Aparna Sen
Ghawre Bairey Aaj is inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's novel 'Ghawre Bairey' (Home and the World) and is a contemporary retelling of love triangle involving Tagore's characters Nikhilesh, Sandip and Bimala.
Farhaz Chowdhury, a top chef from Dhaka, first falls in love with her cooking and then with Basundhara — a woman who runs a home catering service. Ahaa Re is a celebration of food, and the love for it. More precisely, it's a celebration of the invested emotions and senses that turns cooking into an art form. And all this comes with a generous dollop of Bangaliana.
Legendary figures of Indian cinema Aparna Sen and Soumitra Chatterjee head up the ensemble cast of this bittersweet tale of family ties and disillusionment. An elderly couple is celebrating their 50th anniversary, and family members gather at their once magnificent, now largely decrepit mansion, where they married a half-century before. As relatives young and old arrive and reminisce about their lives, stories are exchanged about the great family's past. But it does not take long to see that reality is more complicated than family myth. Long-buried family secrets inevitably arise as do secrets that may have been better kept locked away. To face the "fading pride of a nebulous past," family closeness is needed now more than ever. Suman Ghosh directs with a fine eye for the pretensions and wrongdoings of the upper middle class as well as its underlying strength and pain.
Mahendra Kumar Choudhuri, the middle prince of the Bhawal Estate (also known as the Bikrampur Estate), was affected by syphilis and was taken to Darjeeling for treatment along with his wife, Chandrabati Devi, brother-in-law, Satya, and a family doctor, Ashwini. He apparently died in Darjeeling and was cremated there as well. After 12 years, a Sanyasi shows up at the estate, arousing people’s curiosity and leading to a rumour that he is the lost prince of the Bikrampur Estate.
Arshinagar is a Bengali musical romance drama film directed by Aparna Sen. The screenplay is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Story of a couple on the second night of their wedding and how things unfurl in their lives.
Four directors get together and plan to make a film, consisting of four short stories. They have an appointment with the producer on the outskirts of the city. While they are together, each comes up with a story which is unique in its own way, but connected to the other stories by a common theme - death. They spend a night in a nearby bungalow when their car breaks down. It is here that each of them revisits their past and are held at gunpoint by their 'nemesis'.
Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay's famous tale of 3 generations of women & their changing position in society,seen in relation to a box of jewels, handed down from one generation to the next. A film by Aparna Sen.
Snehmoy (Rahul Bose) and Miyage (Chigusa Takaku) are pen friends who exchange wedding vows through letters. Fifteen years pass but they never meet. Yet the bond of marriage is strong between them. This unusual relationship comes under a cloud when a young widow, Sandhya (Raima Sen), comes to stay with Snehmoy along with her eight-year-old son Poltu. Snehmoy and the little boy bond and the arithmetic teacher discovers the joy of palpable bonds and fatherhood. There develops an inexplicable thread of understanding with Sandhya too. But Snehmoy remained loyal to his unseen Japanese wife. When Miyage was ill from cancer, he took a long leave from his school and tried his best to find a cure for the illness. Meanwhile, malaria took a toll on him and he died. Coming of Miyage in a white sari to Sunderbans after his departure was really touching.
An award-winning aging actress reflects on her life while writing a suicide note.
Abhik Chowdhury is an IPS officer with a heart -- honest, upright, yet laid-back. Having lost faith in the real relationships that he sees around him, Abhik seeks solace in the virtual world. While navigating through this virtual world, Abhik develops an online relationship with a young woman, Brinda, without knowing anything about her. Brinda is a young, dynamic television journalist. For both Abhik and Brinda, who do not know each other's real names or whereabouts, this online communication soon becomes an increasingly intense relationship, more real than virtual. Ironically the virtual lovers, Abhik and Brinda have an acrimonious first meeting in the real world - at the launch of a controversial mega project of a big-time real estate entrepreneur, V.K. Mehra. Unaware that she knows Abhik so well on the Internet, Brinda, gets into a bitter exchange of words with him. Before leaving in a huff...
An exploration of the impact of schizophrenia on a young woman and her family in today's Calcutta. The narrative pivots around the relationship of two sisters, older sister Anjali is a successful professor with a powerful personality. She is the anchoring rock for her family and carer for her sister Meethi whose progression into schizophrenia has been speed ed up by traumatic experiences. Anjali has always dominated the life of her attractive younger sister, and jealously warded off Meethi's handsome fiancé Jojo with fear of Meethi's impending illness. Years later when Meethi and Anjali are on holiday in the Hills there is a chance meeting with Jojo, now with his new wife and children. He is shocked to discover that Meethi does not now recognize him, but lives in a world visited by an imaginary husband and children of her own.
