Tollywood, also known as Cinema of West Bengal, is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

-language

motion pictures A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. It is based in the

Tollygunge Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South In ...

region of

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsHollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, dates back to 1932. It was a historically important film industry, at one time the centre of Indian film production. The Bengali film industry is known for producing many of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

's most critically acclaimed global

Parallel Cinema Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema. Inspired by Italian Neorealism, Parallel Cinema ...

and

art film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

s, with several of its filmmakers gaining prominence at the Indian National Film Awards as well as international acclaim. Ever since

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of ...

's '' Pather Panchali'' (1955) was awarded Best Human Document at the

1956 Cannes Film Festival The 9th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1956. The Palme d'Or went to ''The Silent World'' by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle. The festival opened with '' Marie-Antoinette reine de France'', directed by Jean Delannoy and ...

, Bengali films frequently appeared in international fora and film festivals for the next several decades.Desai, Jigna (2004), ''Beyond Bollywood: The Cultural Politics of South Asian Diasporic Film'', p. 38,

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

, This allowed Bengali filmmakers to reach a global audience. The most influential among them was Satyajit Ray, whose films became successful among European,

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and, Asian audiences. His work subsequently had a worldwide impact, with filmmakers such as

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with scree ...

Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more th ...

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toe ...

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

and

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...

being influenced by his cinematic style, and many others such as

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

praising his work. The "youthful

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...

dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...

that have flooded art houses since the mid-fifties owe a tremendous debt to the Apu trilogy". ''

Kanchenjungha ''Kanchenjungha'' (''Kanchonjônggha'') is a 1962 Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray. The film is about an upper class Bengali family on vacation in Darjeeling, a popular hill station and resort, near Kanchenjunga. Narrative structure The ...

'' (1962) introduced a narrative structure that resembles later

hyperlink cinema Hyperlink cinema is a style of filmmaking characterised by complex or multilinear narrative structures with multiple characters under one unifying theme. History The term was coined by author Alissa Quart, who used the term in her review of the f ...

. Ray's 1967 script for a film to be called '' The Alien'', which was eventually cancelled, is widely believed to have been the inspiration for

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

's ''

E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...

'' (1982).

Ira Sachs Ira Sachs (born November 21, 1965) is an American filmmaker. His first film was the short ''Lady'' (1993). Biography Sachs was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His films include '' The Delta'' (1997), ''Forty Shades of Blue'' (2005), '' Married L ...

' ''

Forty Shades of Blue ''Forty Shades of Blue'' is a 2005 independent film directed by Ira Sachs. It tells the story of Alan James (Rip Torn), an aging music producer who lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his much younger Russian girlfriend Laura ( Dina Korzun). Their l ...

'' (2005) was a loose remake of ''

Charulata ''Charulata'' (Spelt as ''Cārulatā''; ) is a 1964 Indian drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray. Based upon the novel ''Nastanirh'' by Rabindranath Tagore, it stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee and Sailen Mukherjee. The f ...

'' (1964), and in

Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and went on t ...

's ''

My Family ''My Family'' is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadc ...

'' (1995), the final scene is duplicated from the final scene of ''

The World of Apu ''Apur Sansar'' ( bn, অপুর সংসার), also known as ''The World of Apu'', is a 1959 Indian Bengali-language drama film produced, written and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based on the second half of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's ...

''. Similar references to Ray films are found in recent works such as '' Sacred Evil'' (2006), the '' Elements trilogy'' of

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth'' (1998), and ''Water'' (2005). ''Earth'' was submitted by India as its official ...

, and in films of

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran ...

. Another prominent Bengali filmmaker is

Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen (''Beng.'' মৃণাল সেন; 14 May 1923 – 30 December 2018) was an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Ind ...

, whose films have been well known for their

Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...

views. During his career, Mrinal Sen's films have received awards from major film festivals, including

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

, Berlin,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Moscow,

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. It is n ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...

. Retrospectives of his films have been shown in major cities of the world. Another Bengali filmmaker,

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily rememb ...

, began reaching a global audience long after his death; beginning in the 1990s, a project to restore Ghatak's films was undertaken, and international exhibitions (and subsequent DVD releases) have belatedly generated an increasingly global audience. Some of his films have strong similarities to later famous international films, such as ''

Ajantrik ''Ajantrik'' (known internationally as ''The Unmechanical'', ''The Mechanical Man'' or ''The Pathetic Fallacy'') is a 1958 Indian Bengali film written and directed by revered parallel filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. The film is adapted from a Benga ...

'' (1958) resembling the

Herbie Herbie, the Love Bug is a fictional sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, who has been featured in several Walt Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film ''The Love Bug''. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, ...

films (1967–2005), and ''

Bari Theke Paliye ''Bari Theke Paliye'' (English-language title: ''Runaway'' or ''The Runaway'') is a 1958 coming-of-age Bengali film by director Ritwik Ghatak. It stars Parambhattarak Lahiri, Kali Bannerjee, Nripati Chatterjee, Padma Devi, and Gyanesh Mukher ...

'' (1958) resembling

's ''

The 400 Blows ''The 400 Blows'' (french: Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut. The film, shot in DyaliScope, stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of the ...

'' (1959) and Another Bengali filmmaker is

Tapan Sinha Tapan Sinha (2 October 1924 – 15 January 2009) was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time forming a legendary quartet with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. He was primarily a Bengali filmmaker who worked both ...

, whose films have been well known for Best literature Adaptation and Larger than life. The cinematographer Subrata Mitra, who made his debut with Ray's ''The Apu Trilogy'', also had an important influence on

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

across the world. One of his most important techniques was bounce lighting, to recreate the effect of daylight on sets. He pioneered the technique while filming '' Aparajito'' (1956), the second part of ''The Apu Trilogy''. Some of the experimental techniques which Satyajit Ray pioneered include photo-negative flashbacks and

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

digression Digression (''parékbasis'' in Greek, ''egressio'', ''digressio'' and ''excursion'' in Latin) is a section of a composition or speech that marks a temporary shift of subject; the digression ends when the writer or speaker returns to the main topic. ...

s while filming ''

Pratidwandi ''Pratidwandi'' ( en, The Adversary, Siddharta and the City, italic=yes) is a 1970 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray based on the novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It is the first part of the Calcutta Trilogy. ''Pratidwa ...

