The first cinema shows in Bengal have been dated to 1896 and since then Bengali cinema has only flourished into having its presence, producing some of India’s best-regarded filmmakers and the best of Indian cinema. Some of the stellar movies the Bengali film industry has churned out include Debaki Bose’s Chandidas (1932, Mukti (1937) and Nitin Bose’s President (1937). In recent years though, The Bengali film industry has been seeing higher investments and releases with a slew of films receiving attaining both critical and commercial success.
While cinematic masterpieces like “Pather Panchali” and “Nayak” are what comes to one’s mind when asked about Bengali cinema, there are a lot of brilliant comedies that went under the radar. Here a few Bangla comedy movies that’ll make you laugh until your stomach starts to hurt
SAARE CHUATTOR, 1953
This is a hilarious comedy directed by Nirmal Dey featuring one of Tollywood’s most beloved couples, Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. The film narrates a story about a boarding house where all the boarders are friendly except an elderly border known as Rajanibabu. However, the comic turn of events begins when two of the boarders fall in love with the only woman in at the lodge. One mishap leads to another and the ensuing confusing forms the crux of the movie.
BHOOTER BHOBISHYOT, 2012
This film is the directorial debut of Anik Dutta. The film has an ensemble cast starting from Parambtrata Chatterjee to Sabyasachi Chakraborty. It is a story about a young aspiring ad director who is about to make his directorial debut but is confused with the plot of his story. He visits the location for one of his ad films and falls asleep. But when he wakes up he has the story for his next film in his mind as well as the amount of money required to make it. This film is a must-watch.
OGO BODHU SUNDARI, 1981
Directed by Salil Dutta the film stars Uttam Kumar, Bikash Roy and Moushumi Chatterjee in the lead roles. It even has Santosh Dutta as Abolakanto and he delivers a staggering performance. In the film, Uttam Kumar rescues a slum girl, played by Moushumi Chatterjee and decides to groom her and educate her to make her suitable for society. The reaction of his wife to this event and the sequence of events that follow are sure to touch your funny bone.
DADAR KIRTI, 1980
Tarun Majumdar delivers a light-hearted romantic comedy with a touch of a family drama. Set in Bihar, this film is a love story that will make the viewers laugh and cry with happiness.
CHALO LETS GO, 2008
A recent entry in the list, this film is a tale of four friends who’ve quit their professions to start a travel company. Their journey across North Bengal makes this Bangla comedy movie easy to digest and ends on a positive note.
BRAKE FAIL, 2009
A revised take on a Hindi classic comedy, Brake Fail has a slight twist in the tale delivering constant laughter throughout.