever (2016)
- Dev Bhoomi (2016) (dir. Goran Pascaljevic) Won Best Picture Award at the Bari International Film Festival in Italy
- Love Express (2016) (dir. Rajiv Kumar Biswas)
- Pensando en el
- The Answer (2018). Starred as Paramahansa Yoganand, the film won a record 17 major International Awards & 48 Nominations.
- High Life (2018) (English language film)
- Joseph – Born in Grace (2019) dir Susant Mishra
- Sannyasi Deshonayok (2020)
- Raktabeej (2023)
- Raktabeej 2 (2025)
- Roi Roi Binale (2025) (dir. Rajesh Bhuyan)
Awards and nominations
Civilian Awards
- 2022 — Padma Bhushan — India's third highest civilian award.[9]
Film awards
| Year | Award | Film | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | BAFTA Awards | A Passage to India | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | [10] |
| 1986 | Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards | Ghare Baire | Best Actor | Won | |
| 1997 | Lathi | Won | |||
| 1985 | Evening Standard British Film Awards | A Passage to India | Best Actor | Won | |
| 1984 | National Board of Review Awards | Best Actor | Won | [11] | |
| 1985 | National Film Awards | Ghare Baire | Best Supporting Actor | Won | [12] |
Political career
Banerjee unsuccessfully contested the 1991 Lok Sabha election in Calcutta North West from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He got 89,155 votes and stood third.[13]
As an active member of the BJP, he was critical of Mulayam Singh Yadav's order to shoot the Karsevaks who had once climbed the Babri Masjid prior to its demolition.[14]
He has been highly critical of what he called Navjot Singh Sidhu's pacifist attitude to terrorism exported from Pakistan.[15]