'' (1972).

Etymology

Tollywood was the very first Hollywood-inspired name, dating back to a 1932 article in the ''

American Cinematographer ''American Cinematographer'' is a magazine published monthly by the American Society of Cinematographers. It focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, covering domestic and foreign feature productions, television productions, short films, mu ...

'' by Wilford E. Deming, an American engineer who was involved in the production of the first Indian sound film. He gave the industry the name Tollywood because the

district in which it was based rhymed with "Hollywood", and because Tollygunge was the centre of the

cinema of India The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

as a whole at the time much like Hollywood was in the

cinema of the United States The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Am ...

. In that same March 1932 article, Deming was also considering the name "Hollygunge" but decided to go with "Tollywood" as the nickname for the Tollygunge area due to "Tolly being a proper name and Gunge meaning locality" in the

Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken ...

. It was this "chance juxtaposition of two pairs of rhyming syllables," Holly and Tolly, that led to the name "Tollywood" being coined. The name "Tollywood" went on to be used as a nickname for the Bengali film industry by the popular

-based '' Junior Statesman'' youth magazine, establishing a precedent for other film industries to use similar-sounding names. Tollywood later went on to inspire the name "

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

" (as the

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

-based industry overtook the one in Tollygunge), which in turn inspired many other similar names.

History

The history of cinema in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

dates to the 1920s when the first " bioscopes" were shown in theatres in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

. Within a decade, Hiralal Sen, considered a stalwart of

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

cinema set up the

Royal Bioscope Company The Royal Bioscope Company was the first film production company in Bengal, and possibly the first in India, set up in 1898 by Hiralal Sen, along with Matilal Sen, Deboki Lal Sen, and Bholanath Gupta. The initial productions used an Urba ...

, producing scenes from the stage productions of a number of popular shows at the

Star Theatre A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ...

, Minerva Theatre,

Classic Theatre A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a '' ...

. Following a long gap after Sen's works,Pioneers of Bangladeshi Cinema

Dhirendra Nath Ganguly Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (26 March 1893 – 18 November 1978), better known as Dhiren Ganguly or D.G, was a Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning and Padma Bhushan recipient film entrepreneur/actor/director of Bengali Cinema. He had set up a number of ...

(known as D.G.) established the

Indo British Film Co The Indo British Film Co was a film production company set up by Dhirendra Nath Ganguly in 1918. Bengali Ownership It was the first Bengali owned production company in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a coun ...

, the first Bengali-owned production company, in 1918. However, the first Bengali feature film, '' Billwamangal'', was produced in 1919, under the banner of

Madan Theatre Madan Theatre Company, also known as Madan Theatres Limited or Madan Theatres in short, was a film production company founded by Jamshedji Framji Madan, one of the pioneers of Indian Cinema. History Madan, a young Parsi businessman, who had expe ...

. '' Bilat Ferat'' was the IBFC's first production in 1921. The

production of ''

Jamai Shashthi ''Jamai Shashthi'' ( bn, জামাই ষষ্ঠী English: Son-in-law day) is a 1931 Bengali short film directed by Amar Choudhury and produced by Madan Theatre Limited. It is a milestone of Bengali cinema as it was the first Bengal ...

'' was the first Bengali

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

. A long history has been traversed since then, with stalwarts such as

Ajoy Kar Ajoy Kar ( Bengali:অজয় কর; 27 March 1914 – 25 January 1985) was an Indian film director and cinematographer . He directed 26 films between 1949 and 1983. His 1961 film ''Saptapadi'' was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Fi ...

and others earning international acclaim and securing their place in the movie history.

Early development

Silent era: 1919-1930

Hiralal Sen, India is credited as one of Bengal's, and India's first directors. These were all

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s. Hiralal Sen is also credited as one of the pioneers of advertisement films in India. The first Bengali-language movie was the silent feature '' Billwamangal'', produced by the Madan Theatre Company of Calcutta and released on 8 November 1919, only six years after the first full-length Indian feature film, '' Raja Harish Chandra'', was released. The early beginnings of the "talking film" industry go back to the early 1930s when it came to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, and to Calcutta. The movies were originally made in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Persian to accommodate a specific elite market. One of the earliest known studios was the East India Film Company. The first Bengali film to be made as a

was ''

'', released in 1931. At this time the early heroes of the Bengali film industry like

Pramathesh Barua Pramathesh Chandra Barua (24 October 1903 – 29 November 1951) was an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter of Indian films in the pre-independence era, born in Gauripur, Dhubri, Assam. Early life Barua was the son of the royal family of ...

and

Debaki Bose Debaki Bose (1898–1971), also known as Debaki Kumar Bose, was an Indian director, writer, and actor who is recognized for his contribution in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema. He was born on 25 November 1898 in Akalposh, (now East Burdwan), Bu ...

were at the peak of their popularity. Barua also directed movies, exploring new dimensions in Indian cinema. Debaki Bose directed ''Chandidas'' in 1932; this film is noted for its breakthrough in recording sound. Sound recordist Mukul Bose found a solution to the problem of spacing out dialogue and frequency modulation.

Rise of the talkie: 1931-1947

The contribution of the Bengali film industry to

Indian film The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

is quite significant. First Bengali

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

'' (as a short film) was released on 11 April 1931 at Crown Cinema Hall in Calcutta and the first Bengali

as full-length feature film '' Dena Paona'' was released 30 December 1931 at Chitra Cinema Hall in Calcutta. The industry was based in

, an area of South Kolkata,

that is more elite and artistically inclined than the usual

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

cinema fare in India.

