But what may be his most famous role was the character of the selfless barrister Manish, who is committed to his beloved, a courtesan (played by Suchitra Sen), in Uttar Falguni.

He also did a number of radio plays for Akashvani and shot into fame after being cast in the role of a ruthless, tyrannic military officer in the film '42 that included stars like Abhi Bhattacharya, Manju Dey, and Sombhu Mitra among others as stalwarts.

His acting prowess and versatility could be gauged in films like Ratnadeep, where he plays the role of an imposter who reforms himself, as the prodigal hero in Naa, as the strife-torn co-protagonist in Surjamukhi (which he also produced), as the affluent businessman who rose from the rags in Surya Toran, as a protagonist (opposite Uttam Kumar) who aspires to beat his rival but is torn within himself in Jiban Trishna, as a patriot in Masterda Surya Sen, as the patriarch in Kanch Kata Hirey, as a caring brother in Dhuli, as the quiet and intense husband in Smriti Tuku Thak (opposite Suchitra Sen who plays a double role), as the quarrelsome husband in Jatugriha (directed by Tapan Sinha and starring Uttam Kumar, Arundhati Devi, and Binota Roy), in Baghini as a police officer, in negative roles - Bibhas, Agni Sanskar, Jighansa, Adwitiya, Bhola Moira, and Karcher Swarga, as a compassionate and humorous doctor in Arohi, as a psychological patient in Andhar Periye (both directed by Tapan Sinha), as a quack in Ramer Sumati, as the elder brother and head of the family in Bindur Chheley, as the hapless and helpless father in Maya Mriga in the early 1960s, and as the proud and high-handed father in Devdas (starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Sumitra Mukherjee, Uttam Kumar, and Supriya Devi) in the late 1970s and so on.

He pioneered the holding of stage-plays where the characters read out the play and their respective roles in front of the audience; known as "Shruti Natok" (audio drama).

His love for the silver screen drove him to produce and direct a number of films like Marutirtha Hinglaj, Raja Saja (both featuring Uttam Kumar as the leading actor), Basant Bahar, Carey Saheber Munshi – a film based on the life and times of Ramram Basu (1757–1813), and Debotar Graash, based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore.