100 Years of Satyajit Ray: Guess which popular Bengali actor debuted with Sonar Kella, and even won a National Award?

The late legend, Satyajit Ray, was a true marvel of a filmmaker with his unparalleled contributions to the world of cinema. As we celebrate the legend’s 100th birth anniversary, we are looking back at some of his cinematic gems.  One of his most widely loved creations is the popular film Sonar Kella. While actors like Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta, and more were also part of Sonar Kella, Kushal Chakraborty stole the show with his debut as a child actor in the film! More so, a young Kushal even bagged a National Award for the performance.

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Kushal Chakraborty’s debut in Satyajit Ray’s Sonar Kella

Satyajit Ray is known for his exceptional artistry, which was largely observed in his films. Sonar Kella was one such timeless creation he gave the world to enjoy forever, which featured actor Kushal Chakraborty as a child artiste. A young Kushal’s immense inherent talent, along with Satyajit Ray’s flawless direction, led to the actor’s artistic success through his debut acting performance in Sonar Kella, at a very young age.

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Kushal Chakraborty’s National Film Award win

A six-year-old Kushal Chakraborty debuted in Ray’s film Sonar Kella as the young little boy Mukul Dhar. Kushal, who later went on to act in numerous successful films and now plays a pivotal part in Zee Bangla’s Jamuna Dhaki, nailed each of his scenes in the film and won over the audience and critics’ hearts with his incredible debut performance. And the National Film Award for Best Child Artist was presented to a young Kushal in 1974 for the same. Kushal’s portrayal of Mukul Dhar in Sonar Kella appeared absolutely effortless on the screen, which was a testament to the superb acting skills he possessed right from his childhood.

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Sonar Kella – Ray’s marvel

The 1974 film Sonar Kella was Satyajit Ray’s film adaptation of his mystery novel of the same name. The film starred notable actors such as Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta, Ajoy Banerjee, Kamu Mukherjee, and Shailen Mukherjee, along with the six-year-old child actor Kushal Chakraborty. Mukul Dhar, essayed by Kushal, was one of the central characters who essentially led the storyline of the film, with Soumitra Chatterjee playing the evergreen role of the private detective Feluda, whom Ray had brought to life.

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Sonar Kella received several awards due to the undeniable wonder of a film that Ray had made it to be, of course with the efforts and excellence of all of its cast and crew. While Sonar Kella saw the debut of Kushal Chakraborty as a child actor in cinema, it showcased his talent through Mukul’s character. Satyajit Ray truly blessed this world with Sonar Kella!