Shubhabrata Dutta
India’s Bengali film industry has given the world of cinema several gems in the form of directors, actors, writers, and masterpiece movies. Many prominent auteurs like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Rituparno Ghosh belong to the world of Bengali cinema, and they have churned out timeless classics like the ‘Apu’ trilogy, ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara,’ ‘Chokher Bali,’ and ‘Devi.’ Even modern Bengali cinema is the perfect mix of entertainment and social relevance, catering to audiences of all ages and sensibilities.
Netflix is known to showcase the best movie and TV show titles from around the world, and it is no surprise that the streaming platform also has several Bengali movies for viewers to indulge in. If you, too, like world cinema and are keen to watch good Bengali movies, Netflix offers quite a collection of movies in all sorts of genres.
7. Black (2015)
An action thriller directed by Raja Chanda, ‘Black’ follows a small-town guy named Biltu (Soham Chakraborty) who embarks on a vengeful journey against those who framed his police officer father for a crime that led the latter to take his own life. There is also a romantic angle where he falls for a girl named Tina (Bidya Sinha Saha Mim). How these two plotlines intersect is what we see in the movie. Along with Soham Chakraborty and Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, the cast also includes Rajatava Dutta, Kharaj Mukherjee, Amit Hasan, Rudranil Ghosh, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kanchan Mullick, and Biswanath Basu. You can watch the movie here.
6. Ludo (2015)
Directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee and Nikon Basu, ‘Ludo’ is a horror-thriller movie that revolves around two couples who enter a mall in the late night hours, hoping for privacy. But they soon realize that they aren’t really alone in the secluded mall, as they get dragged into playing a cursed and deadly game with their lives at stake. Thus, what was planned as a night of intimacy and thrill becomes a race to escape gruesome deaths.
The cast of ‘Ludo’ includes Ranodeep Bose, Subholina Sen, Soumendra Bhattacharya, and Rituparna Sen as the four main characters. Though the two halves of the movie don’t sync well with each other — the second one being slightly dragged out in nature — the movie does contain some fine jumpscare moments and well-played-out practical effects. The gory nature of the film shall surely satiate fans of blood and carnage, and the horror infused with a bit of sensuousness makes it an entertaining watch. You can stream ‘Ludo’ here.
5. Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway (2023)
As the title suggests, despite being a Hindi-language Bollywood film, this film is inherently Bengali. This is because the film is based on the real-life legal battle between immigrant Bengali mother Sagarika Chakraborty (Debika Chatterjee in the film) and the government of Norway for the custody of her two young kids who were taken from her by the Norwegian Child Welfare Services citing “improper parenting.” The battle and the toll it took on Debika’s motherhood and her married life are showcased in the film. It stars Rani Mukerji as Debika Chatterjee and Anirban Bhattacharya as Debika’s husband Aniruddha. Jim Sarbh plays the role of Daniel Singh Ciupek, a Norwegian lawyer, while Neena Gupta plays the role of Indian External Affairs Minister Vasudha Kamat (based on real-life former Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj). Directed by Ashima Chibber, ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway’ can be streamed here.
4. The Land of Cards (2012)
Another one of Qaushiq Mukherjee’s directorial ventures, ‘Tasher Desh’ or ‘The Land of Cards’ is a fantasy film that is considered a somewhat off-kilter adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s eponymous play. The story follows a cynical playwright who searches for the shows of Tagore’s acclaimed play ‘Tasher Desh’ being played in Kolkata. Unable to find a single-stage show, he writes his own adapted script of the play. The writer gets so deeply immersed in the play that the lines between reality and imagination become blurred.
The rest of the story revolves around the main character of the play, a prince who escapes his destiny and arrives on a fascist island where he incites the women to revolt against their leader. Starring Soumyak Kanti DeBiswas, Tillotama Shome, Imaaduddin Shah, and Joyraj Bhattacharjee, among several others, ‘Tasher Desh’ is a psychedelic commentary on destiny, humanity, social hierarchy, and revolution. Though it is more of a fantasy movie, it holds social relevance and provides an understanding of the utopian world. You can stream it here.
3. The Royal Bengal Tiger (2014)
Directed by Rajesh Ganguly, ‘The Royal Bengal Tiger’ is a suspense thriller with a stellar cast that includes Abir Chatterjee, Priyanka Sarkar, Jeet, and Shraddha Das. The story centers around Abhi, a mild-mannered man who faces bullying and harassment from his tenant and colleagues due to his meek nature. Things worsen when he is unable to save his friend and co-worker Nandini from getting molested by goons. An ashamed Abhi then meets his friend Anjan, who advises and pushes Abhi to undergo a personality change and get back at those who wronged him.
Thus, a frustrated Abhi sets out on a mission to avenge his humiliation but gradually begins to forget the boundaries of morality in his rage. What follows is his downward spiral towards committing crimes and a shocking revelation that changes everything. With powerful performances and a riveting narrative, ‘The Royal Bengal Tiger’ keeps the audience engaged until the very end but is available to stream only in select countries. You can watch the movie here.
2. Rooting for Roona (2020)
‘Rooting for Roona’ is a Netflix original documentary directed by Pavitra Chalam and Akshay Shankar. The story’s subject is Roona Begum, a young child living in rural Tripura with her parents. Roona suffers from hydrocephalus, a deadly condition that causes extreme swelling of the head due to fluid build-up in the brain. This causes hindrances in even her basic movement, and her distressed parents are unable to afford the expensive treatment.
However, their prayers are answered when photojournalist Arindam Dey visits Tripura and photographs Roona and her family. Arindam’s pictures of Roona become viral, and financial aid starts pouring from all over the world to enable the girl’s surgery. It is followed by the documentation of Roona’s treatment and the road to recovery. ‘Rooting for Roona’ is an accurate yet touching representation of facts and throws light upon the troubles of economically weaker sections in rural India. You can check out the film here.
1. Bulbbul (2020)
Although the language of ‘Bulbbul’ is Hindi, it is, in essence, a purely Bengali film. Set in the 1880s Bengal presidency, the film explores the ideals of freedom from the POV of Bengali women aristocrats who, despite their high standards, remained chained to abusive patriarchy. Directed by Anvita Dutt Guptan, the film centers on a woman named Bulbbul (Tripti Dimri) and shows the torture she faces while growing up in a mansion where she arrived as a young bride, another product of child marriage. This torture changes her in ways unimaginable, to the point where she decides to protect other women in the nearby village from such atrocities. Her approach takes the shape of horror for those who see it. If you want to see it too, you can watch ‘Bulbbul’ here.
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