A bus is setting out to Calcutta from a village in West Bengal. Meenakshi Iyer, who is from a strict orthodox Hindu background, is leaving to Chennai for her husband, with her young child, after the vacation with her parents. By chance, she gets a co-passenger who is also to Chennai, Rajah, a photographer, introduced by one of the friends of her father. During the journey they build a good relationship. But a Hindu-Muslim communal riot sets out in the meantime, in some areas they had to travel. Then she comes to face the fact that Rajah is not a Hindu but a Muslim whose real name is Jehangir. Even though she curses herself at that time while some Hindu fanatics evade their bus she saves him introducing as Mr. Iyer. But they have to reach their destination while the other passengers know Rajah as no one else but Mr. Iyer.
Sanaka and Paromita are mother and daughter-in-law who, despite differences in age, backgrounds and temperaments, build a strong bond together. However when Paromita has a failed marriage and leaves the house, Sanaka is heartbroken.
A female dancer becomes famous but loses her relationship with her daughter on the way.
After her husband passes away at a regressive Shyambazar household, progressive Bandana falls in love with her son's painting mentor, Sudipto Sorcar. However, due to Titli Chatterjee's mother's objection, Bandana gives up on her love and starts living at the orphanage.
Jamuna Bai is the daughter of a famous courtesan named Kamala Bai who was known in Benaras for dance. Although Jamuna had learnt music from her childhood, she was never willing to pursue her mother's profession. This led to the mother-daughter duo suffer from poverty and affront from commoners. Chandrakanta, a rich businessman sees Jamuna and falls in love with her. After a few meetings Jamuna starts liking him too. One day Jamuna finds a desolate boy child on the banks of the river and decides to raise him. Chandrakanta stands beside her when the society blames her for the act. They get married. However Jamuna stays back at Benaras and faces extreme hardships to raise the kid and is forced to step into her mother's shoes. This leads to a confront between her and Chandrakanta who leaves her and goes away. Jamuna leaves her kid with her guruji and starts living apart for the fear of her kid knowing her identity.
Shasanka (Sreeram Lgoo) is a retired teacher who lives with his wife and two daughters. The family is thrown into an uproar after he goes out for a walk and disappears from their lives. Each member of the family reviews her final hours and days with him to try and discover what, if anything led to his disappearance. The only clue anyone is able to discover is an envelope on which is written the name of one of his former students. When they visit her, however, she is unable (or unwilling) to enlighten them. Why did he go for a walk during a heavy rainstorm? Where did he go? Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen isn't saying.
A well-to-do married couple keeps bickering over minor issues though the pair love each other. With time, their love gets tested but they keep yearning for each other.
Sudipa falls in love with Rawnobir, a goon, and soon, they both get married. However, things take a turn when Rawnobir is arrested and gets imprisoned.
The movie portrays the social stigma for widows in the late 17th century that was prevalent in India. The plot line runs through many layers of complications both in Devika's personal life and her place in society, as she fights with her family, quarrels and distances herself from Kishore, marries another man under social pressures and much more. The movie makes the point that instead of behaving like meek sheep under social influences, we must understand every individual's perspective from our own point of view. The movie ends on a happy note where Kishore and Devika both stand against the blind and illogical superstitious mentality and are finally reunited.
Chandra realizes her husband is having an affair with Modhu. She leaves home and is offered a job by the wealthy Shyam, who soon realises her good nature and makes her the heir to his property.
The film documents one of the largest Indian religious fairs, the Kumbh Mela, which is held at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. The action is seen through the eyes of Shubhendu Chatterjee who has come to the Mela not out of any religious sentiment but to see and understand people and seek the reason why “….multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining.” (Mark Twain after visiting the 1895 Mela)
A day in the life of a six year old child Pikoo in Calcutta. Satyajit Ray's short television film, a vignette about a fraying upper class family.
Middle-aged Violet, an Anglo-Indian teacher, lives alone in a flat at 36 Chowringhee Lane in Calcutta. When a former student starts visiting her with her boyfriend, Violet welcomes them eagerly.