Golden era: 1952-1975

Bengali cinema enjoyed a large, even disproportionate, representation in Indian cinema during this period. They produced directors like Satyajit Ray, who was an

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Moti ...

winner, and the recipient of India's and France's greatest civilian honours, the

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ''Jewel of India'') is the highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest orde ...

and

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

respectively, and

, who is the recipient of the French distinction of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters and the Russian

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

. Other prominent filmmakers in the Bengali film industry at the time included

and

. The Bengali film industry has produced classics such as '' Nagarik'' (1952), ''

The Apu Trilogy ''The Apu Trilogy'' comprises three Indian Bengali-language drama films directed by Satyajit Ray: '' Pather Panchali'' (1955), '' Aparajito'' (1956) and '' The World of Apu'' (1959). The original music for the films was composed by Ravi Shanka ...

'' (1955–1959), '' Jalsaghar'' (1958), ''

'' (1958), ''

Neel Akasher Neechey ''Neel Akasher Neechey'' (Bengali: নীল আকাশের নীচে ''Nil akasher niche'', "Under the Blue Sky") is a 1958 Bengali language drama film directed by Mrinal Sen and produced by Hemanta Mukherjee, starring Kali Bannerjee, ...

'' (1959), ''

Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidd ...

'', ''

Devi Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

'' (1960), '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'' (1960), ''

Hatey Bazarey ''Hatey Bazarey'' or ''Hate Bazare'' (Bengali: হাটে বাজারে; English: The Market Place) is a 1967 award-winning art film by noted Bengali director Tapan Sinha and produced Asim Dutta, the story revolves around the conflict betw ...

''(1967), the Calcutta trilogies (1971–1976),

Malyadan ''Malyadan'' (also ''Malyadaan''; English: ''The Garlanding'', also ''The Wedding Garland'') is a 1971 Bengali film directed by Ajoy Kar, based on a short story by Rabindranath Tagore, and starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabitri Chatterjee and Nand ...

(1971) etc. In particular, ''The Apu Trilogy'' is frequently listed among the greatest films of all time. UttamKumar

The most well-known

actor to date has been

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar ( bn, উত্তম কুমার; born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), popularly known as the Mahanayak, was an Indian actor, producer, director, script writer, composer, and singer who predom ...

while

Suchitra Sen Suchitra Sen ( ; born as Roma Dasgupta (; 6 April 1931 – 17 January 2014) was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema ...

is regarded as the most beautiful and influential actress of Bengali cinema.

Kumar A coin, around 200 BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya">Yaudheyas.html" ;"title="BCE, of the Yaudheyas">BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya Kumar (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: wikt:कुमा ...

and Sen were known as "The Eternal Pair" in the late 1950s. Apart from Sen,

Sabitri Chatterjee Sabitri Chatterjee (born 22 February 1937) is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali theatre and cinema. Her career spans more than 60 years. She is the recipient of BFJA Awards for two times. In 1999, she was conferred with Sa ...

and Sumitra Devi were very popular actresses of the 1950s.

Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatterjee (also spelt as Chattopadhyay; 16 June 193515 November 2020) was an Indian film actor, play-director, playwright, writer, thespian and poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of I ...

is a notable actor, having acted in several Satyajit Ray films, and considered as a rival to

in the 1960s. He is famous for the characterization of

Feluda Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra itter'', is a fictional detective, Private investigator created by famous Indian director and writer Satyajit Ray. Feluda resides at 21 Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Calcutta, West Bengal. Feluda first made his ap ...

in ''Sonar Kella'' (1974) and '' Joi Baba Felunath'' (1978), written and directed by Ray. He also played the adult version of Apu in ''

'' (1959), directed by Ray. In the 1960s, Bengal saw a host of talented actresses like

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (, ''Ôporna Shen'') is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five F ...

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the F ...

Madhabi Mukherjee Madhabi Chakraborty (''née'' Mukherjee; born 10 February 1942) is an Indian actress. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Bengali film ''Dibratrir Kabya''. She has acted in some of the most critically ac ...

Sandhya Roy Sandhya Roy is an Indian actress and politician. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She is the recipient of BFJA Award for three times, and one Filmfare Awards East best actress for '' Ganadevata''. Roy made her cinematic debut wit ...

and,

Supriya Devi Supriya Devi (Supriya Choudhury; 8 January 1933 – 26 January 2018) was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film '' Megh ...

. Aparna Sen was one of the most successful actresses of the Golden Era. She became the leading heroine of the 1970s and since 1981 she has been directing films. One of the most well-known Bengali actresses was

, who debuted in Ray's ''The World of Apu'', and became a major actress in Bengali cinema as well as Bollywood. Despite Suchitra Sen being the greatest actress, Sharmila was the most commercially successful actress in history with films like ''The World of Apu'' (1959), ''Devi'' (1960), ''Nayak'' (1966), ''Simabaddha'' (1967), and ''Aranyer Dinratri'' (1970).

Utpal Dutt Utpal Dutta () (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993) was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the "Little Th ...

is internationally known for his acting in movies and plays, especially Shakespearean plays.

Bhanu Bandopadhyay Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, also known as Bhanu Banerjee (born as Samyamoy Bandyopadhyay; 26 August 1920 – 4 March 1983), was an Indian actor, known for his work in Bengali cinema. He acted in over 300 movies, in numerous plays and performed freque ...

Rabi Ghosh Robi Ghosh ( bn, রবি ঘোষ) (24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Bengali cinema. He is known for his comic appeal, though his versatile acting talent brought him success in various kin ...

, and Anup Kumar were best known for their comic timing, and with their versatile acting talent they stunned the audience and critics. The pioneers in Bengali film music include

Raichand Boral Rai Chand Boral (19 October 1903 – 25 November 1981) was an Indian composer, considered by music connoisseurs to be the Bhishma Pitamah, the father of film music in India. He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in India ...

