Biography
Tulsi Lahiri (1897–1959) was a Bengali actor, playwright, director and composer. He was born on 7 April 1897 in Naldanga village, Rangpur District (then British India, now in Bangladesh), into a zamindar family. After qualifying as a lawyer with BA and BL degrees and practising in Rangpur and Kolkata, he moved into music, joining His Master’s Voice as a music director following recordings of his songs.
Lahiri acted on stage and in more than fifty films, beginning in the silent era and continuing through the sound period. His film roles include the manager of the zamindar’s estate in Satyajit Ray’s The Music Room (Jalsaghar, 1958) and a guest in The Philosopher’s Stone (Parash Pathar, 1958). He also wrote screenplays and composed for films, and directed Jamuna Puliney and Radha Krishna in 1933.
As a playwright he is noted for works including Duhkhir Iman (1947) and Chhenra Taar (1950), which addressed the Bengal famine and rural life. He died on 22 June 1959.
