''Mem Saheb'' is a 1972

Bengali film Bengali cinema may refer to: * Cinema of West Bengal, also called Tollywood * Cinema of Bangladesh The Cinema of Bangladesh, locally known as Bangla cinema, is a diverse and vibrant entity, consisting of films produced across various regions ...

directed by Pinaki Mukherjee who also acts in this film. The film was produced by Ashima Bhattacharya and production company by Pompy Films. The story was based on the novel of same name by Nimai Bhattachariya. The film's music was composed by Ashima Bhattacharya. This film won the

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

in 1972. It stars

Uttam Kumar Uttam Kumar (born Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay; 3 September 1926 – 24 July 1980), widely known as Mahanayak (), was an Indian film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and playback singer who predominantly worked in Bengali cinema ...

and

Aparna Sen Aparna Sen (; ) 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, six Filmfare Awards East ...

in the lead roles. Others such as

Gita Dey Gita Dey (, 5 August 1931 – 17 January 2011) was an Indian actress in Bengali cinema, theatre and Bengali folk theater. She became a stage artist at the age of 6 years. She came to the film industry in 1943. Her first film release was '' Ah ...

Sumitra Mukherjee Sumitra Mukherjee (30 March 1949 – 21 May 2003) was an Indian Bengali actress who was recognized for her work in Bengali cinema. Her on-screen pairings with actors such as Ranjit Mallick, Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatter ...

Bikash Roy Bikash Roy (16 May 1916 – 16 April 1987) was an Indian actor and filmmaker who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He is considered as one of the best character artists of india, all time. He has also acted in lead roles in few movies an ...

, and

Jahor Roy Jahar Roy (19 September 1919 – 1 August 1977) was an Indian actor and comedian in Bengali cinema. He was known for his comedy films with Bhanu Bandyopadhyay. Early life Roy came from a Bengali Baidya family having its root in Mahilara, ...

play supporting roles. Director Pinaki Mukherjee did a superb job by combining the political world and romance of that period. Aparna Sen excelled as the young, educated Professor, who falls in love with a hotshot journalist played by Kumar. While both stand for each other and dream for a happy future, this is cut short by political violence. This film, despite its romantic elements, brought the ethics of journalism to the big screen.

Cast

as Amit *

as Kajal *

* Lolita Chatterjee * Dilip Mukherjee * Pinaki Mukherjee * Gour Shee

Production

The film was directed by Pinaki Bhusan Mukherjee and produced by Ashima Bhattachriya, who also composed the music. This producer-director duo worked with Uttam Kumar before in the cult hit '' Chowrangee'' in 1968. At first the role of Kajal

Suchitra Sen Suchitra Sen, widely known as the Mahanayika (), was an Indian actress who worked in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite actor Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Cinema of Wes ...

was the first choice but later she was found not suitable for this role then Aparna Sen was selected instead. The indoor scenes of the film were shot in Technicians Studio and NT Studio 2 ( New Theaters).

Soundtrack

Reception

This is one of the best films for both Uttam Kumar and Aparna Sen's career. Uttam Kumar performance became greatly acclaimed. The Times Of India wrote ''Uttam Kumar, playing her male counterpart, turns out to be her only inspiration. In this romantic drama, the legendary actor essayed out a hotshot journalist who enjoys great connections to several political personalities.'' The film became a blockbuster hit and ran to full houses for 12 consecutive weeks and ran over 100 days in theaters. The film also became highest grossing Bengali films in 1972.

Awards

References

External links

* *
Mem Saheb
at

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

Bengali-language Indian films 1972 films 1970s Bengali-language films {{1970s-Bengali-film-stub