, Pankaj Mullick, and K. C. Dey, all associated with New Theatres Calcutta. The greatest composers of the golden era included

Robin Chatterjee Robin Chatterjee was an Indian music director and sound recordist who scored music for about ninety films. Starting from the 1942 film '' Parineeta'', he has composed music for evergreen soundtracks such as '' Godhuli'', '' Bipasha'', ''Sagarika ...

Sudhin Dasgupta Sudhin Dasgupta ( bn, সুধীন দাশগুপ্ত; 9 October 1929 – 10 January 1982) was a prolific Bengali music director, lyricist, and singer. He worked in various other Indian languages, such as Hindi, Assamese and Oriya ...

Nachiketa Ghosh Nachiketa Ghosh (28 January 1925 – 12 October 1976) was a Bengali music director in India. He mainly composed for Bengali language, Bengali, Hindi, and Oriya language, Oriya songs. Bengali filmography as music composer References

*Nac ...

Hemant Kumar Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...

etc.

Modern revival: 1990s to 2017

The revival in Bengali cinema dates from the rise of directors such as

Shakti Samanta Shakti Samanta (13 January 1926 – 9 April 2009) was an Indian film director and producer, who founded Shakti Films in 1957, which is most known for films such as ''Anand Ashram'' (1977), Anusandhan /'' Barsaat Ki Ek Raat'' (1981), ''anay abhi ...

Tarun Majumdar Tarun Majumdar (or Mazumdar, 22 September 1931 – 4 July 2022) was an Indian film director and Screenwriter who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He received four National Awards, seven BFJA Awards, five Filmfare Awards and an Anandal ...

Rituparno Ghosh Rituparno Ghosh (31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for his ...

Buddhadeb Dasgupta Buddhadeb Dasgupta (11 February 1944 – 10 June 2021) was an Indian filmmaker and poet best known for his Bengali-language films like ''Bagh Bahadur'', '' Tahader Katha'', ''Charachar'' and ''Uttara''. Five of his films have won the National ...

, Suman Ghosh (director) and Subrata Sen. Rituparno Ghosh made his first film ''

Hirer Angti ''Hirer Angti'' ( bn, হীরের আংটি) is a 1992 Bengali film by Rituporno Ghosh based on a story of the same name by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. Plot Gandharva Kumar's arrival disrupts the festive mood of Durga Puja at Ratanlal Babu' ...

'' in 1992 and dominated Bengali cinema until his death in 2013, winning numerous national awards for films like ''

Unishe April ''Unishe April'' (, ) is a 1994 Indian Bengali-language drama film directed by Rituparno Ghosh and produced by Renu Roy under the banner of Spandan Films. It stars Aparna Sen and Debashree Roy while Prosenjit Chatterjee and Deepankar De appear ...

'', '' Dahan'' and ''

Utsab ''Utsab'' () is a 2000 Bengali-language drama film directed by Rituparno Ghosh and stars Madhabi Mukherjee, Mamata Shankar, Rituparna Sengupta, Prasenjit Chatterjee, Pradip Mukherjee, Deepankar De and Arpita Pal. The film focuses on the various ...

''. Aparna Sen made her directorial debut in 1981 with the internationally lauded '' 36 Chowringhee Lane'', which looked at the lives of Anglo-Indians living in Calcutta. Her later films have also been celebrated: ''

Paromitar Ek Din ''Paromitar Ek Din'' ( bn, পারমিতার একদিন ''Paromitar Êkdin'', lit. "One day of Paromita's", English title: ''House of Memories'') is a 2000 Indian Bengali drama film directed by Aparna Sen. Plot The film explores t ...

'', '' Mr and Mrs Iyer'', ''

15 Park Avenue ''15 Park Avenue'' is a 2005 English-language Indian film directed by Aparna Sen. It stars Shabana Azmi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Soumitra Chatterjee, Waheeda Rehman, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Rahul Bose and Kanwaljeet Singh.It won the National Film ...

'', ''

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 in the title role. It is in English, Be ...

'', '' Goynar Baksho'', etc. Buddhadeb Dasgupta is best known for award-winning films like ''

Uttara (film) ''Uttara'' ( en, The Wrestlers, bn, উত্তরা) is a 2000 Bengali language drama film thriller directed by Bengali poet Buddhadev Dasgupta. Based on a short story by Samaresh Bose, it stars Jaya Seal as Uttara, Tapas Paul, Shankar Ch ...

'', ''

Mondo Meyer Upakhyan ''Mondo Meyer Upakhyan'' ( Bengali: ''মন্দ মেয়ের উপাখ্যান'') is a 2002 Indian Bengali-language film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta. The film was also released under the English title ''A Tale of A ...

'', ''

Charachar ''Charachar'' ( English language:''Shelter of the Wings'', bn, চরাচর ) is a 1993 Bengali drama film directed and written by Buddhadev Dasgupta based on a novel by Prafulla Roy. Plot Lakha (Rajit Kapoor) comes from a family of bird ...

'',

Janala ''Janala'' ( The window) is a 2009 Bengali film directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta and produced under Reliance Pictures banner. The music of the film was composed by Biswadeb Dasgupta. The film received best film's title in the 54th Asia Pacific Fil ...

. In turn, they have also turned the cinematic spotlight on Kolkata, acquainting the city with a much wider national and global audience (''

Kahaani ''Kahaani'' (; ) is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language thriller film co-written, co-produced and directed by Sujoy Ghosh. It stars Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in Kolkata during the festival of Durga ...

'', ''

Piku ''Piku'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. It stars Deepika Padukone as the titular protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, with ...

'', ''

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ''Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language mystery action thriller film directed by Dibakar Banerjee, and produced by Banerjee and Aditya Chopra. The story is based on the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi created by the ...

''). Successful Bengali films are getting their Hindi remakes in Bollywood, Marathi Remakes in Marathi Films, Malayalam Remakes In Malayalam Films (''

Hemlock Society (film) ''Hemlock Society'' is an Indian Bengali romantic dark comedy released on 22 June 2012, directed by Srijit Mukherji, who is also the director of ''Autograph'' and ''Baishe Srabon''. The film's cast consists of Parambrata Chatterjee, Koel Malli ...

