2019 Roundup: Kaushik Ganguly as Narasingha to Riddhi Sen as Puti/Porimal, Bengali cinema’s best performances

The year 2019 saw Bengali films, particularly the themes, exploring different genres, giving ample scope for a wide range of characters to blossom and giving actors the chance to explore their potential beyond what the audience expects from them. Here we sum up some of the best performances in Bengali cinema this year. This list is not cast in stone and can definitely change with time. It’s also a random list, not a ranked one.

In this cinematic ballad from Kaushik Ganguly, Riddhi Sen is so natural as Puti/Porimal that he almost succeeds in delivering a masterclass in acting. From acquiring a feminine gait to expressing a gamut of emotions, he effortlessly slips into a National Award-winning performance where he is ably supported by fellow-winners Gobinda Mandal and Ram Rajak on costumes and makeup respectively.

Unlike Riddhi Sen, whose cross-dresser looks help in character-building, Ritwick’s arsenal only has his own craft to portray the confusion of a man in love with a woman trapped in a man’s body and he pulls of the role like a supreme actor. Not only Madhu in ‘Nagarkirtan’, Ritwick remains the standout performaer this year leaving lasting impressions on audience minds with roles like Partho in ‘Jyeshthoputro’ Rudrangshu in ‘Tarikh’, Srikanto in ‘Rajlokkhi o Srikanto’, or Adi Bose in ‘Vinci Da’.

Anasuya makes this film a treat to watch. Anashuya along with Koneenica’s expressions and body language are so bang on that you can’t imagine them to be anyone else but Mukherjee dar bou senior and junior. Every woman — mother, daughter, mother-in-law — will connect on a deep level with this modern-day beauty of a family drama thanks to some stellar performances. Shovarani’s actions remind you that every big picture is but a collection of seemingly inconsequential dots — dots that actually define how beautiful or ugly the overall picture is.

Kaushik Ganguly, as the protagonist Narasingha an obese, squint-eyed and dark middle-aged man who lives alone in his decrepit home, delivers what is easily the best performance of his career so far. He carries the film on his shoulders and leaves a lasting impression in the minds of the audience. All his expressions are genuine and nuanced. The audience doesn’t have to try too hard to see the world through his eyes. Even when the transformation of character occurs, it isn’t sweeping. The change is first and foremost in his mind.

Prosenjit delivers a strong performance as an arrogant yet vulnerable, Asimava. He dons a grey character and does it with elan. Asimava is sharp, bohemian, sensitive, wicked and everything in between and Posenjit does a great job in portraying the shades. Atanu Ghosh directed ‘Robibaar’ - a chronicle of a Sunday in Sayani and Asimava's life - shows the peril and charm of diving into the past.

Ritwika, in her debut film, does so well imbibing Kia that you will need to look her up to be sure that she’s not an autistic child doing wonders on screen. The emotional turmoil between the mother-daughter duo remains the highlight of this Sudipto Roy directorial and Ritwika delivers a commendable performance.

Jaya handles the silent widow-turned-soft spoken wife she portrays in a supreme act. Her hold over the language is a huge plus and the longing stare brings back flashes from Bishorjon. Leave alone Dhaka, her maturity as an actor proves why Jaya has been giving sleepless nights to heroines here in Tollywood as well.

Her portrayal of Sayani in ‘Robibaar’ also needs to be highlighted. Sayoni suffers from a trauma and the shadow of her past looms large on her. Her dilemma and uncertainty are nicely presented by Jaya. The actress has a magical diction and that works in favour of a character such as this. She camouflages her trauma with sarcasm and the emotions are rightly portrayed by Jaya.

Gargee’s character is perhaps the sorted and balanced voice in ‘Jyeshthoputro’ story of emotional turmoil. Her stoic silences are good but her gaze reminds you more of actress Gargee than the character Sudeshna. She’s delightfully natural with the perfect body language, vulnerability.

‘Bijoya’, the sequel to ‘Bishorjon’, boasts of some brilliant performances by its lead trio of Jaya Ahsan, Abir Chatterjee and Kaushik Ganguly. Abir Chatterjee reprises his role as Nasser and puts in a brilliant performance. He stays true to his character and certain scenes, in which he fiercely takes on his prying neighbours to protect Padma’s family, are the ones to remember for long.

Among all the acting powerhouses like Abir Chatterjee, Mamata Shankar, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Anirban Bhattacharya, Swastika as Kamalini is a real stunner. The character’s outstanding intelligence blends seamlessly with her pain and fear, and the actress gives her best to justify the complexities of Kamalini.

She delivers another powerful performance in ‘Kia and Cosmos’. Swastika makes sure that Dia, the single mother of Kia, is the most relatable character in the film. You will believe her each time — in her happiness, in her pain and in her deceit.