5 Bengali Feel-Good Films for Your Dose of Sweetness This Lockdown

As we cope with the new normal of post-Covid life, the lockdown has also been a time for nostalgia and looking back at memories for many. After four weeks of watching feel-good films in regional languages which usually do not feature on my watchlist, I decided it was time to go back to some of my favourite Bengali movies.

In the past week, I sought out Bengali movies that were a sure shot way to happiness for me. I also caught up on movies I have missed in the last few years.

I haven’t visited home in the past year, but these movies were in a way homecoming for me as I got to look at Kolkata landscapes through the lenses of these filmmakers. It was so good to watch those familiar faces in familiar settings, sometimes in familiar circumstances, as well. They also talk of the food, art and culture that Bengal is so well known for.

I hope you will love these films too, as I have, and enjoy this ride through the City of Joy via your TV screens.

Maach Misti and More (YouTube)

The film will make any Bengali nostalgic from the beginning with sketches of Kolkata used in the credits. It’s a tribute to the city all through. The film explores multiple stereotypes associated with the city and its culture – the prejudice against Marwaris, the NRI returned to India, the wannabe actor trying to find one break. Entwined with that is interpersonal relationship of the members of one family. Three brothers with very different ambitions recognize the meaning of love and happiness in the course of the film. Soumitra Chatterjee plays their endearing grandfather, who also strings the whole narrative together, and sets the tone of the film. So do the songs, the lyrics of which were written by late director Rituparno Ghosh.

Bhooter Bhabisyot (Disney+ Hotstar)

This horror comedy is more comedy than horror and an absolute delight of a film. No Bengali feel-good film list can be complete without this one. Parambrata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Saswata Chatterjee – it features some of the most popular faces from Bengali cinema. The film was hailed for its intelligent and satiric humour, as well as the uniqueness of the plot. No matter how many times you watch it, this film will have you in splits each time. Some of the accents and nuances of the language might be lost on you if you do not understand Bengali, but entertainment is guaranteed with this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JdsdZCxlA4

Bibaho Diaries (Disney+ Hotstar)

Ritwick Chakraborty has always nailed the role of the man who leads his life off the beaten track. In Bibaho Diaries, he plays a down on luck theatre actor who falls in love with a financially independent girl from a well-to-do family. The usual issues about money and parents’ approval crop up. The film shows us how a modern-day couple in Kolkata deals with all of it. Is their love strong enough to weather the obstacles? The love story is extremely relatable, and the film is peppered with funny and emotional moments. The music is one of the highlights of the film and make for the perfect background as you watch the two of them learn to build a home together.

Haami (Disney+ Hotstar)

This film will take you back to the innocent world of 5-year-olds, who are unaware of the complicated connotations of adult actions and gestures. Director duo Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee are known for making socially relevant films which are also entertaining to the viewers. Haami is one of their most popular films. Bhutu and Chini, two Class I students in a co-ed school are at the centre of the plot. Their innocence and friendship fall prey to their parent’s judgement, creating a big scandal for the school. The film shows endearing teachers and a sensible principal trying to keep the peace as parents overreact to the tiniest of issues which are blown out of proportion. But the sweet friendship between Bhutu and Chini wins in the end, as the parents are taught to see their world through non-judgemental eyes.

Ghare and Baire (Amazon Prime Video)

It’s not always easy to admit that you have fallen in love, even if you are childhood friends. You will fight, separate, be egoistic, but say those three words that can make everything right. That is the dilemma of the protagonists of Ghare and Baire, a totally enjoyable love story of two childhood friends who love each other but cannot admit it. One leaves the city and the ego tussle gets so huge that its takes almost separates them for live. Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mullick are completely entertaining as the lead pair and their love-hate relationship will remind you of your childhood friendship and the sweetness of meaningless fights with your best friend. The songs add to the feel-good mood of the film. This one’s an easy watch, with no profound preaching.

Narrowing down 5 titles from the repertoire of Bengali films was a difficult task. I had to let go of some because they were not available on any major streaming platform.