'', ''

Ramdhanu ''Ramdhanu'' ( en, The Rainbow) is a 2014 Bengali family drama film, adapted from Suchitra Bhattacharya's short story, Ramdhanu Rawng and directed by Nandita Roy & Shiboprosad Mukherjee, the directors of Icche, Muktodhara, Accident and Alik Sukh ...

'', ''

Bhooter Bhabishyat ''Bhooter Bhabishyat'' (ভূতের ভবিষ্যৎ en, Future of the past or future of ghost) is a 2012 Indian Bengali ghost comedy film directed by Anik Dutta. The film became one of the biggest hits of 2012 among the Bengali films ...

'' , '' Praktan'', ''

Rajkahini ''Rajkahini'' (English: ''Tale of Kings'', can also be called ''Tale of the Raj'') is an Indian Bengali-language historical drama film directed by Srijit Mukherji. The shooting of the film completed in June 2015 and the film released on 16 Oct ...

''). Bengali directors who have found artistic and commercial success in contemporary Hindi films are:

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is an Indian film director. He is the director and producer of multiple Bengali and Hindi films. He directed the highly successful Hindi movie ''Pink'' which received accolades from film critics and movie lovers alike. C ...

Neeraj Pandey Neeraj Pandey (born 17 December 1973) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Pandey was made his directoral debut in ''A Wednesday!'', which was largely praised by critics and which later became a recip ...

, Sujit Mondal,

Ayan Mukerji Ayan Mukerji (born 15 August 1983) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi films. Mukerji made his directorial debut at the age of 26 with the coming-of-age comedy '' Wake Up Sid'' (2009). The film opened to stro ...

Pradeep Sarkar Pradeep Sarkar (born 30 April 1955) is a writer and director who works in Bollywood. He began his career with Vinod Chopra Productions, the production company of director and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Personal life From a young boy lis ...

Shoojit Sircar Shoojit Sircar (born ) is an Indian filmmaker, director and producer known for his work in Hindi films. He has received several awards, including two National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award from five nominations. Sircar made his directorial ...

and

Sujoy Ghosh Sujoy Ghosh is an Indian film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. He has directed ''Jhankaar Beats'' (2003), '' Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak'' (2005), '' Aladin'' (2009), ''Kahaani'' (2012), ''Kahaani 2'' (2 ...

Srijit Mukherjee Srijit Mukherji is an excellent national award winning Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Bengali cinema. His regular collaboration with veteran actor Prosenjit Chatterjee brought him into the limelight. His first ...

Modern era: 2017 to present

In recent years, a younger generation of Bengali directors has come to the fore. Many work in the domestic film industry, while others have gone on to Bollywood. Successful films by directors from this generation include ''

Generation Ami , image = Generation Ami poster.jpg , director = Mainak Bhaumik , producer = Mahendra Soni Shrikant Mohta , screenplay = Mainak Bhaumik , story = Mainak Bhaumik , starring = Rwitobroto MukherjeeSau ...

'', ''

Amazon Obhijaan ''Amazon Obhijaan'' ( The Amazon expedition) is a 2017 Indian Bengali-language action-adventure film written and directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni under the banner of Shree Venkatesh Films. S ...

'', ''

Dracula Sir ''Dracula Sir'' is a 2020 Indian Bengali language, Film Noir psychological thriller, non-linear structured film directed by Debaloy Bhattacharya and the film produced by Shrikant Mohata and Mahendra Soni under the banner of SVF. The film star ...

'', '' Nagarkirtan'', '' Praktan'', ''

Bibaho Diaries ''Bibaho Diaries'' (2017) is an Indian Bengali-language romantic comedy film directed by Mainak Bhaumik and produced by Rupa Datta, under the banner of Camellia Productions. It stars Ritwick Chakraborty and Sohini Sarkar in lead roles. A sequel ...

'', ''

Asur Asur may refer to: * ''Asur'' (film), a 2020 Indian Bengali-language drama film * ''Asur'' (web series), a 2020 Indian Hindi-language web-series *Asur people, a Munda-speaking tribe of iron-smelters in Jharkhand * Asur, Thanjavur district, a villa ...

'', ''

Golondaaj ''Golondaaj'' is a 2021 Indian Bengali-language historical sports drama film directed by Dhrubo Banerjee and produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni under the banner of SVF. The film stars Dev, Alexx O'Nell, Anirban Bhattacharya, Ishaa ...

'', and ''

Kidnap In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

''. This era's notable filmmakers in the black comedy and crime genres include Srijit Mukherji, Arun Roy,

Arindam Sil Arindam Sil is an Indian actor, film director and line producer. Early life Sil was born on 12 March 1964 in North Calcutta to a traditional joint family. He was a student of St. Joseph's College, Calcutta, and St. Xavier's College, Kolkata ...

Raj Chakraborty Raj Chakraborty (born 21 February 1975) is an Indian film director, actor, producer and politician. He is one of the most commercially successful film-makers in Tollywood. Before directing his debut film, he was busy in Bengali TV. Raj Chakrabo ...

Anjan Dutta Anjan Dutt (Bengali: অঞ্জন দত্ত) is an Indian film director, actor, and singer-songwriter known for his work in the Bengali alternative music genre ''anyodharar gaan''. As an actor, Dutt began his career in Bengali cinema i ...

, and Pratim D Gupta, Ishaan Ghose. Detective and superhero films have also been popular, owing to the work of directors like Feluda, Byomkesh, Sona Da, Eken Babu, Kakababu, Sankar, Mitin Mashi, Sabor Dasgupta, and Tenida. Dramatic filmmakers include Shiboprosad Mukherjee,

Mainak Bhowmick Mainak Bhaumik is a Bengali film director and editor. He made his directorial debut with 2006 Bengali film ''Aamra''.In 2012, he made another Bengali film Bedroom, a dark ensemble film about the new generation of young Indians. His critically an ...

