Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

When it comes to movies and songs, we Bangalis just don’t seem to stop fighting over which one is our favourite! Well, we from Kolkata Sutra bring you the most awaited list of Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

Starting from the vintage camera reels to the fresh releases of this era, Bengali movies provide us with a rich cocktail of culture mixed with talent blotted out in excellent scripts. Talented directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, and Kaushik Ganguly has presented us with some most excellent pieces of all time. Let us take a look at the Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

1. Pather Panchali

The first film in The Apu Trilogy was written and directed by Satyajit Ray in 1995. It is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay‘s 1929 Bengali novel Pather Panchali. This movie is also Satyajit Ray’s directional debut. The movie features Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta, and Chunibala Devi. The movie revolves around the childhood of our beloved protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga and the critical village life as a poor family. The lovely relationship between the two siblings is depicted beautifully in this movie. The heartbreaking situation of Durga’s death evokes a sense of pain in every viewer. This movie is one of the most legendary pieces there ever would be. This movie is a must-watch among all the Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

2. Meghe Dhaka Tara

Meghe Dhaka Tara is a 1960 film written and directed by Ritwik Ghatak, based on a social novel by Shaktipada Rajguru ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’. The film depicts Nita’s life as a beautiful young girl who lives with her family, refugees from East Pakistan, in the suburbs of Calcutta. It is a melodramatic plot with despairing downfalls, while her life is in a grave risk and all she wants is to live.

3. The Japanese Wife

The Japanese Wife is a 2010 Indian-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. It stars Rahul Bose, Raima Sen, and Moushumi Chatterjee, and Japanese actress Chigusa Takaku. The story revolves around a young Bengali village school teacher played by Rahul Bose marrying his Japanese pen friend over a span of love letters. This movie is a rich mixture of romance and passion as the young Bengali teacher remains loyal to his love although he could never meet her.

4. Charulata

Charulata is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray based upon the 1901 novella Nastanirh by Rabindranath Tagore. It features Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, and Sailen Mukherjee. Satyajit Ray has explained complex emotions in the simplest ways in this movie. The soft melancholy of Charulata’s melody unwraps the story slowly and is bound to leave you astounded. 

5. Apur Sansar

The second on the list of The Apu Trilogy this movie depicts the early adulthood of Apu. This film is based on the 1932 Bengali novel, Aparajito, by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. In this Bengali movie, Apu drags on to his life of poverty and faces difficult times and an inability to carry on his higher education. A romantic element comes into play shedding some light on Apu’s life but heartbreakingly, his wife dies giving birth to their son. Further, onto the movie, He renounces his worldly responsibilities and becomes a recluse and travels to different corners of India. Eventually, Apu comes back to his son and the movie ends with the reunion of the father and son in Calcutta.

See the Kolkata wrapped in the blanket of rain here!

6. Koni

Koni is a national award-winning Bengali movie released in 1984 directed by Saroj Dey, starring Soumitra Chatterjee and Sriparna Banerjee. This movie is an adaptation of a Bengali novel by the same name written by Moti Nandi. This Bengali movie revolves around the life of our protagonist Koni in the slums and critical situations of hygiene and nutrition. She fights for her daily life for a family of brothers and sisters who live in extreme poverty. While she swiftly swims across the Ganges, Khitish Sinha discovers her and becomes determined to bloom the swimmer in her. With rigorous training and strict regulations, Koni fights for her life and recognition as she swims to achieve her goals. This Bengali movie is one of the most inspiring stories in the list of Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

7. Jaatishwar

A 2014 Indian Bengali musical drama film directed by Srijit Mukherji starred  Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, and Swastika Mukherjee. The plot depicts the life and works of Anthony Firingee (Hensman Anthony), a 19th-century Bengali language folk poet. The movie is set in a varying timeline of the 19th century and the present day 2013. The plot is entirely about reincarnation and past life which is beautifully depicted with melodies that touch your heart. This Bengali movie has received an 8/10 rating in IMDb, and is a must-watch among the Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

8. Bhooter Bhabishyat

Bhooter Bhabishyat is a spicy amalgamation of most of the talented superstars of the Bengali Movie industry. The deep meaning of the movies is balanced with a generous amount of humour. The Anik Dutta directed movie depicts the future of the past excellently by playing with the presence of spirits alongside the human world by paying homage to the vintage houses of Bengal that are being forced to be torn down in the name of modernization. The film plays with metaphors and sarcasm is a way to leave you clutching onto your stomachs to stop from laughing! This is the funniest movie in the list of Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

9. Mahanagar

Another Ray’ directed Madhabi Mukherjee starer is a 1963 Indian drama film. Based on the short story Abataranika by Narendranath Mitra, this movie is one of the first women-centric movies of the time. This movie was shot entirely in native Calcutta depicting the immediate realities of an urban middle-class lifestyle. This was a time marked by women stepping out of their homes to become an equal part of the economic society. This Bengali movie marks the independence of middle-class women of the time. Despite the societal obstacles the protagonist manages to make her way and become a successful independent woman. This movie is marked as Satyajit Ray’s one of the most ahead-of-time pieces among the Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss!

Favourite movies obviously vary for everyone. But here is a list of all must-watch movies that are too good to be missed out. Bengali cinema has always upheld its culture and charming technicalities throughout. Which one is your favourite among these Top 9 Bengali Movies which you just can’t miss?