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Eastern Talkies

Eastern Talkies


Address: RN Tagore Road, Dakshineswar

Years Active: 1946-1962?

First Film: Nandaranir Sansar 

Language: 
Bengali

Director: 
Pashupati Kundu

Released on:
 10.05.47 at Sree

Though work for building the Eastern Talkies Studio began in 1946, movies were made under the Eastern Talkies Banner much earlier. The first film under their banner  Nilanguriya  released in July 1943.  Shahar Theke Dure  the super-duper hit of this banner  came after that. Surendraranjan Sarkar, who helmed this organization, was a relative of Aurora’s Bose family. The only film of their banner that was shot here was Nandaranir Sansar (1948). Thereafter, films of other banners were shot here.
The studio had RCA Record’s Michelle camera, Imou camera and Viten pathfinder along with a modern laboratory. Paritosh Bose and Satya Bandyopadhyay were in charge of sound recording. Dibyendu Ghosh and Sachin Dasgupta looked after cinematography.
If one looks at the records carefully, it is easy to notice that the National Sound Studio and Eastern Talkies operated and gained success around the same time. The two even shut down around the same time  in the early 1960s. Once they folded up, it meant the end of the film studio era of north Kolkata. Apart from the Aurora Studio in the east, the entire work of film shooting now centered around Tollygunje.
Walking down RN Tagore Road from Dakshineswar leads to the erstwhile premise of Eastern Talkies on the right-hand side. A different factory has come up on that premise now. But it is difficult to miss the old red coloured studio building and even the trademark studio floor. On entry with special permission, it is easy to understand that not much has really changed inside. The old buildings remain. It is just that they are now used for other purposes. The studio floor is now used for the factory. The laboratory, office and other houses remain inside. Even the pond remains. In short, the premise constantly reminds that it was once a studio floor. The land is still owned by the Sarkar family.

Selected Bengali Filmography
Film produced by Eastern Talkies and shot at Eastern Talkies Studio:
Nandaranir Sansar (1948).

 Films shot at Eastern Talkies Studio:
Kalo Chhaya (1948), Dakhne Bagh (1949), Kuasha (1949), Darpachurna (1951), Manikjorh (1952), Pasher Bari (1952, jointly with Radha Studio), Makasar Jaal (1953), Bhanga Gara (1954), Sanjher Pradip (1955), Abhagir Swaga (1956), Daner Marjyada (1956), Sadhak Ramprasad (1956), Mathur (1957), Madhureno (1961, jointly with Radha Studio), Bingshati Janani (1964, jointly with Technicians’ Studio and Radha Studio).

Did You Know?

Eastern Talkies Studio was Jean Renoir's working space when he came to Kolkata to shoot The River (1951). It was here that he had easy access to a river, a railway track and a studio. The Gwalior palace in Barrackpore was his prime location. That was not too far away from Dakshineswar. Almost everyone knows about the significance of Renoir’s Kolkata visit on Bengali cinema. Eastern Talkies was witness to this historic event.

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