Indrasis Acharya Indrasis Acharya is an Indian film director working in Bengali cinema. He came to the prominence after directing his first feature film, '' Bilu Rakkhosh'' which won acclaim in both national and international sphere. Indrasis next worked in ''Pu ...

Atanu Ghosh Atanu Ghosh is an Indian filmmaker. His Bengali film '' Mayurakshi'' (2017) was awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. His film Angshumaner Chhobi, Mayurakshi, Binisutoy, Abby Sen and Rupkatha Noy, bagged multiple ...

, and Sujit Mondal, whereas filmmakers such as

Anik Dutta Anik DuttaSpelling according to The Times of India' is a Bengali language, Bengali film director who made his directorial debut in 2012 Bengali film Bhooter Bhabishyat. In 2012 he started working on a film on Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's novel ''Asch ...

and Aniket Chattopadhyay primarily work in comedy and satire. Other critically and commercially successful filmmakers include Raja Chanda and Haranath Chakraborty. During this period, actors such as

Prosenjit Chatterjee Prosenjit Chatterjee (born 30 September 1962) is an Indian actor and producer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading actors in modern Bengali cinema. He predominantly works in Bengali cinema . He is the son of veteran Bollywood actor Bis ...

Dev Dev, sometimes capitalized as DEV, can be referred as: People Single names * Dev (born 1982), Indian actor * Dev (born 1984), British radio presenter, DJ and actor * Dev (born 1989), American singer * Dev, Indian actor First names * Dev Anand (19 ...

, Jeet,

Ankush Hazra Ankush Hazra is an Indian actor, film producer, dancer, television personality in Bengali Film Industry. He debuted in 2010 with the film ''Kellafate''. He has also appeared in '' Khiladi'', ''Kanamachi'', '' Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay'', ''Vil ...

Jishu Sengupta Jisshu Ujjwal Sengupta (born 15 March 1977) is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter. who predominantly works in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu films. Sengupta made his debut through a Bengali TV series, '' Mahaprabhu'' where he portrayed ...

Abir Chatterjee Abir Chatterjee (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of theater personalities Phalguni Chatterjee and Rumki Chatterjee. He started his career with Bengali television and made his debut i ...

and actresses such as

Rituparna Sengupta Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she rode the crest of her box office success in the late 1990s. She won ...

Koel Mallick Koel Mallick (born Rukmini Mallick on 28 April 1982) is an Indian actress who appears in Bengali films. She is the daughter of actor Ranjit Mallick and Deepa Mallick. She made her film debut in ''Nater Guru'' (2003). Early life and education ...

Subhashree Ganguly Subhashree Ganguly (born 3 November 1990) is an Indian actress, model and the winner of Anandalok Nayikar Khonje 2006. She is the highest paid actress of Bengali cinema. She made her acting debut in 2008 with the Odia comedy drama film ''Mate ...

Nusrat Jahan Nusrat Jahan Ruhi (born 8 January 1990) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Bengali cinema. In 2019, Jahan became actively involved in politics and was elected as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Basirhat constituency as a Tri ...

Mimi Chakraborty Mimi Chakraborty (born 11 February 1989) is an Indian actress, singer and politician. She is known for her work in Bengali cinema and television. Her debut film was Bapi Bari Jaa in which she played the female lead, Dola. She was listed as ...

Ishaa Saha Ishaa Saha is an Indian actress who mainly works in Bengali cinema. She started her career with Bengali television. She made her film debut in Bengali cinema in 2017 as a lead with ''Projapoti Biskut'' directed by Anindya Chatterjee. She acted i ...

Ritabhari Chakraborty Ritabhari Chakraborty is an Indian Bengali film actress. She is a prominent name in the Indian television and film industry. Chakraborty earned commercial success in Bengali with the romantic Thriller '' Shesh Theke Shuru'' (2019) and '' Brahm ...

have been active. Movies that have made bounds and leaps to bring the Bengali movie industry to the forefront of people's minds in the modern era have included movies such as, ‘Amazon Obhijan’, ‘Chander Pahar’, ‘Belaseshe’, ‘Praktan’. Praktan ran a hundred days in theaters on its release, and was awarded the highest grossing movie of 2016 at the international film business Awards. Praktan was also acclaimed for making bengali people recognise the double standards in play within bengali society with double standards of being liberal bengali’s. The reason people resonated with the movie was not only due to great acting but also due to the larger ideas being brought to the silver screen for people to think about and also engage in discourse to. Amazon Obhijan did exceptionally well at theaters on release and received a best film nomination in 2017 Belaseshe and Chander Pahar, though not receiving awards, were movies that were widely celebrated and adored by the general public and fans. The bengali movie industry, like all else came to a stop with the pandemic in 2020, and continued into 2021, with covid restrictions on in person movie watching. This pushed the Bengali cinema industry to pivot and switch to over the internet streaming platforms (OTT) to release movies and shows onto. The increased adoption of movies being released on streaming platforms exclusively and in conjunction with theater movie releases. Bengali movies have seen a resurgence in viewership and popularity from local and global audiences. Source - Bengali actors gaining popularity on OTT platforms and in Bollywood. Actors such as Abir Chatterjee, Dev Adhikari, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, and Tota Roy Choudhury, among others have been reaching greater fame and acclaim than their predecessors due to bengali actors today being able to reach a wider audience through OTT platforms and sooner transitions into the Bollywood industry. Movie highlights from OTT streaming platforms include Bulbbul featuring Param and Paoli dam, which garnered a lot of viewers and was a great online success. Swastika Mukherjee also joined into the mix with her crime television show Paatal Lok, which was very well received by audiences and critics. The bengali cinema industry is able to continue going strong because of its rich history, acclaimed actors and actresses, especially the one in a generation of the late great Uttam Kumar and his partner in crime Suchitra Sen, who dominated the 1950s and 1960s and made the world take notice. The continued resilience of Tollywood through Covid-19 and the consequent waves, and pivoting to OTT and online streaming platforms a few steps behind Hollywood has allowed for Bengali movies to bloom onto a completely new platform and movie economy. Though in-person viewing is on the rise and is set to return in the near future, there is still work to be done until all movie commuters will return to theatres. Thus, though the future of in person Bengali movies might seem bleak, one thing is for certain this new economy has not only embraced Bengali movies but from recent results it seems that the global audience is hungry for more.

