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, p ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsHollywood, 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's ''

Pather Panchali ''Pather Panchali'' (; ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same na ...

'' (1955) was awarded Best Human Document at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, 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 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, inclu ...

,

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, François Truffaut,

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 ...

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 ''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 Shankar ...

". ''

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's '' E.T.'' (1982). Ira Sachs' '' Forty Shades of Blue'' (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 Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

'' (2006), the '' Elements trilogy'' of Deepa Mehta, and in films of Jean-Luc Godard. 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 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. T ...

, Berlin,

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

, Moscow, Karlovy Vary,

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 = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

. 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'' (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'' (1958) resembling François Truffaut'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 ...

'' (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 Subrata Mitra (12 October 1930 – 7 December 2001) was an Indian cinematographer. Acclaimed for his work in ''The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959), Mitra often is considered one of the greatest Indian cinematographers. Early life and educati ...

, 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 foc ...

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 ...

digressions while filming '' Pratidwandi'' (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

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 ...

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

. 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

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 ...

-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" (fo ...

" (as the

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

-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 , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. Within a decade,

Hiralal Sen Hiralal Sen ( bn, হীরালাল সেন, ''Hiralal Shen''; 2 August 1868 – 26 October 1917) is generally considered one of India's first filmmakers. In 1903, he filmed the popular Alibaba and Forty Thieves, the first full-length In ...

, 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 Edwardia ...

cinema set up the Royal Bioscope Company, producing scenes from the stage productions of a number of popular shows at the Star Theatre, Minerva Theatre, Classic Theatre. Following a long gap after Sen's works,Pioneers of Bangladeshi Cinema
Dhirendra Nath Ganguly (known as D.G.) established the Indo British Film Co, 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

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 ...

production of '' Jamai Shashthi'' 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 Satyajit Ray,

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 ...

,

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 ...

,

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 ...

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

Early development

Silent era: 1919-1930

Hiralal Sen Hiralal Sen ( bn, হীরালাল সেন, ''Hiralal Shen''; 2 August 1868 – 26 October 1917) is generally considered one of India's first filmmakers. In 1903, he filmed the popular Alibaba and Forty Thieves, the first full-length In ...

, 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 Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

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 ''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features D. D. Dabke, Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Sa ...

'', 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 Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

to accommodate a specific elite market. One of the earliest known studios was the

East India Film Company The East India Film Company was an Indian film production company, based in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. It was the first Indian film company to screen a movie at an international film festival. Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. ...

. The first Bengali film to be made as a

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 ...

was '' Jamai Shashthi'', released in 1931. At this time the early heroes of the Bengali film industry like Pramathesh Barua 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 Tollywood, also known as Cinema of West Bengal, is an Indian film industry of Bengali-language motion pictures. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the w ...

to Indian film 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 ...

'' Jamai Shashthi'' (as a short film) was released on 11 April 1931 at Crown Cinema Hall in Calcutta and the 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 full-length feature film '' Dena Paona'' was released 30 December 1931 at Chitra Cinema Hall in Calcutta. The industry was based in

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 ...

, an area of South Kolkata,

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 ...

that is more elite and artistically inclined than the usual musical 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 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 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 order", without distinctio ...

and Legion of Honor respectively, and

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 ...

, 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 Satyajit Ray and

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 ...

,

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 ...

, Ajoy Kar. The Bengali film industry has produced classics such as ''

Nagarik ''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's '' Pather Panch ...

'' (1952), '' The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959), ''

Jalsaghar ''Jalsaghar'' ( bn, জলসাঘর ''Jalsāghar'', "The Music Room") is a 1958 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray, based on a popular short story by Bengali writer Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, and starring Chhabi ...

'' (1958), '' Ajantrik'' (1958), '' Neel Akasher Neechey'' (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'' (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 (1971) etc. In particular, ''The Apu Trilogy'' is frequently listed among the

greatest films of all time This is a list of films considered the best in national and international surveys of critics and the public. Some surveys focus on all films, while others focus on a particular genre or country. Voting systems differ, and some surveys suffer ...

.

The most well-known

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 ...

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 is regarded as the most beautiful and influential actress of Bengali cinema. Kumar 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 is a notable actor, having acted in several Satyajit Ray films, and considered as a rival to

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 ...

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 ''

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 ...

'' (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

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 ...

, 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,

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,

Pankaj Mullick Pankaj Kumar Mullick (10 May 1905 – 19 February 1978) was an Indian music composer, playback singer and actor, who was a pioneer of film music in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema at the advent of playback singing, as well as an early expone ...

, and

K. C. Dey Krishna Chandra Dey (24 August 1893 – 28 November 1962), better known as K.C. Dey, was an Indian music director, music composer, musician, singer, actor, and music teacher born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was S.D. Burman's first musical te ...

