Mukhopadhyay, Bishu

Mukhopadhyay, Bishu (1921-1974) drama personality, renowned for creativity in make-up, costume, stage decoration, was born in Dhaka. Bishu Mukhopadhyay's father, Ramesh Mukhopadhyay, started make-up, stage design, and costume at Manchmaya Theatre at 28, Jorepur Lane, South Moishundi, Dhaka in 1940. His son also became involved with his work and, after the death of his father in 1950, Bishu assumed full responsibility. Among the plays for which he did the make-up are Tipu Sultan, Babge Bargi, Sajahan, and Sirajaddaula. Subsequently, he stopped doing make-up and started stage decoration.

Bishu Mukhopadhyay did the stage sets for the annual plays of Ahsanullah Engineering College, dhaka medical college and hospital, and drama shows by Dhaka University students at curzon hall. He also did the stage design for the auditoriums of Engineers' Institute, WAPDA, TSC, Lalkuthi etc.

His speciality was the introduction of impressionistic sets in place of the traditional realistic ones. He was the first to create a drama set of a two-storey building in Dhaka. He was also famous for set designs which showed a boat moving on waves, a human skeleton floating up from an abandoned house, and, in Rabindranath's dance drama Samanya Ksati, a slum in flames. [Zillur Rahman John]