Budgets

100-160 Bengali movies are released every year and are produced with a budget of

Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

50,00,000 to Rs. 55 million per movie on average. Home Entertainment, Shree Venkatesh Films released some high budgeted movies like

with a budget of 20 crores and was also successful in Box office by earning about 50 crores in Box office making it highest-earning movie in the history of Bengali movie ever, apart from

other costly movies were

Chander Pahar ''Chander Pahar'' () is a Bengali adventure novel written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and published in 1937. The novel follows the adventures of a young Bengali man in the forests of Africa. The novel is one of the most-loved adventure no ...

made in the budget of Rs 15 crore and Yoddha: The Warrior with Rs 15 crore were some costly movies. Many of the most critically acclaimed Bengali films were

low-budget film A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...

s, including Satyajit Ray's famous ''

'' (1955–1959). The first film in the trilogy, '' Pather Panchali'' (1955), was produced on a shoestring budget of Rs. 150,000 ($32000) using an amateur cast and crew. All his other films that followed also had low budgets, with his most expensive films since the 60's being '' The Adventures of Goopy And Bagha'' (1968) at Rs. 600,000 ($80,000) and ''

Shatranj Ke Khilari ''Shatranj Ke Khilari'', also subtitled and later internationally released with the translated title ''The Chess Players'', is a 1977 Indian film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name ...

'' (1977) at Rs. 6 million ($230,000). The Bengali film industry, which had been a beacon for the country's film industry until the 1980s, is in a turnaround mode. At a time when Bollywood continues its roller-coaster ride, there are cheers in the Bengali film industry with several commercial successes. The dark period of the 1990s when Bengali tinsel town was on a steep decline seems like a nightmare that's best forgotten. And, with the money pouring in, producers from other States are now knocking on the doors of Bengali directors. Industry sources say that the best proof of the comeback is seen in the increasing number of cinema houses showing Bengali films. Even a few years ago, of the 800 cinemas in the State, no more than 350 were showing just Bengali films. The remaining had spread their risk showing a mix of either Hindi and English or Hindi and Bengali films. In 2008, nearly 700 theatres were showing Bengali films. '' Bombaiyer Bombete'', produced by Ramoji Films at a cost of Rs 8 million, recovered its costs within three weeks and earned 20 million in all. The movie has brought back the concept of family entertainment with Sandip Ray's gambit of contemporizing the plot paying him a rich dividend. Admitting that he did not expect this success, he told Life that he was now lining up another such film for release next year. Earlier, a film by award-winning director

's Mondo Meyer Upakhyan (The Tale of a Fallen Girl) produced by Arjoe Entertainments netted nearly Rs 7 million through the sale of overseas rights against a cost of Rs 0.6 million. Haranath Chakraborty His film Sathi (Companion) created a record by recouping over five times its production cost, although the film Chokher Bali, with big names like

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...

, Rituparno Ghosh and Tagore, failed to yield expected results. The movie, billed at Rs 16.5 million (the highest among Bengali films). The total number of cinema theatres is approx 400. But there are films like 'Kaler rakhal'(2008)by Sekhar Das which created a huge controversy for its strong political comments on contemporary Bengal, despite its formal brilliance too, was not successful in the box office as the film was unceremoniously withdrawn from the theatres. Loose and unorganized production activities, dominated and dictated by providers of capital led to the proliferation of sub-standard films, which were most often commercial failures. The recent successes have come through some concerted effort by

which has tapped the domestic market, even while scouting the overseas ones, hitting the festival circuit somewhere in between. As such, celluloid creations of award-winning directors like Gautam Ghosh,

and

started bringing money for their producers. However, at around the same time, movies in the commercial circuit (directors like to call them mainstream cinema) also started doing well, supported strongly by the response from the semi-urban areas. The big Bollywood banners such as

Mukta Arts Mukta Arts Limited is an Indian film production company, headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1978, the company is involved in the production, distribution, exhibition and education in cinema and creative arts and production of digital soft ...

and Rajshri films are now showing interest in funding Bengali films.

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

houses like Columbia TriStar have made their debut in distributing Bengali movies. According to industry experts, several issues need to be addressed to build on this resurgence and consolidate it. These include inadequate infrastructure, which often compels moviemakers to go outside the State for facilities pushing up costs, poor marketing and distribution, and increasing competition from Bangladeshi films.

Rankings

A number of Satyajit Ray films appeared in the ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' Critics' Poll of all-time greatest films, including ''

'' (ranked No. 4 in 1992 if votes are combined), '' The Music Room'' (ranked No. 27 in 1992), ''

'' (ranked No. 41 in 1992) and ''

Days and Nights in the Forest ''Aranyer Din Ratri'' (; English: Days and Nights in the Forest) is an Indian Bengali adventure drama film released in 1970, written and directed by Satyajit Ray. It is based upon the Bengali novel of the same name by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It e ...

'' (ranked No. 81 in 1982). The 2002 ''Sight & Sound'' critics' and directors' poll also included the Ritwik Ghatak films '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'' (ranked #231) and ''Komal Gandhar'' (ranked #346). In 1998, the critics' poll conducted by the Asian film magazine ''

Cinemaya ''Cinemaya'' (a blend of ''cinema'' and '' maya'' (illusion)) is a film magazine established in 1988 devoted exclusively to coverage of Asian film. It is published in New Delhi, India and distributed internationally. The present editor-in-chief ...

