Bose was born in Kolkata, though he grew up in Nagpur, where he studied at St. Francis High School.
[1] After completing his education, he started working with the Post and Telegraph Department, so that he could pursue acting on the side, without any family pressure.
His acting in Bimal Roy's Sujata (1959) was appreciated, where he was cast with Nutan, Sunil Dutt and Sulochana.
From the directors, he has worked with Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Satyen Bose, Asit Sen, Dulal Guha and others.
He starred in at least 41 films between 1957 and 1972 and gained a reputation for playing middle class professional figures, particularly doctors and occasionally judges or lawyers.