, all associated with New Theatres Calcutta. The greatest composers of the golden era included Robin Chatterjee,

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 ...

,

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 ...

,

Suman Ghosh (director) Suman Ghosh (born 1972) is a film director, and a professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University. Education Suman Ghosh gained his B.Sc. in economics from Presidency College, Calcutta and his M.A. in economics from the Delhi School of ...

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'', '' Dahan'' and '' Utsab''. Aparna Sen made her directorial debut in 1981 with the internationally lauded ''

36 Chowringhee Lane ''36 Chowringhee Lane'' is a 1981 film written and directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Shashi Kapoor. It marked the directorial debut of Sen, who had until then been known as a leading actress of Bengali cinema. The film was very well receiv ...

'', 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'', ''

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 ''Goynar Baksho'' ( ''The Jewellery Box'') is a 2013 Bengali language Indian horror comedy film directed by Aparna Sen. The film is based on a novel ''Goynar Baksho'' and a short story ''Rashmonir Sonadana'', both written by Shirshendu Mukhopa ...

'', etc. Buddhadeb Dasgupta is best known for award-winning films like '' Uttara (film)'', ''

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'', Janala. 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 Mo ...

'', '' Detective Byomkesh Bakshy''). Successful Bengali films are getting their Hindi remakes in Bollywood, Marathi Remakes in Marathi Films, Malayalam Remakes In Malayalam Films ('' Hemlock Society (film)'', '' Ramdhanu'', '' Bhooter Bhabishyat'' , '' Praktan'', '' Rajkahini''). 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 Sujit Mondal is an Indian film director in Bengali cinema. He started his career as an assistant director. From 2009, he started directing Bengali feature films with ''Saat Paake Bandha''. His also directed ''Paglu 2'' (2012). Mondal was chief ...

, Ayan Mukerji,

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 .

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'', '' Amazon Obhijaan'', ''

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, Raj Chakraborty,

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 Shiboprosad Mukherjee (, Bengali: ; born 20 May 1974) is an Indian film director, writer and actor. He, collaborating with Nandita Roy, debuted with their film '' Icche'', which garnered both critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Th ...

, Mainak Bhowmick,

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 Sujit Mondal is an Indian film director in Bengali cinema. He started his career as an assistant director. From 2009, he started directing Bengali feature films with ''Saat Paake Bandha''. His also directed ''Paglu 2'' (2012). Mondal was chief ...

, 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 Raja Chanda is an Indian film director who concentrates into Bengali language film and commercial ad films. He is one of the leading advertising film makers in Kolkata and has made 450+ ad films. His filmworks include ''Challenge 2'', ''Le Hal ...

and

Haranath Chakraborty Haranath Chakraborty ( bn, হরনাথ চক্রবর্তী) is an Indian Bengali film director. He made his directorial debut with "Mangaldeep" (1989). Many of his movies have been critically acclaimed and enjoyed commercial succes ...

. 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, Jeet, Ankush Hazra,

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 ...

,

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 '' Brahma ...

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 Amazon Obhijaan 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 Amazon Obhijaan 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 nove ...

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 '' The Apu Trilogy'' (1955–1959). The first film in the trilogy, ''

Pather Panchali ''Pather Panchali'' (; ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same na ...

'' (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

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 ...

'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 Haranath Chakraborty ( bn, হরনাথ চক্রবর্তী) is an Indian Bengali film director. He made his directorial debut with "Mangaldeep" (1989). Many of his movies have been critically acclaimed and enjoyed commercial succes ...

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

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 ...

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,

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 and Rajshri films are now showing interest in funding Bengali films. Hollywood 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 The Bangladeshi Cinema, better known as Dhallywood ( bn, ঢালিউড), is the Bengali-language film industry based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has often been a significant film industry since the early 1970s. The dominant style of Bangla ...

.

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

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 ...

'' (ranked No. 41 in 1992) and '' Days and Nights in the Forest'' (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 o ...

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

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 ...

'' 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 newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' 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 '' Days and Nights in the Forest'' (ranked No. 81 in 1982).

National Board of Review (USA)

*National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film: Satyajit Ray (1958-

Pather Panchali ''Pather Panchali'' (; ) is a 1955 Indian Bengali-language drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of West Bengal. It is an adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same na ...

& 1960-

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 ...

)

The Annual Academy Awards (Oscars)

*Academy Honorary Award: Satyajit Ray (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.") Academy Honorary Award

National Award

The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali is one of the National Film Awards 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 National Film Awards, established in 1954, are the most prominent film awards in India that merit the best of the

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, ...

. The ceremony also presents awards for films in various

regional languages * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...

.

Regional awards

* Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards -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 ...

, 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