Gour Prasad Ghose
(1929 - 1994)

Gour Prasad Ghose…... a veteran actor, director and producer of the Odiya Film Industry, was a name to reckon with. He was the first romantic actor and a pioneer in this industry. He initiated a lot of proactive changes and paved the way for the future generation of Odiya Cinema.

Gour Prasad Ghose or Rai Gour, as he was initially known, was an eminent personality in the film fraternity. He started his career as a struggling actor and with sheer determination and efforts went on to become a renowned artiste as well as a distinguished producer and director. He was also the distributor for his own productions. His films were highly successful and popular and were milestones in the Odiya Film Industry. All his films were significant for portraying social and cultural dimensions. He never compromised artistic values for commercial success. Along with his wife Parbati Ghose, he achieved both box office success and artistic accolades. Throughout his career he nurtured many newcomers and introduced noted stage and radio artistes in every sphere of film making.

Gour Ghose was born into an affluent Bengali family. His family migrated to Odisha from Bardhaman via Calcutta. Mother, Sudhanshubala, hailed from an extremely educated Bengali family of doctors and engineers from Danapur, Bihar. Father, Late Atul Krishna Ghose, was one of the first few graduates of Odisha and quite proficient in English Literature, often quoting from the works of Shakespeare. Working under the British Government, he made immense contributions towards the development of Odisha, often taking anti-government stance for the betterment of the people. He was associated with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s family, who happened to be his neighbors. Their family home was located at Ganga Mandir, Cuttack, which was adjacent to the property donated to the Brahmo Samaj by them.