This lighthearted romp through Royal India presents a world of Maharajas, palaces, imperiled art objects, and the foreign collectors who will stop at nothing to possess them. Peggy Ashcroft and Larry Pine star as two rapacious art collectors who come to the decaying Art Deco palace of a young Maharaja (Victor Banerjee) to examine a legendary collection of Indian miniature paintings. While vying with each other to get the pictures away from the royal couple—nicknamed Georgie and Bonnie as children by their Scottish governess—they must also divine the true motives of the Indian curator of the collection (Saeed Jaffrey), who, in league with the Maharaja’s beautiful sister (Aparna Sen), may be working against them. Amidst the backdrop of lavish tourist entertainments, Christmas parties, fireworks, and even an English ghost, a desperate game of palace intrigue will determine the ultimate resting place of the priceless paintings.
Ahmed and Mohan Kumar Saxena are petty thieves, and con-men. They career is spent as false witnesses near the Bombay courts, where they get paid a set sum of rupees for false depositions. This changes when they meet and are influenced by Kabir Das, and decide to go straight. They find that it's virtually impossible to earn a living as honest citizens. Then Kabir Das is arrested and imprisoned by a murder he claims he did not commit, and the duo promise to help him, and find out who the real killer is, but they themselves end up getting in trouble.
A bright and idealistic young graduate steels himself for a dog-eat-dog world, only to flounder in a job market packed with thousands of other hopefuls. When he eventually decides to start his own business as a middle-man, he discovers that the world of business does not live up to his lofty ideals.
Suddenly a thief named "Nidhiram Sardar" totally changed the life of Kolkata police. He theft from the dishonest businessman and distributed them to the poor. Mr. Gangaram an importer-exporter also faced the same at Hotel Love Bird. The owner of the hotel Sitesh Pyne a whimsical, high profile criminal become very anxious about the incident. On the other side Jamini, a young, smart girl is the only earning member of a middle class family suddenly faces some problem. Some unknown antisocial follows her regularly. In such a situation, she asks for help from Ram Prasad Singha. Ram Prasad who is a reputed singer as well as a bold man with his own values tries to reveal the problem. He puts his every effort and solves the case with the help of his relative Mallik and old friend Sanjay.
A romantic comedy about a series of clashes between the female residents of a ladies' hostel Basanta Bilap, and four boys of the neighbourhood, aided and abetted by their boudi (sister-in-law).
Jayanti takes up a job of a governess in the Roy family. Sanjoy Roy, the uncle of the five kids, is an arrogant man. Soon, Jayanti wins the kids' hearts and Sanjoy's respect.
Amal Basu, who decides to visit his hometown, meets Lila on the train. When he goes to his friend Nabendu's home, he learns that Lila is his sister and a smuggler.
An English novelist travels to Bombay to watch one of her novels translated to film. She chases after the movie's leading man while the screenwriter chases after her.
Four friends from Calcutta who have very different personalities make a holiday excursion into the country, to a tiny village in the state of Bihar where they set themselves up in a bungalow. A series of minor events, all connected to their respective reactions to their new environment, reveals their characters more deeply.
A hilarious romantic-comedy where two people have their luggage exchanged during a train journey. One of them (Soumitra) is a psychiatrist, and he develops a keen interest in knowing the other party (Aparna Sen). His experience as a psychiatrist helps him to understand the happy-go-lucky and pampered Aparna Sen and woo her love.
A young man still to find a place in the sun puts up an innocent bluff to a young girl he chances upon. They meet frequently since then. Bluffs continue to pile up. There is no way out. In a desperate bid the young man tries to break the wealth barrier. His friend, well placed in life, cautions him. He turns a deaf ear. The inevitable happens. The young man grows wiser but pays heavily for it.
'Teen Kanya' is an anthology film based upon short stories by Rabindranath Tagore, as a tribute on the author's centenary. The title means "Three Daughters", and the film's original Indian release contained three stories, with three central female characters linking the stories together. 'The Postmaster' concerns an orphan girl who grows attached to the postmaster she is caring for after he teaches her to read and write. 'Monihara' is a supernatural tale about a woman obsessed with the jewels her husband buys for her. 'Samapti' follows a young man who falls for an unconventional girl from his new village instead of his arranged bride, the daughter of a respectable family. The international release did not include 'Monihara', and was released as 'Dui Kanya', or "Two Daughters".
hard-hitting drama that examines how much of society is responsible for producing rapists.
Jiban Saikate is a 1972 Bengali film based on the novel The Citadel by A. J. Cronin. It was directed by Swadesh Sarkar and stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Aparna Sen and Dilip Roy.