'' included ''The Apu Trilogy'' (ranked No. 1 if votes are combined), Ray's ''

'' and '' The Music Room'' (both tied at #11), and Ghatak's '' Subarnarekha'' (also tied at #11). In 1999, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' top 250 "Best Film of the Century" critics' poll also included ''The Apu Trilogy'' (ranked No. 5 if votes are combined). In 2005, ''The Apu Trilogy'' was also included in ''Time'' All-Time 100 Movies list. In 1992, the ''Sight & Sound'' Critics' Poll ranked Ray at No. 7 in its list of "Top 10 Directors" of all time, and ''

'' (ranked No. 81 in 1982).

National Board of Review (USA)

*National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film:

(1958- Pather Panchali & 1960-

)

The Annual Academy Awards (Oscars)

*Academy Honorary Award:

(1992- "In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.")

National Award

The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali is one of the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

presented annually by the

Directorate of Film Festivals The Directorate of Film Festivals in India was an organisation that initiated and presented the International Film Festival of India, the National Film Awards and the Indian Panorama. Although the Directorate helped appoint members of the jury ...

, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus). The

, established in 1954, are the most prominent film awards in India that merit the best of the

. The ceremony also presents awards for films in various regional languages.

Regional awards

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

-The oldest Association of Film critics in India, founded in 1937, by the inspiration and determination of the handful of pioneers amongst the then thin section of scribes that were drawn to film journalism with a lofty mission to serve the developing film journalism and film industry. *

Anandalok Awards Anandalok Puraskar or Anandalok Awards ceremony is an award ceremony for Bengali film in India. The ''Anandalok'', only film magazine in Bengali language, published from Ananda Publishers and ''Ananda Bazar Patrika'' presents this award (Puraska ...

-Ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali cinema in India * Kalakar Awards -Ceremony is recognized as one of the topmost awards ceremonies of the eastern region of India. * Tellysamman Awards -

Sangbad Pratidin ''Sangbad Pratidin'' ( lit.: news every day) is a daily Indian Bengali newspaper simultaneously published from Kolkata, Barjora and Siliguri. It was founded by Swapan Sadhan Bose, the owner and also All India Trinamool Congress representative ...

, a Kolkata-based Bengali daily organized this Award Ceremony. * Zee Bangla Gourab Somman Awards -These awards are designed for the people by the people.

Zee Bangla Zee Bangla is an Indian general entertainment pay television channel broadcasting in the Bengali language. It is owned by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is the first Bengali-language satellite television channel in India, officially com ...

would be honouring the rich culture and tradition of the land and felicitating the evergreen personalities from the field of theatre, film, music, and our own television shows. *

Filmfare Awards East Filmfare Awards Bangla is the Bengali segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour the artistic and cinematic excellence in Bengali. The first installment of the awards were held for Bengali, Assamese and Odia ...

Films and Frames Digital Film Awards Films and Frames Digital Film Awards, popularly known as ''FAFDA'' are awards to reward artistic and technical merit in the Bengali Film Industry. The concept of a regional digital awards was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic which bega ...

References

Notes

*Aamar Ami(Bengali)- Uttam Kumar Chattopadhyay—''Dey's Publishing'', Calcutta,1980 *Aamar Jug Aamar Gaan(Bengali)— Pankaj Kumar Mullick—Firma KLM Pvt Ltd., Calcutta 1980 *Chalacchitrer Antormahol by Chakraborty Piyali, Banerjee Santanu, Publisher=Suhrid Publication, 1st ed. (2013); ISBN No.: 978-81-92151-97-7 *Banala Bhashay Chalachchdra Charcha(Bengali)-Ehfi Tathya, aanji Opanhr r Bha charyr CharK Goswami, Tapas Paul—North Calcutta Film Society, Calcutta, 1995 *Bangla Chalachchdra Shilper llihas (1897–1947)(Bengali)—Kalish Mukhapadhyay—Poop I lancha Prahashi *Bangla Chalachchdrer llihas (1st Part)(Bengali)-Pranab Kumar Biswas Samakal Prakashani, Calcul *Bangla Sahhya O Bangla Chalachchitra (1st Part)(Bengali)-Jishh Kumar Mukhapadhyay—Ananda~ha *Banglar Chalachchitrakar—Nisht Kumar Mukhopadhyay—Slanda Pu ishrs, Calcr *Banglar Nat-Nati—Sudhir Basu—Calcutta, 1933 * Cniirabani Chitr barshihi ^119520ed. 60ur Chattopadhyay & Sunil Gar~adhya~Ch^ar$b *Cinema anr I—Ri ih Kumar Ghatah— h *''Rhrw Memorial Trust'', Calcu^na, 1987 *Filrnography of Sixty En inentlndian Movie Makers—Ft I Ra M *Nirbah Juger Chhayaloher Katha—Premanhur at rth —~ kudta *Sonar Daag—60uranga Prasad Ghosh~oc^frnaya Prakashani, Calculla, 1982 * Bengali Film Directory– ed. by Ansu Sur, Nandan, Calcutta, 1999 *''70 years of Indian Cinema'', ed. by T.N. Ramachandran, Cinemaa India International, Bombay, 1985 *''A Pictorial History of Indian Cinema'', Firoj Rangogoonwalla, The Hamlyn Publishing Group, London, 1979 *''Cinematography to Videography: Aesthetics and Technology'' by Chakraborty Piyali, Banerjee Santanu, Published by Kalyani Foundation, 1st ed. (2013); ISBN No.: 978-81-927505-3-8 *''Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema'' – Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Paul Willemen, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1994

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinema of West Bengal Culture of West Bengal Cinema of Bengal

Etymology

History

Early development

Silent era: 1919-1930

Rise of the talkie: 1931-1947

Golden era: 1952-1975

Modern revival: 1990s to 2017

Modern era: 2017 to present

Budgets

Rankings

National Board of Review (USA)

The Annual Academy Awards (Oscars)

National Award

Regional awards

See also

References

Notes

External links