Romance and Films
As the officially designated ‘Day of Love’ aka Valentine’s Day is here, we thought we’d do a small fun quiz and ask around for the most-romantic Bangla classics that can still give current-day films a run for their money. So, here’s our list of the most-loved classic Bengali romantic films you don’t want to miss –
SAPTAPADI (1961) – If there was a cult film that epitomizes romance in this age, it must be this. A whopping number chose Saptapadi as their top favourite romantic movie. Directed by Ajoy Kar and with soul-stirring music by Hemanta Mukhopadhya, this 1961- Uttam Suchitra starrer swept audiences straight off their feet and continues to wow younger viewers even today with its beautiful love story of Krishnendu (Uttam Kumar), a Hindu, and Rina (Suchitra Sen), a Christian. The bike scene from this lovingly-crafted interfaith film has been immortalized and continues to be used in a thousand ways to depict lovers on a bike ride.
TIN BHUBONER PARE (1969) – Starring Soumitra Chatterjee as Montu and Tanuja as Swarasi’s story of how love can exist and thrive between unequal individuals is probably a throwback on the social scene of the day. She is well-educated and high up on the social ladder while he is an uneducated factory worker often getting in brawls with roadside Romeos. Can love led the two on? A beautiful film that is a cinematic interpretation of Samaresh Basu’s novel with fine direction by Ashutosh Bandyopadhyay and music scored by Sudhin Dasgupta.
PARINEETA (1969) – Based on the timeless classic by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, this is the story of the young, orphan Lalita (Moushumi Chatterjee) and her relationship with Shekhar (Soumitra Chatterjee) and the presence of Girin (Samit Bhanja) in her life. The plot that brings out complexity of the situation juxtaposed with the innocence and pure-heartedness of Lalita has been adapted in several films and series till today. Parineeta was directed by Ajoy Kar who also co-produced the film.
BASANT BILAP (1973) – A fun-filled Bengali romcom starring the very talented Soumitra Chatterjee and Aparna Sen that brings out the hilarious rivalry between gangs of young men and women with all the quirks typical in the city in the 70s. Basanta Bilap, the hostel, rings with the fun tricks that bring out the rivalry between the two groups. This goes on till…love strikes! Based on a story by Bimal Kar and directed by Dinen Gupta, it features the hugely-popular number, Ami Miss Calcutta.
ANANDA ASHRAM (1977) – A bilingual romantic film made by Shakti Samanta, it starred Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, it went on to be a super hit with melodious songs and a strong socially-relevant message. At its core, the film revolves around the simple tale of a wealthy boy and poor girl who come from different religious backgrounds andgo on to marry each other, cementing their childhood association. There are dime a dozen such plots in Indian cinema but this one is brilliantly delivered with powerful performances by the leading case and the directorial skills of Shakti Samanta. Plus, the songs are to die for.
On her exclusive shoot with us,Camongo speaks to Angana Roy, Actor, on what she thinks of modern-day love
Camongo– What is your take on love in our times and what suggestions would you give to young couples in love?
Angana Roy (laughs) – I can’t say I am an authority on love and therefore, not the right person to dole out advice to couples in love. But I prefer to consider romantic love as an extension of friendship. There should not be blocks and hurdles on what is appropriate to tell my partner and what isn’t. Just as I can tell my best friend anything and everything in the world, so must it be with my significant other. I choose to believe that Dosti hi Pyaar hai. To be able to be best friends with him or her would be the most-wonderful feeling in the world! Other than this, be able to give and expect trust, loyalty, transparency, mutual respect – all these are important in a romantic relationship, just as they are important in any relationship. I give a lot of importance to open and free-flowing communication, something that I regard as one of the firm pillars of any relationship.
Inputs – Neha Karmakar
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