Utpal Dutta was primarily a theatre personality and undoubtedly one of the most versatile actors that the sub continent had produced. He was born in Shillong, Meghalaya in 1929. He participated in English theatre at St Xavier`s College, Calcutta. During his association with Geoffrey Kendal`s Shakespeareana Company which toured India extensively in 1947 and 1953, he learnt the basics of the craft of acting. According to him he learnt the important lesson of the professional approach, the rigid discipline, and the strict routine of rehearsals and exercises. He was considered an expert on Shakespeare. He was not only fluent in Hindi, English and Bengali but he also knew Spanish, German, French and Latin. He had meanwhile formed the Little Theatre Group (LTG), which at first produced English drama, but decided later to exclusively stage Bengali plays.

At the same time Dutt`s political outlook underwent a change. He became a staunch Marxist. He joined the Indian Peoples Theatre Association but left after a couple of years. Activating the Little Theatre Group, he soon established himself as the foremost proponent of political theatre with a pronounced leftist orientation. Among the early productions was Maxim Gorky`s Lower Depths in Bengali inn 1957. In 1959 the LTG secured the lease of Minerva Theatre. At this place Utpal Dutt staged his Angar i.e. `Coal` in 1959. This play was based on a coal-mine disaster. This was the first of a series of spectacular productions in which he aimed to cast a spell on audiences through the use of lights, sound, music, visual grandeur, tense acting, and melodramatic situations. He eminently succeeded. The spell held viewers captive and receptive to the message. His longest-running play at the Minerva was Kallol i.e. `Waves` in 1965. This was based on the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946.

Utpal Dutt mounted his last memorable production at the Minerva, Manusher adhikare i.e. `Of People`s Rights` in 1968. This was staged as documentary drama. This genre was not seen in Bengali theatre before. He developed another effective form of political theatre where reading aloud documented facts were selected to drive home the point of class oppression. His powerhouse performer was also responsible for popularizing Indian street theatre. He used to perform the street-corner or `poster` plays, in open spaces without any aid or embellishment before enormous crowds. The LTG`s ouster from the Minerva did not affect Dutt`s demoniac energy and indomitable determination. He reformed his group in 1969 and renamed it as People`s Little Theatre. He put up powerful plays like Titter taloyar i.e. `Tin Sword` and Duhsivapner nagari i.e. `Nightmare City` in different auditoria. They bore the stamp of his dazzling talent, prolific output, comic acting, unerring sense of theatricality, grasp over stagecraft, and orchestration of diverse elements with a conductor`s assurance.

Utpal Dutt was wholeheartedly devoted to political theatre. But he never ceased to emphasize the importance of classics, directing drama by Shakespeare, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Girish Chandra Ghosh, and Rabindranath Tagore. Towards the end of the 1960s he was drawn towards Jatra. This was a genre rooted in the soil and having immense hold over the masses in the vast countryside. Dutt found it very useful as a communicating medium to spread his leftist credo. He wrote Jatra scripts, produced and acted in them, even formed his own Jatra troupe. Amidst all these activities he was also involved in work for the Party. He wrote serious studies of Shakespeare, Girish Ghosh, Stanislavsky, Brecht, and revolutionary theatre. He also translated Shakespeare and Brecht. Utpal was the author of twenty-two full-length plays, fifteen poster plays, nineteen Jatra scripts, acted in thousands of shows, and directed more than sixty productions. He was a multi talented personality in Bengali theatre with whom very few can compete. Even today theatre festivals held in Kolkata are named after him as `Utpal Dutta Natyotshab.`

Utpal was also a familiar face in Indian Cinema. He did many villainous roles with his characteristic comic tinge. He made a striking film debut as the hero in Michael Madhusudan in 1950, and attracted national attention as the eponymous rail officer in Mrinal Sen`s Bhuvan Shome in 1969. This was followed by the pornographer in Ritwik Ghatak`s Jukti takko ar gappo i.e. `Reason, Debate and a Story` the businessman in Satyajit Ray`s Jana Aranya i.e. `Middleman`, the Hindu who stayed on in East Pakistan in Palanka i.e. `Four-poster` in 1975. Some of his other immemorial roles were the evil politician in Kissa kursi ka i.e. `The Case of the Chair`, the ruthless smuggler in Ray`s Jay Baba Phelunath i.e. `The Elephant God`, the tyrant in Ray`s Hirak Rajardeshe i.e. `Kingdom of Diamonds`, the editor in Sen`s Chalchitra i.e. `Kaleidoscope` and the protagonist in Ray`s Agantuk i.e. `Stranger`. Utpal Dutta was a regular with Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The duo delivered some of the biggest hits in Hindi cinema. These movies, till date, are termed as timeless classics. Their films include Golmaal, Naram Garam, Guddi, Kisi Se Na Kehna and others.

Utpal Dutt directed and scripted Jhar i.e. `Storm` based on the Young Bengal movement. He won the National award in 1969 for his work in the film `Bhuban Som`. He also received Filmfare best comedian award for Golmaal, Naram Garam and Rang Birangi. In 1960, he married actress Sobha Sen. Utpal Dutt died on 19th of August, 1993.

His other films include:

Padma Nadir Majhi	Apne Paraye
Agantuk	Atithee
Jaan Pechaan	Anand Ashram
Path-o-Prasad	Anurodh
Jawani Zindabad	Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye
Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai	Datta
Bahurani	Do Anjaane
Baat Ban Jaye	Santan
Kirayadar	Amanush
Saaheb	Chorus
Anyay Abhchar	Jukti, Takko Aar Gappo
Rang Birangi	Marjina Abdulla
Hamari Bahu Alka	Sriman Prithviraj
Angoor	Ek Adhuri Kahani
Anusandhan	Guddi
Meghmukti	Chowringhee
Shaukeen	Michael Madhusudhan