''Shriman Prithviraj'' (; ) is a 1973 Indian

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 ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film starring Ayan Banerjee and Mahua Roy Choudhury, and directed by

Tarun Majumdar Tarun Majumdar (or Mazumdar, 8 January 1931 – 4 July 2022) was an Indian film director, documentary filmmaker, author, illustrator and screenwriter who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He received five National Awards, seven BFJA Aw ...

, featuring teenage love. It has a cult following. This is essentially a comedy with

Tom Sawyer Thomas "Tom" Sawyer () is the title character of the Mark Twain novel '' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), '' Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and '' Tom Sawy ...

esque leanings laced elegantly into the fabric of

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

of the late 19th or early 20th century. In the subtle backdrop of the Indian freedom movement, it is the story of the transformation of a young boy's innocent but naughty childhood to an appreciation of the

Swadeshi movement The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public i ...

and the growth of adolescent love for a girl even younger than him. The comic appeal of the film is natural and free-flowing. It includes a number of beautifully rendered traditional

songs and is punctuated by a series of stand-offs faced by the young boy, mostly with unfavourable results for the opposing party. At heart, it is a beautiful pre-pubescent/adolescent love story. It was a huge box-office success when it came out and still retains its popularity. The leading cast, Ayan Banerjee and

Mahua Roychoudhury Mahua Roy Choudhury (; 24 September 1958 – 22 July 1985) was an Indian actress who is recognized for her work in Bengali cinema. She is considered to be one of the most successful actresses of Bengali Cinema. She received several awards inc ...

as the teenage-couple are still remembered for their roles in the film. Moreover, the blend of the pre-Independence political backdrop with the simple love life of the newlywed is excellently portrayed. On one hand there is the caricature of a typical Babu, who's hell-bent on getting the ‘Raibahadur’ title from the British rulers played excellently by Utpal Dutt, and on the other hand a Swadeshi played by

Biswajit Chatterjee Biswajit Chatterjee (born 14 December 1936), known mononymously as Biswajit, is a veteran Indian actor, producer, director, singer and politician known for his work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema.He is also referred as the ''Chocolate Bo ...

, who is out to teach the British rulers a lesson. The main focus is on Rashik Laal (Ayan), a notorious boy. To curb him, his parents get him married to Kamala (Mohua). But he creates havoc in his in-laws’ house as well. The interplay between the two, their becoming friends, missing each other, understanding their feelings for each other all make for a charming love story.

Synopsis

Young Rashik Lal is a notorious brat and the entire village, including his father, is fed up with the boy. He is in love with the character 'Prithviraj' (

Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...

), a great warrior who he (falsely and somewhat comically) believes to have fought against

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

; and often fantasizes himself as Prithviraj. One day he has a fight with his classmate Anta and is suspended from school. His father gets him married thinking that marriage would bring stability and seriousness in his life. He is married to the daughter of an aristocratic babu, whose only desire is to achieve the title of 'Raibahadur'. Rashik is super excited after meeting Amala, his wife, as she can read and write and converse in English. However, this is shortlived and Rashik goes back to living his reckless life as a notorious brat. His father-in-law hires an Englishman to tutor him. However, the situation soon gets out of control which leads to a rift between the families of the newlywed groom and the bride. After much hassle and confusion, the couple is not only united but they also develop a strong bond of love and friendship.

Cast

* Ayan Bandyopadhyay as Rashiklal Mukherjee *

as Amalabala Mukherjee *

as Akhil Mitra *

Sandhya Roy Sandhya Roy is an Indian actress and politician. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she reigned as a leading actress for approximately 30 years. She has received numerous awards including four BFJA Awards and a Filmfare A ...

as Saratsashi Mitra *

Rabi Ghosh Robi Ghosh (; 24 November 1931 – 4 February 1997) was an Indian actor known for his work in Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema. He is known for his comic appeal, though his versatile acting talent brought him success in various kinds ...

as Haridas *

Santosh Dutta Santosh Dutta (Bengali: সন্তোষ দত্ত; 2 December 1925 – 8 February 1988Santosh Dutta

as Rashik's school-teacher *

Utpal Dutt Utpal Dutt (; 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 The ...

as Pannalal Roy Chowdhury *

Padma Devi Padma Devi (1917–1983) was a popular Indian Bengali Hindi/Hindustani Film Actress and playback singer of Indian cinema, in the silent era and the early talkies. Starting her career with the main role in ''Sea Goddess'' (1931), directed by Dhir ...

as wife of Pannalal Roy Chowdhury *

Satya Bandyopadhyay Satya Bandyopadhyay (1925 – 28 July 1997) was an Indian actor, known for his work in Bengali cinema and theatre. He acted in over 300 movies, in numerous plays and performed frequently on the radio. Early life He was born at Kolkata in ...

as Banamali Mukherjee *

Chinmoy Roy Chinmoy Roy (1940–2019) was an Indian Bengali actor. He was famous for his comic roles in Bengali movies, though his versatility allowed him to play a variety of roles. Though he was known for portraying various character roles, Roy was eq ...

as Pannalal's Car-driver *

Tapen Chatterjee Tapen Chatterjee (3 September 1937 – 24 May 2010) was a Bengali people, Bengali actor from India who played several roles in Satyajit Ray's films, notably as Goopy Gyne in ''Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne'' (1968), and its sequels (1980) and ''Go ...

as Pannalal's Servant * Haridhan Mukhopadhyay as Banamali's Henchman * Mohtasim Fuad Mahi as Joy

Soundtrack

The film contains total six songs. All songs were composed by

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

and written by

Gauriprasanna Mazumder Gauriprasanna Majumdar (5 December 1925 – 20 August 1986) was an Indian lyricist and writer known for his work in Indian cinema. He is most commonly associated with the black and white era of Bengali cinema, when he penned several enduring cla ...

(except ''Sakhi Bhabona Kahare Bole'', which was written and composed by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

Kavita Krishnamurthy Kavita Krishnamurthy (born as Sharada Krishnamurthy), is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded numerous songs in various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Odia, Marathi, ...

made her playback debut in this film. The songs are: 1. ''Haridaser Bulbul Bhaja'' (sung by Tarun Banerjee) 2. ''Tolpi Tolpa Niye Ebar'' (sung by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay) 3. ''Sakhi Bhabona Kahare Bole'' (sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

) 4. ''Haridaser Bulbul Bhaja - Reprise'' (sung by Tarun Banerjee) 5. ''Aaji Basante'' (sung by

Aarti Mukherjee Aarti Mukherjee, also known as Aarti Mukherji or Arati Mukhopadhyay (born 18 July 1943), is an Indian playback singer who has sung in Hindi films such as '' Geet Gata Chal'' (1975), ''Tapasya'' (1976), ''Manokamana'', '' Masoom'' (1983), and ' ...

) 6. ''Noro Dhame Sakhato Ishwar He'' (sung by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Tarun Banerjee)

References

External links

* {{Tarun Majumdar 1973 children's films Bengali-language Indian films Indian children's films Films directed by Tarun Majumdar Films scored by Hemant Kumar 1970s Bengali-language films