Dutta, Suresh

Dutta, Suresh (1906-1971) theatre activist and make-up artist, was born in his uncle';s house in dhaka. His ancestors were originally from Rajputana but finally settled in Vikrampur. He studied up to Class VIII in the ramakrishna mission school in Dhaka but left to trade in utensils. He started his theatrical career in the 30';s, playing women';s roles. Among the plays he acted in were Prafulla and Pather She's'e.

While acting in women';s roles, he felt the importance of theatrical make-up, and, after some training in Calcutta and Lucknow, he became a makeup artist. From the 1940';s to the mid-1960';s, he worked as a make-up man for plays at mahbub ali institute, Engineers Institute, and the university of dhaka. Along with this work, he also performed on the stage occasionally, such as in Udayan'a'l'a (1949).

Suresh Dutta was a progressive man and inspired his daughter, Gita Dutta, to perform on stage despite social and religious opposition. Gita Dutta soon became famous in the theatre world. His eldest son, Bangajit Dutta, was also a make-up man of repute. Suresh Dutta died in 1971 in Kolkata. [Anupam Hayat] [Hayat, Anupam  former Public Information Officer, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh]