Parbati Ghose

Parbati Ghose was also known as Chapala Nayak and Chandana. She was an Indian actress, film producer, and film director. Also, she was the first female filmmaker to belong the state of Odisha. She was born on March 28, 1933. Parbati Ghose’s place of birth is Manasinghpatana in Cuttack district, Odisha, British India. She completed her early education at Sanat Nalini Girls High School, where she vigorously took part in various cultural and social activities. Also, she took formal lessons in Odissi dance under many gurus. She trained under great exponents like Kelucharan Mohapatra, Suresh Routray, and Dayal Sharma. She belonged to a middle-class family and was rich in education and culture. She is a quick learner and avid reader and became quite proficient in the Bengali language after her marriage.

She had seven siblings. She is the daughter of Late Basudev Naik, a manager in the famous Manmohan Press. Also, he was responsible for the Odiya translation of the Gita. Her mother, Sebati Naik, was a homemaker and hailed from Damodarpur, Cuttack. She married Gour Prasad Ghose in 1959. She had given the platform to become Odisha’s first woman director & producer by her husband. During her early days, she participated in many social causes and state celebrations like Rabindra Jayanti, etc. Parbati Ghose started her career as a child voice actress on All India Radio (AIR) and the social and cultural programs of the Praja Socialist party, before transitioning to on-screen film roles. As a child artist, she marked her film debut in the 1949 film “Shri Jagannath,” where she portrayed the character Nila Madhav.

Parbati Ghose got her big break in the 1953 film “Amari Gaan Jhua,” where she was cast as the female lead actress opposite Rai Gaur. In 1956, she performed as the lead actress in the successful Odia film “ Bhai Bhai Story Coming Soon... >> Read More... ” with her husband, which became famous in the Indian film industry. Parbati Ghose and her husband co-directed, produced and acted in Lakshmi (1962), Stree (1968), and Kaa (1965). These films received the three national film awards for their performances as producers and directors. After a few years, she directed and produced “ Chha Mana Atha Guntha The horrible rule of the Zamindari system is pictu >> Read More... ” in 1986. Also, she worked in Bengali and Hindi language telefilms like “Prashna” and “Sopan.” As a director & producer, her last film was “Salabega” in 1998. She was felicitated by many for her mammoth contributions and received several Lifetime Achievement Awards from reputed organizations. Parbati Ghose lived for 84 years and died on February 11, 2018, in Bubaneshwar. In her honor, the state government of Odisha held a state funeral.