Bengal and art go hand in hand. It is something that the whole of India knows. In fact, one of the Indian cinema’s pioneers Satyajit Ray himself hails from Bengal. There are so many forms of art that one can master, acting, and creating a masterpiece is one of them. Today we are going to give you a list of a few films that one must definitely watch if they want to see art that movies. Here’s a list of Bengali art movies that one must definitely watch once in their lifetime.
P. S. Some might be really old but they have been named and remained as evergreen, so it would be a crime not to mention them.
Pather Panchali (1955)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Throwing it way back with this one here. Said to be one of the greatest story and movie that ever existed in Indian cinema, Pather Panchali is directed by the legend Satyajit Ray himself. The story of the movie is given by Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay and follows the journey of a family that resides in poverty in a village in Bengali. The family consists of two siblings, their parents, and an elderly relative of theirs. The struggles of living in poverty and yet how the kids enjoy the small joys of life and are compassionate shows how one should actually be despite one’s heritage. This was Ray’s directorial debut and was produced and funded by the Government of Bengal.
Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
An utterly moving story that can shake one to the core follows the journey of refugees from the division of East Pakistan and India. The story follows the journey of a young girl named Nita, who is exploited throughout for her kindness and sacrifices that she makes along the way. As time goes by she starts facing more and more issues as her family, which came to India needs someone to become the breadwinner for the family. She becomes that, but with time she ends up becoming a burden to the family. The last line that she utters in the film ends up becoming a very iconic line that can move anyone who hears it.
Subarnarekha (1962)
platform: Amazon Prime Video
A story that is so beautiful and yet so painful, this movie will definitely not let you down. As an upper-caste man arrives in India after the partition in 1947, he takes up a job in an iron foundry. He provides for his younger sister, Sita, and also a foster brother, Abhiram who he bought along with him, as his mother was abducted from the refugee area for being a lower caste. As time goes by they see success but Sita and Abhiram end up falling in love and later eloping. As they try to make their ends meet, Abhiram gets into a tragedy that leaves his wife and son alone. A sad Ishwar founds about the tragedies in his sister’s life and somehow ends up with her son. As time goes, he finds his only will to live in his nephew as life takes everything away from him. This is when it is shown how they move to a home near the river Subarnarekha.
Paromitaar Ekdin (2000)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Directed by Aparna Sen, this movie received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. The film is focused on two contrasting themes of friendship and loneliness. This film shares the story of a friendship between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law. As the film progresses, one will see how the loneliness of a broken friendship can destroy someone. This movie follows the journey of these two women as they try to find happiness in each other.
Chokher Bali (2003)
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video
Now this one stars the ever so beautiful Aishwarya Rai in the lead role along with Raima Sen. It is a beautiful movie depiction of the 1903 novel of the same name written by the legendary Rabindranath Tagore. The story follows the journey of Binondini and Ashalata refer to each other as “chokher bali”, which translates into a grain of sand in the eye. This movie follows the concept of adultery, trust, and lies as one goes through the phase of life and love. A meaningful and moving movie Chokher Bali received various accolades not only from India but from various parts of the world. The movie has been dubbed in Hindi and released internationally.
Abohomaan (2010)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
A story about a muse, a story about how things can inspire you. This film follows the journey of three people, a renowned filmmaker Aniket, his wife Deepti, and a young actress Shikha. The storyline when told might get you really confused but it is so beautifully portrayed in the movie that one will be mesmerized by the act is being carried. This also shows a beautiful part where the audience sees, that life still carries everything round and round making it an eternal circle, which actually translates into the title of the movie, “Abohomaan”.
Goynar Baksho (2013)
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
This isn’t exactly an art movie, but the premise of it is so good that you cannot put it into the mainstream movies category. Starring Konkona Sen Sharma and based on the novel of the same name and short story Rashmonir Sonadana, both written by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and published in Desh Magazine. The story is based on a woman and her beloved box of jewelry which she is so attached to that she will go to any limits. To any limits, meaning she rises from the grave to protect it. She wants to make sure that only her niece-in-law knows about the box and protects the box of her jewelry. This horror-comedy is a must-watch because this story will tell people about the attachment of things to people
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